April Measurements (1 Year Gymiversary Comparisons)

Arms

• Last month (11/16/2013) - 9.75 inches each
• This month (4/13/2014) - 9.5 inches each
• Last year (4/13/2013) - 11.5 inches each

Hips

•  Last month (1/18/2014) - 38.5 inches
•  This month (4/13/2014) - 38.25 inches 
•  Last year (4/13/2013) - 47 inches

Waist

•  Last month (1/18/2014) - 28.5 inches
•  This month (4/13/2014) - 28.25 inches
•  Last year (4/13/2013) - 36 inches  

 
Bust

•  Last month (1/18/2014) - 35.25 inches
•  This month (4/13/2014) - 35 inches
•  Last year (4/13/2013) - 40 inches

Thighs

•   Last month (1/18/2014) - 19.5 inches each
•   This month (4/13/2014) - 19.25 inches each  
•   Last year (4/13/2013) - 24.5 inches each

It's been one year since I stepped into the gym for the first time after having Izzie.  I have never gone more than two months in a row being consistent with going to the gym before now.  I've spent a whole year being faithful to working out and am beyond pleased with the results!

In one year, I've gone from 179.4lbs to 142.8lbs, a net loss of 36.6lbs.  That number alone is so great, but when combined with the number of inches lost really blows my mind and you know I am easily my hardest critic.  2 inches from each arm, 8.75 inches from my hips, 7.75 inches from my waist, 5 inches from my bust, and 5.25 inches from each thigh, bring the total to 36 inches lost!  That's almost an inch per pound which is insane to me.  I went from a size 16 pants to a size 8 and a size 14 dress to a size 6.  In terms of general sizing, I've gone from XL to mainly M with some S mixed in here and there (usually in women's sizes not juniors).

I am beyond excited about buying all new summer clothes.  I am so glad I could do this before my kids no any better so as not to give them body image complexes.  I don't put myself down in front of them (not that I put myself down too much in my head anymore) and when we go to the gym, Brady knows I'm there to exercise, which is something he likes to do too in his own way.  There's no connotation about it being to lose weight.  He knows we eat good food so that we can grow healthy and strong.

Here is the ultimate comparison over the course of the last year.  The top pics are from the first day back in the gym when Izzie was 6 weeks old.  Second set was 10 weeks later at 16 weeks old, the third 10 weeks later at 6 months old, and the final set was after a whole year working out.  I still can't believe how much of a change I've made, especially when I don't see it until put like this.

Setting My Final Goal

Well, I've made it to pre-Germany weight and have even dipped below it.  That was the goal I set for myself to reach before Christmas, so now it's time to set my new, and final, goal for myself.  The healthy weight range for my height (5'6") is anywhere between 124lbs and 155lbs.  The ultimate number I want to reach is 130lbs, and I would like to reach that by the time I get to my 10 year high school reunion in early July.  I want to look so good that people don't even recognize me.  I have just under  nine months to lose 16.8lbs, which means I need to lose less than half a pound per week in order to reach this final goal.

130lbs has been a number in my head for a long time, since I was a teenager.  The last time I was 130lbs was when I was 14 and at that age, I was just over five feet tall, so it wasn't a healthy weight for me at that time.  I was huge into Friends and I would read articles about how Jennifer Aniston was having a hard time getting her big break because she was overweight.  Even having a father in the business wasn't enough to get her the jobs she wanted.  She was 5'6" like I am and weighed 160lbs.  She went out and lost 30lbs and then landed her huge gig on Friends.

A 30lb difference from 160lbs to 130lbs (although I'm pretty sure there have been many times when she's gone lower than that).

Although Jennifer Aniston's story is what got the number in my head, there was a bigger inspiration that lead to the body that I would like to have.  I have watched Days of Our Lives since I was Brady's age or even younger.  Alison Sweeney has been on the show for over 20 years and I used to watch when she was just a chubby teenager.  She went on to lose a ton of weight and eventually landed herself as the host of The Biggest Loser.  She's well endowed like myself and has also had two kids.

Just about a month ago, she was on the cover of Shape magazine and my mom brought it to my notice while we were getting our hair done.  She looks amazing!  She's 36, so nine years older than myself, and I can only hope that I look that good by the time that I'm 36.

My butt has been a huge sticking point in my weight loss and something I've heard criticism about my whole life from multiple sources.  Andy decided to catch a shot of me from behind last night and made a point of showing it to me to show me how small he thought it was looking.  Of course, it's not small in comparison to most, but it's small for me.  It's hard to ever see yourself from behind, so I'm glad Andy was able to show me that my hard work is making a difference.  I've already bought my bikini's for next summer on clearance and I have this image in my head of how I'll look in them at my final goal and this is when it's really going to happen.

