argyle

Monday, May 6, 2013

Ultimate Goal: I Did It!

Remember those old grey pants? They're not fitting too well these days...



A recap of my story...

Almost six years ago, I got married. Prior to getting married, I felt fantastic. I had lost almost 40 pounds, and maintained most of that loss for about a year. But with marriage came new challenges, new experiences, and new goals. My healthy eating and exercise fell by the wayside, and I re-gained 40 pounds by our first anniversary. And the new, 195-pound me wasn't happy.

Around that time, about five years ago, I started looking at old pictures of myself. I found a picture of myself at 157 pounds, and felt like I would be happy to get back to that weight. I set 157 as my new goal, but I could never get myself back on track fully. I'd lose a few pounds, then gain most of it back. Sure, I was making progress, but very slowly. Throw two pregnancies into the mix, and my goal of 157 seemed like a pipe dream.

A little over a year ago, on March 2nd, I sat holding my one-month-old baby boy. I had stopped losing the baby weight, and was stuck at 198. I decided that I really, really wanted to set a better example for my son and his older sister. I started making small changes, and set my sights once again on that magical number "157".

I lost 15 pounds, then stalled. I wasn't exercising enough, and my eating habits were slipping. After once again losing and gaining the same 3 pounds, I had had enough. I figured that if I didn't do something soon to lose the weight, I was never going to do it. I got mad, then I got determined. I joined a gym, started following Mama Laughlin's blog (who had the same start weight as me), and recommitted myself fully to my previously-discarded Weight Watches food plan. I even started to blog myself! Here are two "comparison pics" from before I joined the gym (183 pounds) vs now at 148.



The weight started coming off - faster than I thought! Exercising really made the changes to my body become noticeable more quickly. I could fit into a pair of shorts that two weeks previous had been too small, my tummy started shrinking, and I just felt amazing.

Sure, there were some setbacks (vacation, anyone? Christmas goodies?) but this time, I really started to believe, for the first time in five years, that I could achieve my goal. And I did.

And then I went further. I hit my wedding weight of 153. Around that time, someone brought up the idea of having a goal RANGE instead of a goal weight. I realized that if I lost just 5 more pounds, it would mean that I'd lost exactly 50 pounds! And if I kept a goal range of 148-153 pounds, I would be in a pretty good place...healthy, without being obsessed with a number on the scale.

It took a lot of hard work, and a big overhaul of my eating, but I am thrilled to report that I finally did it: I achieved my ultimate goal of 148 pounds! And although I've struggled, in many ways it wasn't as hard as I thought.



(I know, my scale is kinda gross. Blame the leak under my sink)

My hope is that my blog can help others who are struggling with the same things I've struggled with. I hope you see my story and realize that if I can do it, so can you. I'm nothing special! If you ever need a kind word of encouragement, don't hesitate to email me!

One more thing...

...I guess I owe you that bikini pic, eh?

7 comments:

  1. Congratulations! I am so excited for you.
    I just found your blog today after hoping over from When Hello Means Goodbye.

    You are just what I needed today. I've been hit or miss with Weight Watchers lately. My son is almost 10 months old and I'd really like to drop the last few pounds of pregnancy weight I'm holding on to, plus a few more.

    You are such an inspiration. Love your blog!

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  2. Amazing! You look wonderful and, more importantly, you look happy. :)

    How tall are you, if you don't mind me asking?

    Love your blog!

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  3. I just found your blog and love it! What kind of exercising do you do? Any healthy snack ideas that you can share? I was at my goal weight before I had my 4 year old, then I had another baby. My baby is now 18 months and I need to get back in shape!

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  4. Thank you both for your comments!!! It's nice to hear!

    And I'm 5'9 :)

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  5. Stephanie - hi! I do a lot of different kinds of exercising, mixing cardio and weight training. I run, I use the stair climber, sometimes I just walk - and sometimes I do classes at the gym! For healthy snacks, I'd highly recommend trying new things. I found that I love almond butter on an apple or banana, and roasted red pepper hummus with vegetables is delicious! Don't be afraid to try new things!

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  6. I just started reading your blog...awesome job! I am a mom of 2 (just had my 2nd) and am finding its hard to get off the weight! Hopefully I will stay motivated and focused like you have! Congratulations!

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