Overview where I started to where I am today.........

My journey started back in October 2012. I looked in the mirror and finally saw what everybody else was seeing - A FAT, OVERWEIGHT, UNHEALTHY person! And I was mortified! I could not believe that I had let myself go that far. Sure I was happy with my life, have a beautiful family, with a wonderful husband, and two great children. Through the years it was all about running here and there with the son's sports, or keeping house and cooking. I realized I was not taking time for ME, myself. I made a vow that no matter what I was not going to look like this.

At first, as with any diet, I didn't tell A SOUL, not even the husband. I started logging my food into myfitnesspal and was shocked at the number of calories I was eating, over 3000 a day. Before you say OMG you were pigging out, no I was only eating three meals a day, at what I thought were normal portions. I did not realize how much I was eating. So my tip is to log or keep a journal of EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. So my first goal was to constrain my portion sizes. I was still eating the same foods, (rice, pasta, meats, gravies, breads) just less of them. And when I say constraining, no I was not measuring, I was just eye balling it. Putting less on my plate. After about two weeks of doing this, I felt pretty good about this diet. I drug the elliptical out and set it up in the living room (yea, I tried it in another room, but I felt like I wasn't spending time with the husband in the afternoons) so why not set it up where he is - right? I got on it, thinking yea I'm fixing to do half hour, boy was I wrong. I could barely do two minutes, three minutes was pushing it. Then I'd get off and rest 10 minutes. I kept doing this until I'd done 30minutes total. Sure it took me a few hours, but hey it was better than doing nothing.

 Through the next month or so I continued with controlling my portions and making sure I hopped on the elliptical at least 3-4 nights. And I felt pretty good about myself, but I still wasn't telling anyone. And I could tell my clothes were getting a little loose fitting, but nothing to brag about. After a few weeks of the elliptical, I decided to use the 8lb hand weights I had stuffed in the closet. So I work my arms with the hand weights about 15 minutes each day, sure nothing drastic, but the consistency has definately paid off. I've went from a size 2x shirt to Large. A friend of mine told me to not weigh on the scales but once a month. She said the scales are part of the reason everybody gives up. After you've been sweating your tail off and doing without food and then the scale doesn't move... It's devastating. Instead she said to take your body measurements each week, cause your body will change & inches will dissappear with consistency before the scales will ever move. And believe me, the inches do dissappear.

Now that I have the hang of the portion sizes, I'm more conscious of what I'm eating. In the beginning I still ate anything I wanted. But I started setting small weekly goals for myself. My first goal was sweet tea. I love me some sweet tea. So I figured if I could go one week with no tea, thats a start. For the record I haven't had sweet tea but once since December (when my husband took me out for my birthday)! My next goal was no white rice or white potatoes for a week. (Yes my husband believes you're supposed to have one or the other for supper each night) Proud to say I haven't had white rice since January, and only had white potatoes once since November and I got sick as a dog. Sure now I eat Sweet pototoes, but just can't acquire the taste for brown rice. I've switched my pasta to whole grain pasta and it's not too bad. I try to eat at least every three hours, to work my metabolism and keep my energy throughout the day. My biggest meal is usually breakfast - no real good reason why, just if I don't eat by 9am I'm grouchy! I eat a mid morning snack around 10:30 whether I'm hungry or not, so my body doesn't go into starvation mode. Try to eat something light and healthy for lunch and then a mid afternoon snack around 2:30 -3pm. And supper by 6pm and a small snack around 8pm. I've found in the beginning if I "thought" I was hungry, I could drink a bottle of cold water (or glass ICE cold water) and the hunger would dissappear. Now I have to make myself eat throughout the day! Sure there are days that I'm craving a Whopper with cheese, therefore I run to McDonalds and get a beef angus wrap, or to Burger King for a Whopper JR.

This is ME in the beginning....I know not a pretty sight.  Here are my measurements in the beginning

waist		43
hips		48
bust		43
right thigh		26
left thigh		26
right calf		16
left calf		16
right arm		16
left arm		16
WEIGHT		230

neck			14
waist			34
hips			39
bust			41
right thigh			22
left thigh			22
right calf			13
left calf			13
right arm			13
left arm			13
WEIGHT			210