Weigh-in for 9/14/2013

Last weigh-in (9/7/2013) : 154 lb

This weigh-in (9/14/2013) : 151.7 lb

Change : 2.3 lb lost

Germany weight loss : 16.3lb of 19.8lb gained

Total weight loss since Izzie : 48.7 lbs 


Mid-week I was at 153lbs, and because it was so cold this morning, I figured with pants on, I'd be lucky to get that at official weigh-in this morning.  My jaw dropped when I got on the scale.  The last two weeks have been more conservative losses, which were what I was going to expect going forward.  I couldn't believe I was still capable of a multi-pound loss!

It was a little cooler on Thursday when I had to take Brady to school, so I donned a pair of size 10 jean bermudas and a medium top (pictured above).  Andy knew the numbers were going down, but most of my summer clothes were so loose that it was hard to see the changes.  Finally able to wear more form fitting items in my wardrobe that have been either never worn or not worn in years, he could see the physical changes.  He was taken aback and couldn't believe it.  I never shy away from compliments because it helps boost my self-image, which has been badly damaged in the past.  

That same day, I went shopping for the kids and saw some pants I thought looked good and decided to try them on.  They were skinny jean capris.  I have never used the word skinny about myself and never imagined in my teen years of being either obese or overweight that I could squeeze myself into anything with the word skinny on it or manage to look good if I did.  I grabbed a size 10 and headed for the fitting room.  They were too loose and I grabbed a size 8 to try on (a size that hasn't fit me since Feb 2012).  When I got those on no problem I couldn't believe it!  I guess seeing the number on the scale only two days later, makes me realize I shouldn't have been so shocked.  I was in a size 8 around this weight last time.  I see that almost every item in my closet and my "skinny" bin fits now and I realize that if I keep losing weight they will no longer fit.  I've spent years building a full closet of clothes and I will be sad to see them go as I am attached to many items.  I guess I should look forward to building a new wardrobe.

July 2013 Stats & August Goals

Starting weight : 167 lb

Ending weight : 161.8 lb

Change : 5.2 lb lost (average 1.2lb lost per week)

This time last year : 168 lb (8 weeks pregnant)


This month was great and I surpassed my goal of 4lbs lost.  I'm back where I was almost exactly two years ago when I was on my biggest downswing and on the road to becoming a lifetime member.  If I was able to get to 148.2 lbs by Christmas then while not exercising as intensely and breastfeeding, I should be able to get there no problem if I stick to it. 

There are 20 weeks til Christmas and 13.6lbs to lose to make it to that goal.  That means an average of 0.7lb loss per week until then.  Going by that, I should be trying to reach a 3.4lb loss for the month of August.  Ideally, I want to be back at the upper level of my lifetime goal (157), so I'm going to shoot for that at 4.8lbs this month.  If I don't get there, I won't beat myself up since I've been doing so well and eventually the weight won't come off as fast.  If I get somewhere in between the two numbers I will be happy.

I was looking back at some old beach pics and wish I'd found this one yesterday before blogging about bikinis.  The one on the left with my brothers is from 2008 before I had either kid.  I feel way better about how I look now, considering my belly was worse before it was stretched out by two kids.  My goal is to look better at 30 (yikes, but still several years away) than I did at 16, 18, or even 20.

The Permanence of Pictures

We can choose not to look in the mirror, but pictures are a constant reminder of how we look or used to look. The can be either good or bad. You can look back and feel good about being thinner, or look back and wish you were thinner now. Our house is filled with pictures, good and bad, and it's something I have to deal with. The hardest part is sometimes looking at pictures and thinking that at the time, you were happy with yourself, and that's not the case now.



Last night we had our yearly family portraits done and it made me look back at last year. I was 177lbs, just shy of 20lbs more than what I weigh now. Andy was 10lbs more than he is now. Of course, Brady has gained about 8lbs, but he's allowed since he's a baby :) Last year, almost my whole body was in the shot and it showed just how wide my hips were. This year, of course since I'm much thinner, I was only shot from the waist up in most of the shots.




One of my favorite pictures of myself would have to be when we were at our luau on Kauai. I was up 5lb from where I am now, but I was happy with the way I looked.




Although in the past two years I've been between 158lb and 215lb, one of my least favorite pictures of myself would have to be on our trip to Disney this past May. I was 165lbs and what I don't like about it is how evident my "mommy belly" is. Granted, I'm 7lbs lighter than this now, but I still get that "mommy belly" when I sit down and it bothers me because I didn't have it before I was a mommy.