Heavy

Back in October I decided to join a Jazzercise studio that opened up near me.  When I joined I didn't really have any goal about weight loss or anything I just thought it sounded like something fun that I might actually do, so I joined.  I had only be going a few weeks when I realized just how much I liked it and how great I was feeling.  I decided to take a picture to document how my body was changing.

By December I was hooked.  I was going almost every day and feeling better than I'd felt in years.

By January I started seeing a real difference and started making goals.  Anyone who has battled weight knows that you go up and down and I was no exception. About five years ago I was able to lose 60 lbs. but life and stress take their toll and the weight went back on.  

 In February I started working with a personal trainer and she asked me to go off sugar, fried foods and white flour.  I also started using heavier weights and most weeks I take at least 7 classes.   In one month I was able to lose 9 lbs and 7% of my body fat (22lbs in fat).  I also lost 11 inches around my middle and 2 inches around my thigh.  The best part of losing the weight this time around is that I don't feel like I'm suffering, I'm actually having fun. I feel like the changes I've made to my diet aren't crazy so I can actually sustain them long run.

Mostly it feels different this time around because I feel different about me and my life.  When I lost weight the last time, I was at a weird spot in my life and I think, I thought if I lost the weight, then all the things in my life that I was unhappy about would magically be fixed.  But I've made a lot of changes in the past few years and I feel like I'm in a good place when it comes to me liking me.  I like my job and feel like I'm doing good work, I've found peace of mind when it comes to religion, and I've never been happier with my marriage, and my girls are amazing kids.  I feel like losing weight is just one more step in the right direction on being a better me. I still have a long way to go, but I like what I see in the mirror lately and that feels great. 

I'm really glad that I have been taking the pictures of myself.  Sometimes when I think of the numbers (22lbs down total at this point) and how far I still have to go, I get a little discouraged.  Even though I'm having fun, I'm working so dang hard. I work out every single day and only take a day off every 2 weeks or if I'm  out of town.  Most days I take 2 classes so I'm working out for 2 hours everyday.  I'm also trying to be very careful about what I eat and sometimes that is very hard. But when I look at the pictures and see what a huge change I'm seeing in my body I'm so proud of myself and what I've been able to accomplish. I have a long way to go, but I'm having so much fun getting there.  

What a difference 6 months makes.