My Fitness Journey: Part II {During}

Click here to read Part I of My Fitness Journey.

It's difficult to pinpoint the exact moment that I knew things needed to change. It's more like the culmination of several little factors that cropped up around the holidays... For starters, the results of my postpartum check-up last November were not good. My cholesterol was high (remember?), and my BP (which tends to run a little higher during pregnancy) was still borderline. Oh yeah, and I weighed 203 pounds. I could read the BMI chart above the scale at the doctor's office. 5'6"/203 lbs = obese.

Probably the biggest thing, though--the thing that truly got me scared--was when a family member was diagnosed with diabetes. Boom. Right there--I officially had a diabetic on both sides of my family. Plus my high cholesterol, plus borderline-high blood pressure... I'm not an idiot. I know what this all means. I turn 28 this summer, and the metabolic grace period of young-adulthood has officially come to an end.

On Sunday, January 20, 2013, I joined Weight Watchers Online. The evening before signing up, I donned my tightest workout clothes, went downstairs and had my husband take the following photos.

I'm not trying to be aloof and artistic by not smiling. At this particular moment, I literally couldn't have smiled if you'd paid me. See those red cheeks? That's how hard I was trying not to cry in front of my kids.

Every single day since January 19, I have followed the Weight Watchers PointsPlus system. I don't cheat, I don't take days off. I don't do anything except follow the program. And I have never, ever experienced such tremendous results in my entire life.

Here's how my body has changed over the last four months...

So crazy to compare where I started (January 19) vs. where I am four months later (May 20)...

I'm not done. Even though I'm officially down 39 pounds as of this morning, I'm nowhere near done. My goal is still 27 pounds away. One-thirty-seven, that's my goal. Wedding day weight. Sophomore year weight. Except this time, I'm earning it. No cheating and using pills; those days are done. Weight Watchers--your mom's diet program that's been around for 50 years--that's my whole big mysterious plan :) 'Cept it's an online app now, which is awesome for people like me who don't like the whole meetings thing. It's helped me lose nearly 40 pounds in just a little over four months, and I trust it will help me get to goal.

I feel like this would maybe be a good time to have a good Q&A session, yes? Here's what let's do. I'd like to take a couple days to give y'all time to submit your questions. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog or, if you wish to remain anonymous, shoot me a Facebook message and I promise not to use your name. Ask me anything, I'm an open book.

My Fitness Journey: Part I {Before}

"Girl, what are you doing?"

"You shrinking or something?"

"Okay, what's your secret?"

I've gotten a lot of comments over the last several weeks with regards to my (decreasing) size. First, let me take a minute to say again how much I truly appreciate everyone's encouragement and kind inquiries! Before I share the specifics on how much I've lost, how much more I plan to lose, etc., I thought it might be helpful to share a little back story on my prior struggles with losing weight...

Oy. Where to begin? Let's go with puberty.

Teeny, tiny, prepubescent me. Summer 1999.

I was a short, skinny thing for most of my childhood. I didn't go through puberty until I was 15 (yup), at which point I sprouted boobs and thighs and cellulite seemingly overnight. I entered high school at 4' 11"/100 lbs; I left high school at 5' 6"/170 lbs. That's like walking in an Olsen twin and walking out Kirstie Alley c. 1993. Lots of feelings there. Moving on.

High school graduation (obvi). May 2003.

My weight yo-yo'd a bit throughout college. I was actually one of the lucky few who lost about 15 pounds my freshman year. Then I got on a major treadmill kick halfway through sophomore year and got down to around 135. (This dramatic weight loss was achieved with the help of some generic MetaboLife that I picked up at Walgreens.)

Me (center) with some of my college besties. Sweet Lord, I was tiny. May 2005.

Then I went home for the summer and met this really cute boy.

Suddenly, my daily appointment with the treadmill didn't seem quite so important. I gained weight steadily over the course of our courtship and engagement, eventually topping out in Winter '06 at about 165 lbs.

December 2006.

I knew I had a wedding gown to shimmy into a few months later and a Size 10/12 wasn't going to cut it. But with trying to graduate and plan a wedding, I saw myself as too busy to bother losing the weight properly (diet, exercise, etc). Phentermine* to the rescue! Six months and $300 later, viola--I was 137 lbs and a Size 6! Dang, did I ever look good.

June 2007.

...Aaaaaand then I got back from my honeymoon, went off the pills, and promptly started gaining weight. I was approaching 160 lbs by our first anniversary.

June 2008.

I was 195 lbs (and three months pregnant) by our second anniversary.

June 2009.

A few months after the birth of Little Foot in January '10, my weight had settled at 203 lbs--my highest ever. I was a busy, stressed-out working mom with (in my mind) very little time to devote to diet and exercise. Around the time I became a SAHM, I decided it was time to shake the baby weight. Rather than lose the weight properly, however, I turned to my old friend: phentermine. (Are you starting to see patterns emerge here?) Six months and $300 later, viola--I was 160 lbs and a Size 10. Let's go to Europe!



April 2011.

...Aaaaaand then I got back from our trip, went off the pills, and started trying for Baby #2. Succeeded with that. Welcomed Boo Bear in August '12. Which brings me to:

January 2013.

