Tuesday, June 25, 2013

down and up and up and down




Before I got married I think I weighed somewhere around 135 pounds.  I lost weight before the wedding like a lot of brides do.  All I remember for certain is that I ordered my wedding dress in a size 10/12 and had it altered down to a size 4.  I felt wonderful.



I remember feeling fabulous in a pair of 6/8 jeans when we went to the mountains in those early years.   But the years of early marriage naturally added on some pounds.  By the time I got pregnant with Julianna four and a half years later I weighed 147 and had been had been trying to get back to the 120s.

I gained 37 pounds with Julianna and lost it all but ten.  Those last ten pounds just would not come off and somehow I learned to be satisfied with my weight in the mid 150s.  The medically recommended weight for a female of my height is 137 pounds but at 155 pounds I was just barely in the "normal" weight range and I was satisfied with not being "overweight."

July 2007
Then I had a miscarriage and then got pregnant with Josh.  I was 157 when I got pregnant the third time.  I was determined with that this time I would have a healthy pregnancy and I tried to only gain the 25 pounds the doctors wanted me to gain.  Of course, I went about 15 pounds over.  I was walking the Dixie Classic Fair for numerous hours trying to induce labor.

August 2009 - this was 2 whole months before Josh was born
July 2010
After Josh was born it took me about 13 months to get back to pre-Josh weight.  Even after that I struggled to keep it off.  I went back to working full time and it was so much harder to lose.  I finally made my mind up to lose weight and I signed up for my first half marathon.  After the race I started really trying to eat right and continue the exercise.  At about 175 pounds, around June 2012 I started losing weight consistently and easily.

November 2012



Last Fall before our Mexico trip (November 2012) I made it back to 147 (my pre-Jules weight) for the first time in more than seven years.  I felt great.  I wore a bikini in Mexico on our anniversary trip (not for pictures and I still probably shouldn't have but that should indicate how comfortable I was with my weight 8 months ago).  My clothes were about to fall off.



Since I took the weight off slowly (about six months) I felt like I had made life changes that would stick with me for a long time.  I was running half marathons and making good food choices easily without feeling deprived or counting calories or anything like that.  For some reason, I was wrong and it didn't stay off long after the holidays.

June 2013



It's now June. The two pictures above were taken on Saturday.  I weigh 157 pounds.  I'm fighting to take those ten pounds back off.  Then I'd like to lose 12 more, hopefully cutting off some of that nasty thigh bulge and putting me at 135.

Hold me accountable, friends!

What's your best weight loss tip?

5 comments:

merritt said...

Your running has totally inspired me and made me think that perhaps I might be able to be a runner, too. Keep it up!

RLR said...

I don't know if it's a great "tip" - and it's probably a lot like what you are doing, but I have used a combo of exercise and tracking calorie intake (I use the Lose It! app). I've lost 35 lbs since November, and am at my pre-pregnancy weight for the first time in over 10 years. I'm about 3.5lbs from my next weight loss goal, and 9lbs from reaching the "normal" BMI range for my height. (My first goal was to lose 20 lbs, but I've set smaller goals since then because I am losing weight more slowly.)
I've found it difficult to keep up with running since school got out (I had been running with a friend during her lunch hour), and even though I could run early in the morning I am less motivated to go out on my own.

RLR said...

I should have put this in my first comment, but I am so thankful to read that I'm not the only one who sloooowly put the weight on and who has trouble getting it back off. I was about 135 when I got married, and gained way more than I care to admit between the first few years of marriage, two pregnancies, too much eating out, and a love of baking.
I appreciate that you are willing to share your experience and feelings (and actual numbers!) with those who stop in and read.

chow and chatter said...

thanks for your honesty I agree after kids it gets hard I am still trying to lose an extra 10 lb after my second

Unknown said...

Thank you for the inspiration. I've lost 17 pounds in 12 weeks. Have 8 more to go before doing a re-assessment. Hoping to do the 5K on August 10. Dad.

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