Let's talk about this photo.
The location is the same spot (taken from different angles) almost exactly 2 years apart.
The photo on the left was taken on my honeymoon, Sept. 2012.(Roughly 265-270lbs./size 18-22) Believe it or not, this wasn't the best I had looked since high school, but this was probably the best I had looked after having 3 kids, the last a year and a half before this photo. I had started a self/body love movement for myself and with my friends. I actually didn't feel too bad at this point. On my honeymoon, I hiked Harney Peak and lived a moderately active lifestyle.
Weight is hard to drop. Especially when you are a foodie and adore all things food/wine/beer/spirits! In Nov. 2012, I helped co-found a local roller derby team. It was time for me to make friends with other women, play a great game, and exercise all at once. Derby was a passion from day 1 on skates. I started to feel like an athlete and think of myself as an athlete. I felt strong and this increased my self esteem and body love :) In a year of doing nothing different except going to roller derby practices, I had lost 12 lbs. (Bringing me to roughly 257lbs, solid size 18-20) I started 2014 with the goal to get to 215lbs and a size 14. and with the help of MyFitnessPal, I lost another 10 lbs by the end of Feb., however at that same time I left my corporate job and had a lot of time to worry about finances, etc, etc. So, I took charge of the one thing in the chaos that I could control.....my diet and healthy habits, I now had the time to assert myself in areas of my life that I had back burnered for career, family, kids.....you know your own list of excuses.
In March 2014, I started the 30 day Isagenix challenge and lost almost 20 lbs. I then continued to eat healthy and move forward. I bought a bicycle in May and road bike all summer. I skated indoors and outdoors. At one point I actually got to 216lbs, but yo-yo'd back to the 225 range. I did make it to a size 14 :)
This brings us to the photo on the right. June 2014, we had a family reunion back in the Black Hills of South Dakota. My husband took this photo and I couldn't believe the difference. I mean, I felt better. I knew I looked better....but SERIOUSLY!? WOW! I am so proud of the progess I have made.
I hit the plateau at around 225-230. I enlisted the help of a gym and worked out 3 days a week with weights. I stayed pretty active and kept my eating on track, though I did raise my calories after discussing nutrition with my trainer. I wanted to get back to real food and not just 2 shakes a day and a supper meal.
This fall, I fell of the wagon. My love for beer and working for a craft brewery has added some inches back to the over 60+ that I had lost overall. And I now sit at about 240lbs again, however I am still wearing size 14/16 jeans and XL shirts. I see things starting to fit tighter, though I am glad my overall body shape and size has decreased. I am ready to #getthosegoals , part 2! It isn't so much about weight this time, as tightening up those muscles that haven't seen a gym in just over a month now. Getting my body ready for summer, as I did in fact wear a "fat-kini" last year....too the public pool, gasp...LOL! Rock it if you got it!
I am so excited to not do this along this year! Thank you friend for joining me :)
Love, Cakes