Last year I began a weight loss journey. I decided it was finally time to do something for me! As I've mentioned, I have 3 beautiful daughters. I wouldn't trade them for the world. What I didn't mention is the time frame in which I had them. The oldest and the middle child are 23 months apart. The middle and youngest are 11 months apart. That's 3 kids in just under 4 years! Needless to say it took a toll on my body. It was difficult to lose weight from one child, let alone 3 that close together. Now that the kids are older I knew it was finally time to focus on me.
In January 2013 I began my journey, mainly by just counting calories and watching what I ate. I began using My Fitness Pal. I love it! If you are not familiar with it, you plug in information about your height, weight, how much you want to lose, and how much you want to lose per week and it gives you a weekly goal. It tells you a calorie limit, fat, carbs, protein, etc. All you do is plug in what you eat each day. You can use the website or mobile app. The mobile app even has a barcode scanner. You simply scan the code on the package and it enters the item for you - no searching. The database has just about anything you can imagine! You can create recipes and store them as well. I highly recommend it if you have not used it.
Anyway, from January to April last year I lost 20 pounds. I was so excited because weight loss has always been difficult for me. I don't have a very active job - lots of sitting. I also am not a runner and never have been. I made excuses about finding time to work out. My goal was to lose 75-80 lbs, so I felt I was off to a decent start. As the year went on, I found it harder and harder to maintain my motivation. I ended up gaining 10 lbs back by the end of the year.
I decided to try again this January and was determined to stick with it. In February, my husband and I knew if we were going to keep this up we needed to get more active. We didn't want to pay for a gym membership, so we decided to buy a treadmill. My husband was worried that we would eventually stop using it but we went for it anyway. We decided to put it in our bedroom so we could use it first thing in the morning or before bed without the kids around. One thing that has helped is we put a TV in front of it. We will get on and watch a 1 hour show (either on TV or Netflix) and it helps take our focus off of how things.
As of today, my overall weight loss is at 49.6 lbs. I'm hoping to hit 50 lbs any day now! People that haven't seen me in a while tell me how good I look. I get compliments from family and coworkers. The best part is buying smaller clothes! It's difficult when my size keeps changing but I love it! Last week I ordered a new pair of pans in a size down hoping I would be able to wear them soon. (In a brand I already knew) They came 2 days ago. When I tried them on they were already a little big!
I'm over halfway to my goal and hope to keep this up. Support and encouragement has been a major key in this journey. My husband is on board. My kids have even begun using the treadmill without us suggesting it! We are on our way to being a healthier family!
How about you? Have you tried losing weight and failed? For those who have succeeded, what was your key? Let's encourage each other!
*** Please note, that my opinion of My Fitness Pal is strictly that - my opinion. I have not been paid or reimbursed to endorse it.
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