I’ve harbored a secret these past few months.   Well, not really a secret.  I just haven’t updated the blog about it.  You see, since July I have been working hard to lose weight.  Really hard.  I joined Weight Watchers Online and started exercising about every 5 to 6 days a week.  Lots of sweat.  Lots of counting and it’s all resulted in this:

 At the start.  I was 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight before I got pregnant with Emmie.  Fifty-five pounds from an ultimate goal that Mark and I both agreed was healthy.

 This was my weight for two years and my weight before Malachi.  I totally understand now why people asked if I was pregnant.

 Ten pounds down and my first goal!  I felt so much better and had so much more energy.  I continued to work and shortly after this picture, I said goodbye to my size 14 pants and now…

I’m in size 12 pants and can “squeeze” into my 10s (but those pair are probably about seven or eight  years old and need to be updated). My top, ya’ll.  It’s a medium. I haven’t worn a medium in a loooong time.  I can wear my wedding band now.  My real one that Mark slipped on my finger over 14 years ago.  It fits after over six years.  This is a total of 30 pounds lost since July.  I still have 25 more pounds to my end goal.  For once, it seems obtainable.

Here’s how I’m doing it:

I’m still doing Weight Watchers although I know my points limit and don’t track as religiously as I did when I first started.  I’m losing anywhere from one to three pounds a week.  I used 42 Days to Fit by Brandy Ferguson for three months.  I stuck with the Weight Watchers points system but followed the books exercise schedule.  In October, I kicked it up a notch using Beach Body Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer.  We purchased this after I watched the infomercial one to many times while nursing a newborn Ceili Rain.  So, no extra purchases were made.  I don’t do just 10 minutes though.  Last month I did two ten minute work outs and now I’m trying to get in the 10 minute abs workout three times a week and then do two other ten minute workouts five to six days a week.  I’ll try and post my ideal workout schedule soon.

I’ve got a good post coming.  I want to share a couple of myths and excuses I fell prey to and that people still comment on.  This isn’t easy, people.  It’s hard work to lose weight.  Especially weight I’ve been carrying and adding to for the past ten years.  I’m excited that not only I can see a difference but others can too.  I still get the occasional rude, “Oh, when are you due?”  But instead of being disappointed and drowning myself in ice cream I pipe up and tell people how much weight I’ve lost, how many kids I have and how their comment is just more motivation to keep going.  They are still embarrassed but at least it keeps me going.