This was me helping Little Foot open gifts at her third birthday party. Five months postpartum and clocking in--yet again--at 203 lbs.

Oy vey. Something's gotta give (and it might be my pants).

To be continued...

*Phentermine: A prescription appetite suppressant. Tastes like hairspray, works like a charm (in the short term). Side effects include palpitations, restlessness/insomnia and constipation. Seriously dude. Not a good idea.

Fun Weekend {200th Post}

What a fun weekend we had!

Saturday afternoon my mom and I were able to sneak away for a couple hours to see The Great Gatsby. I loved how it was part Moulin Rouge (thanks to Tobey McGuire's disillusioned, Ewan McGregor-like writer character), part Romeo + Juliet (Anybody else catch that Leo-looking-through-the-window-at-the-girl-of-his-dreams reference?), part Titanic (Champagne toast? Kiss on the hand? Jack, please), all awesome. Except Daisy Buchanan. Daisy Buchanan bugged. me. to. death. Just wanted to smack her the entire time.

Sunday was gorgeous and so much fun! That morning at church I had the immense pleasure of duetting with my mom on the song "He Still Saves." It was a new song for me but is quickly becoming one of my favorite anthems! It's been a tremendous blessing to be able to sing with my mom at church again.

Photo by R. Pringle.

Was kind of feeling my outfit Sunday morning. On the mornings I'm on praise team, my general goal is to look polished without drawing unnecessary attention to myself. And my number one rule is modesty; no cleavage, no shoulders, no knees, never ever, Amen. I think this fit the bill :)

Julia Bergovich top, Bar III Ruched Sleeve Blazer in "Deep Black," Tommy Hilfiger Double Cloth Crop Pant in "Bimini Khaki," Prada Pumps in "Venice Print."

Probably the most exciting part of the above ensemble (to me at least) would be the fact that the pants are a Size 8. This is a huge milestone for me, one that I look forward to talking more about starting tomorrow :)

Oh yeah, and since I'm apparently on a nail polish kick--

Essie Nail Polish in "Bikini So Teeny."

Described as a "sparkling, cornflower blue." Obsessed.

That afternoon after naps we went over to my parents' house to swim and grill out. Summer's in the air, and I'm loving it!!

Me with my sweet Boo Bear, his first time in the pool.

Little Foot does...okay in the water (as long at her Disney Princess floaty ring is close at hand). She starts swim lessons next week, and all I have to say is I hope her poor instructor has a strong constitution :P

We're still havin' fun, and he's still the one!

Dedication

Yesterday was such a beautiful day for our family! In addition to it being my first Mother's Day as a mother of two (wow), we also got to dedicate Boo Bear at church :) We rejoined our home church a few months ago, so it was especially poignant and meaningful for us to dedicate our son in the same sanctuary where his big sister was dedicated three years ago.

Little Foot and Boo Bear were so good for the dedication. My mom was on praise team that morning and was sitting in the orchestra pit while we were on stage, so Little Foot spent most of her time grinning and waving at her Mimi :) And Boo Bear got a hold of my pendant necklace halfway through the ceremony and spend most of his time trying to choke himself with it. Basically they acted like three-year- and nine-month-olds lol.

Here's what I wore:

Old Navy Women's Poplin-Crepe Dress in "Blue Floral," Bar III Ruched Sleeve Blazer, Forever 21 Pendant Necklace, Merona Skinny Belt in "Mint Green," Nine West Fabric Pumps in "White."

 

And minty-green nails just for fun :)

 

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in "Mint Sorbet."

 

Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all you mommas out there! Hope your Monday hasn't been as crazy as mine :P

Five Things Friday {Programs, Princesses and Polish}

1.  Wow. Can I just say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to every single person who commented, messaged, or stopped me in the hallway re: the "selfie" I took a couple days ago. I didn't realize it'd been so long since I'd posted a photo of myself! Since January I've been working hard to shed the baby weight (and then some), and I'll definitely be blogging more about my fitness journey in the coming weeks :)

2.  Little Foot's spring program is tonight. Her age group is singing three songs, and they are literally the cutest things you've ever seen. She's been rehearsing all week, and my baby is old enough to rehearse for things and I need to stop typing before I start crying.

[Steps away from the computer for five minutes. Composes self, resumes typing.]

3.  Y'all, Little Foot is seriously growing up so fast. She's just all knees and limbs and (a little bit of) attitude lately, and I absolutely cannot get enough of my three-year-old Disney Princess. She's handled the whole "new sibling" thing so beautifully this past year, but a girl can always use some extra-special-alone time with Mommy :) Hence, later this summer we are taking our very first mother/daughter vacation to visit my best friend and her family. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

4.  Picked up some new nail polishes the other day. What do we think of "Tangerine Crush" by L'Oreal? I think I'm kind of in love.

5.  BuzzFeed is amazing. Thank you Sally for posting this gem about Carrie Bradshaw last night. My husband and I were laughing so hard we nearly woke the kids. (Contains implied profanity--you know, "wtf" abbreviations and such.)

Happy weekend! May the Fourth be with you!