Monday, June 23, 2008

A moment to get personal. . .a heavy topic.

I have had a problem with my weight for a very long time. My weight has always been a private thing for me. Something that I was not happy about and very embarrassed to talk about. I have come to realize that it is waaaayyyyy past time to do something about the extra pounds that I have been carrying around for too many years.
My children in addition to being the greatest joys in my life also each left me with at least 15 pounds of extra weight that I could not seem to get rid of. I am even including Amilynn in this because when I feel stress it is easy to ease the feeling with food, and as most of you know there are many stressful moments during the adoption process. So that is a minimum of 60 pounds right there. Over the years the number on the scale just kept going up and up until on April 1st of 2008 I decided that I had enough. I have to make a change if I want to be around to watch my grandchildren grow up.
I always felt like it had to cost extra money to loose weight (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and all those other things cost much more money than I have to spend.) Since we can not add to our budget at this time I started counting my calories online at My Calorie Counter (see the link in My Favorites in the right sidebar) and watching my portion sizes. Each week I weigh in and log my progress. I have also been trying to exercise more and be more active with the children. I am actually starting to see my hard work pay off. Since April 1st I have lost 33 pounds!! I am down 2 sizes in clothes and I am starting to feel really good about this new journey I am taking in my life.
I will post my progress here each week. It is a slow process but when I finally get to my goal I will be a whole new person (at least half the person I used to be, LOL).

9/1/2008 lost 3 pounds Total lost 41 pounds
8/25/2008 lost 2 pounds Total lost 38 pounds
8/18/2008 lost 0 pounds Total lost 36 pounds
8/11/2008 lost 0 pounds Total lost 36 pounds
8/4/2008 lost 4 pounds Total lost 36 pounds
7/28/2008 lost 0 pounds Total lost 32 pounds
7/21/2008 gained 3 pounds Total lost 32 pounds
7/14/2008 lost 2 pounds Total lost 35 pounds
7/7/2008 gained 2 pounds Total lost 33 pounds (I definitely did NOT count my calories this week. I know where I went wrong. . . I should know better than to buy cookies and bring them home. I really need to work on my will power. LOL)
6/30/2008 lost 2 pounds Total lost: 35 pounds
6/23/2008 lost 3 pounds Total lost: 33 pounds
6/16/2008 lost 0 pounds Total lost: 30 pounds
6/9/2008 lost 3 pounds Total lost: 30 pounds
6/2/2008 lost 2 pounds Total lost: 28 pounds
5/26/2008 lost 3 pounds Total lost: 25 pounds
5/19/2008 lost 2 pounds Total lost: 23 pounds
5/12/2008 lost 2 pounds Total lost: 21 pounds
5/5/2008 lost 2 pounds Total lost: 19 pounds
4/28/2008 lost 3 pounds Total lost: 16 pounds
4/21/2008 lost 3 pounds Total lost: 13 pounds
4/14/2008 lost 4 pounds Total lost: 10 pounds
4/7/2008 lost 6 pounds Total lost: 6 pounds
4/1/2008 Starting weight

Here is my before picture. This picture was taken in April so it is the most accurate representation of what I looked like when I started this journey. I will post an updated photo soon.






5 comments:

Cristie said...

Regina!
WOW! Amazing journey you have embarked on. I pray that the Lord will give you all the necessary tools, both physically and emotionally to get to where you want to be. What a lifestyle change that is ... so hard! The end results of feeling good, having energy to run with your kiddos and the accomplishment will be so grand! Keep us posted. We're cheering you on!

Holly said...

Regina-
WAY TO GO!! May you never forget HOW BEAUTIFUL you are and how cherished by the Father... especially on tough days.
It helps to have that little bit of accountability and having something written down in black and white to keep you on track!
We are going to have to miss the next GIFT meeting b/c we will be out of town but maybe we can get the kids together sometime to swim or grill out over here or something!
Tony leaves for China FRIDAY!! Email me for more info or call me!

Kelsen Family said...

Congratulations Regina!! I have never had such a time getting my weight off as I do you. You are a great inspiration!! I'm so so so happy for you!!

Regina said...

Ladies,
Thank you for the words of encouragement. It is axactly what I need as I start making this change in my life. You are all a blessing to me.
Regina

Jill and Rick said...

Regina, just saw the note above and had to scroll down - that is SO awesome!! Oh my goodness, you have to be so proud. I started my own attempt to lose weight at about the same time you did and I lost about 18 pounds before I took a break from the real dieting. I haven't gained in the last month but I haven't lost a single additional pound. I think I'll go to the website you mentioned and see if it can help me jump in again. (I'm also hoping that walking the dog will aid in my efforts!)