Pics

Here is a photo journal of my weight loss successes and struggles...

I was an athlete in high school. Although, I was aware of my weight and what I ate, my weight would only fluctuate around 10 pounds most of the time.  When I hit college is when the major weight gain started happening.  Going out, drinking, and eating crap food all of the time combined with my lack of exercise helped me gain about 30 pounds my freshman year...yuck.

My sophomore year, I decided it was time to get my weight back in check.  It was September of 2004, and I had just stepped on the scale to watch it read a whopping 198 pounds.  I freaked out about the possibility of weighing 200 pounds, so I decided it was time to do something about it.  From that point on, I only allowed myself 1,000 calories a day (so not enough but it made sense to me at the time), and I stuck to it like a drill sargent.  I'm not going to lie, it worked.  However, I was STARVING all the time.  My stomach growled from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed.

This is me at about 150 pounds February (right) and January (left) of 2005

And yes, I desperately needed highlights, but I was a poor college kid :)

I lost about 50 pounds in five months just by eating less...A LOT less, but I was doomed for failure.  At some point I knew I would start eating again.  It was just a matter of time.

That time happened when I started dating an offensive lineman.  I stuck with my diet at first...but I just couldn't resist the temptation.  He ate constantly.  Every time I was around him he was eating something...chips, fast food, candy, cookies...you name it!  So, I started eating crap food again, and the weight began to creep back on.

Luckily, I was able to get it back in control at about 175 pounds.  I starting the GE diet, and it was a lot easier to stick with than my calorie counting.  I kept my weight in check for the remainder of college...and then we broke up.

To all the girls out there that have ever struggled with their weight and gone through a breakup...you know what's about to happen.  I completely lost control.  I was depressed, I was anxious about graduating, and I was emotional...so i ate... a lot.  By the time I started my first job in 2007, I was back up to 202 pounds. I can't even find a picture of this time period because I avoided them like the plague!

By the fall of 2008, I had had enough...again.  I was unhappy about the way I felt, I was lonely, and I was unhealthy.  My mom had success with Weight Watchers eons ago, so I decided I would give that I try.  I started with just tracking my points.  I didn't exercise because I hate it...  After I had lost about 30 pounds, I got a treadmill for Christmas, so I started running.  That really helped the last 10 come off no problem.  

 

Here I am at about 170 pounds the Christmas of 2008

I was feeling really good about myself, and I truly thought that I would stick with this lifestyle forever.  Summer was coming, and I bought 2 two piece swimsuits!  I was so excited about wearing them that I never said no to a lake trip!  Lucky I didn't because that's exactly where I met my husband :)  We met, feel head over heels for each other, and began a long distance relationship. He lived in Oklahoma City, and I lived in Fort Worth, TX, but one of us made the 3.5 hour drive every weekend for a year.  

In case you haven't picked up on it by now, I don't handle change very well.  It freaks me out and I try to get rid of the freak out feeling by stuffing my face with crap food.  This is all great and wonderful in the moment, but I usually end up undoing a lot of hard work which makes me even more depressed which makes me eat more...you get the picture.

During the first year of our relationship I gained back about 25 pounds of the 40 I had lost.  I stopped running and started eating crap again.  I stopped tracking my points, and the weight came right back on.  We got engaged in April of 2010, and we set a wedding date for March 2011.  I moved to Oklahoma City and  started trying to lose weight again, but I just couldn't focus.  I had started a new job, I had just moved out of a state that I had called home for 25 years, and all of my friends and family were in Texas.  I kept my weight around 185 or 190, but that's about as good as it got.  I wasn't exercising, I was stressed out, and I would eat great one day and crappy the next two.

These is one of our engagement pictures.  I'm about 185 here.

 

 Our wedding was a perfect day.  I married my best friend in Las Vegas.  I was about 190 here.

Like most brides, there was a sigh of relief after the wedding was over.  I could finally relax, and stop worrying about what I was eating..right?  Well, I packed on about 20 more pounds.  We went to one of our friend's weddings in Mexico that December, and it was the most miserable vacation I have ever been on.  The wedding and resort were both great, but I felt absolutely miserable.  I didn't look good in anything I put on, and I felt fat and gross.

I hated every picture we took on this trip...I am 200+ here

After our first anniversary, my in-law's house was hit and completely demolished by a tornado.  Everyone was okay, but the reality of what could have happened shook us all to the core.  My husband and I decided to start trying to have a family.  I gained about 10 more pounds that summer, but toward the end of the summer I got my act together.  I started back on Weight Watchers, and was losing weight.  About the time I had lost 10 pounds, I found out I was pregnant with our little boy, Rhett.

That's me and my bff at a wedding in March.  I'm 7 months.

So, here we are today...I am about 8 months pregnant.  I've been trying not to eat like a psychopath, but I will admit that I've had my moments...remember my whole "change" phobia.  I know I'm going to have to take my weight loss very seriously after our son is born.  It's either lose weight or gain weight...and I'm ready to lose some major poundage.  I'm guessing that I will have about 70 pounds to lose.  I want to make some major lifestyle changes and make exercise part of my daily routine.  I don't want to lose all of this weight just to gain it all back.  So, here we go...for the last time!

I will post a post-baby pic when I get started on Weight Watchers again.  I plan to update the pictures with every 10 pounds that I lose. Wish me luck!