Amazing to look back and see the changes!

2002

 A very watered down version of my story.

2004

2003

I have been looking back at where I have been recently. As Arlen and I look at pictures it is really amazing to think I was ever that fat. I knew I was fat but I had so many excuses to why I wasn't that fat. I "wanted" to loose weight but I wasn't willing or ready to put in the time and effort until a few years ago.

168lbs 31% BF

 I started really trying to change in December of 2009, I lost about 30lbs, and that June found out we were expecting. I tried to have a healthy pregnancy and did really good at not gaining weight back. However we had some complications and in September lost our baby.  it took awhile to get re motivated again and was really hard because I didn't have some of the connections and friendships I have now.
 October 2010 starting at Golds Gym I was around 210 lbs. I did mostly cardio but started to learn how to do some weights and resistance training. I decided to start the Gold's Gym Body Transformation Challenge in 2011 Starting January 7th I weighed 197lbs and had a body fat of 39%. By the end of the 12 weeks I weighed 180 and had a body fat of 32%. I did a lot of weight lifting and cardio and counted my calories every day. July of 2011 I was 168Lbs and about 31% Body fat.


August 2011- we found out I was pregnant, I worked out 5 days a week my whole pregnancy. My water actually broke while I was walking on a treadmill at Golds. Even though I really tried to be healthy and not gain too much weight I still found myself at 210lbs and 36.7% Body fat (body fat is not considered accurate when breast feeding but I wanted it tested anyway)

May 30th

After we had Tioni I waited 10 days before I worked out again, I wasn't capable of much just walking but I didn't want to loose the habits I had made. It was really hard with a new baby to get up and get to the gym if she was up all night and since I was nursing her I had to either feed her or pump before I left in the morning which means getting up extra early to be home before Arlen had to leave for school. I worked through it

November 25th 187.5lbs 30.1% Body fat

however tried to not make excuses even if they were valid and just be there. November is when it really kicked up I did a challenge with a friend and had just stopped nursing. This is when I feel the real changes started to happened.

April 15th 154.4lbs 22% Body Fat

Currently I am at 154 lbs and 22% body fat(2 weeks ago). I am working towards loosing the last 20lbs to reach my goal!

How did I do it?

 Hard work and dedication! I work out a lot! I work really hard at sticking to a healthy diet plan. I try to avoid excess sugars and white carbs except on my free days which normally happen once a week. Eat right and work out. It is what has to be done, and it sounds so simple which it is, however doing it consistently is not simple. It takes a lot of motivation and self control. I have had to learn to say no even when something may sound good, I have to think of the overall perspective. I am not perfect, I still crave bad food, but I have consistently made good healthy choices and turned them into habits.

Me, Arlen and Tioni

 I think the most important part of my success is my support group! I have lots of people who support me but here are a few. My husband Arlen, puts up with what I eat and that I don't always cook for him if he is not eating what I am eating. He puts up with me crawling out of bed between 4 and 5 am to go to the gym every morning, which means a lot of the time he has to wake up and feed the baby while I am gone. He puts up with my Gym friends and the amount of time I am gone working out, and most of all he supports my goals and that I have chosen this as a life style. My workout buddy and diet writer Todd, has put up with a lot over the 3 years we have been friends. Has taught me a lot about lifting weights which I had never done before. Makes me do things I don't want to do (like run) and keeps me on track with my diet. And sets up crazy mean HIIT circuits that secretly I think are meant to kill me! He also holds me accountable for what I do or don't do. My Family and friends who are active parts of my life help motivate me to do and be better. They also help take any excess "cheat day" food I don't want hanging around my house which I know is SUCH a burden!

Overall without having someone to do things with and to hold you accountable and support you through the rough times I think it would be almost impossible to make the changes I have made. I am so thankful for the people in my life!

This is not over, I am not done with what I know I can accomplish. I have bad days we all do, but I know that with dedication and consistency I can do anything!

I am not and probably will never be the skinniest sibling but I can probably safely say I am the strongest! We wont get another pic all together until Sheldon (in blue) is home from his mission in May/June of 2014!

My Family May 2012

This took 11 months I don't have good comparison pictures from before last year, I avoided the camera for obvious reasons in the past. these pics were taken 8 weeks after Tioni was born!
Weight change:  -56lbs
Body Fat Change: -14.7%
Inches lost:
Thigh -5.25 inches
Hips: -8 inches
Belly Button: -14 inches
True waist (narrowest part) -8 inches
Biceps -2.5 inches

May 30th 2012 to April 25th 2013

11 Months!

                 

 One of my new years resolutions was: My Selfish Goal: Look good in a bikini!
                   I am not one that has ever really wanted to wear one and I really feel a lot of women who wear them don't really rock them, But I want to rock it! (I already have a few of the raw materials others lack..) One of the things I always said is I really want one really good picture of my abs, so I want to feel comfortable enough with my self and my body to feel sexy in a bikini IN PUBLIC. (it is easy to feel that way in a dressing room but how many of us can feel that way in public, well I think that's a good goal that will really make me learn to love my body!)

I may not look to shabby, but I am not where I want to be yet, but give me a month or two and I am going  to rock it! Right now I wouldn't feel comfortable in public but I feel so much better about myself than I ever have. I will get my ab picture and it will be amazing!!!