Weight Loss Update: 22 lbs

Note: This post was written on March 9th, 2013. The amount of weight lost may actually be more at the time of publishing this post. 

At the beginning of the year I posted about my weight loss goals and journey. I wanted to post an update. The photos are sooner than I wanted to do, but after being called a "liar," I wanted to show my progress so far. 

Supposedly, if you don't post photos of yourself all the time during a weight loss program, the weight loss didn't happen. Well, that simply isn't true. I honestly was hoping for a more dramatic before and after sequence, but whatever. 22 lbs down, and here is my before and after!

When I started the program I was going to have to put on a pair of large scrubs or start changing something. It was embarrassing  to be quite frank. I was starting to wear a size 2x clothing, something I didn't even have to wear while I was pregnant. My jeans sizes were way too big for my liking, and thats why I mostly wore scrub pants after work, so I didn't have to face the reality. Finally, after a terrible photo of myself, I had ENOUGH of looking the way I did. It was time to research my options and start a plan.

Here is the said terrible photo of myself. Everyone looks so pretty, and thin, except me.
The fat chick in the corner.

That led me to find a gym close by apartment. for $10 a month I could have 24/7 access to their products/services/equipment. I went in, contacted them, haggled them, and made sure there wasn't a catch. Luckily, there wasn't. And because I was such a pain in the rear, they ended up working hard to "keep me". I didn't tell them I was going to stay, but when they offered me personal training/body fitness assessments/body shaping programs free for seven weeks. I didn't say no .

So I started working out 5 days a week, about 45-60 minutes a day. I love going to the gym. It gives me an escape, a place to be mentally free from my work worries, away from the blog, from a screaming toddler, from a husbands worries and woes. For those 45-60 minutes, its about me.

And endorphins are addicting. I cannot get enough sometimes.

I also changed my diet. Its strict, but only during the week is it strict. It works so well with my crazy work schedule, and I am able to eat whatever I want for dinner. On weekends, I can do the same, but usually I still opt to eat healthy, salads for lunch and smaller meals/portions or lighter dishes for dinner. 

The hardest part about all of this is the cravings that came post workout. I never really craved anything while pregnant, so this experience was bizarre, but the worst part was, it was a raspberry shake that I craved. I found that I could freeze raspberry flavored yogurt and it satisfied plenty, but craving anything at all seemed so strange! 

I've never really been one to post about such personal things. But I am so thankful that I have been able to be successful at this program and to get back to my EXACT pre-baby weight. How does one know this? When I found out I was pregnant with Brayden I stepped on the scale that morning, and was devistated to find out my weight loss plan wasn't working. I weighed in at 174.8 that morning. Today I weighed in at 175 exactly (close enough to pre-baby). 

Now to lose the rest of the weight I want to and to getting feeling even healthier and looking even better!