How I did it.

As a result of posting my before/after photos on Facebook, I got a slew of wonderfully kind complements (thanks!) and a slew of "How DID you do it?" questions.  So, if you were wondering how I went from 185 lbs to 128 lbs, read on!


"Do what you can and don't think that you can't do it!"




I started this blog in the beginning of 2008.  I had several goals in mind regarding fitness.  Of course, the main goal was to loose weight.  I started at my postpartum weight of 185 lbs, but by January when I decided to start the blog, I got down to about 175.  I stayed there for a while until I started Weight Watchers in May of 2008.  I went on to loose 20 lbs on Weight Watchers that summer, and an additional 10 lbs the following fall.   By December of 2008, I was pregnant, and I had reached the weight of 155 lbs.  That was half the weight lost before my second pregnancy!  I went on to gain only 19 lbs in my second pregnancy (a HUGE contrast to the 60 lbs I gained with my first!).  That 19 lbs came off when I delivered my second.  I lost 10 more pounds before I got pregnant with my third, and  in at about 145 lbs.  I gained 20 lbs when my third pregnancy, and for some reason, that didn't all come off with the baby!  My scale seemed to be stuck at 151 lbs.  I cut out a lot of sugar and, once more, got serious about eating healthy.  I know how to eat healthy.  I've read books.  Taken classes.  The knowledge is there.   I just needed the discipline to apply it!  By the summer of 2011, a few months after having my third, I was able to drop 7 lbs VERY SLOWLY!  I knew I need a kick in the butt.  Physically.   workout DVDs were no longer challenging and I had a hunch that was problem.  I saw a write-up for a 20 buck program called Supreme 90 Day in Fitness Magazine, so I decided to go for it.  I committed and the rest, including that extra 16 lbs, is history.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries,
flaxseed, 1% milk, and egg w/ egg
white on the side.

There were two common habits I formed over that period of time in order to loose weight.  Number one:  STOP EATING CRUD!  God didn't make our bodies to digest weird concoctions of chemicals like high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogentated oils.  He also made the grains we grow perfect for our bodies...no need to "enrich" them.  That brings me to need to choose your carbs wisely.  I don't eat enriched flours.  If the product says, "Whole Grain" or "Whole Wheat" on the label it doesn't mean it is actually whole grain or whole wheat.  CHECK THE LABEL!!!  The first ingredient must say "100 % whole wheat flour" or "whole wheat flour" or a list of the grains it includes.  If the ingredients say, "enriched flour" of any kind, that means that food is rubbish!  Essentially, the label is saying that they took all the good stuff out of the flour and added only four to five nutrients back in (iron, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and thiamine).  Hmmm...somehow I don't know how they get away with calling it "enriched."  I will tell you that I enjoy carbs.  And, thankfully, there are healthy carbs.  I LOVE oatmeal.  I love it in the morning and I love it as my last meal in the late evening.  I don't add sugar, though!  There is a pleasant nuttiness that I enjoy, especially to the steal cut variety.  I add 1/2 cup of blueberries or apples and 1 Tbsp of flaxseed and it is simply perfect!  (read about the benefits of Flaxseed here!) I also enjoy brown rice. Brown basmati or brown jasmine are very flavorful.   You need no butter.  Just boil, fluff, and enjoy. 

Lunch: Lots of  veggies topped with
chicken breast, cheese and Trader Joe's
Parmesan Ranch Dressing.

In addition to those "good" carbs, I have come to enjoy fruits and vegetables.  I have always devoured the sweeter fruits like grapes, peaches, nectarines, and plums.  I now eat apples, blueberries, and oranges regularly as well.  Fruit is a great food to "seal the meal" and it actually goes really well with cheese.  That pair makes a great snack.  Vegetables were not always my thing.  I ate salad and that's about it.  I have come to enjoy a variety of veggies now, and I would have to say that one of my favorite is broccoli.  I have to thank my kids for that.  They LOVE it and so we eat it a lot.  I can eat a whole cup of broccoli with no problem now!  


Mid weight loss journey, I read "Mastering My Metabolism" (read blog about that here) by Jillian Michaels, and read a whole lot of reasons why not to eat processed food.  To my frustration, 90% of the food in my kitchen at that a time was processed because that is what normal grocery stores sale.  I stopped couponing at this point because most of the foods sold by large companies who put out coupons were processed foods.  It does cost a little more money to eat "clean" as some call it, but it is well worth it!  Now, to top off the weight loss tips in regards to nutrition, I must say that keeping a food diary, and perhaps counting calories, helped me tremendously when it came to loosing weight.  I wasn't eating enough as a nursing mother, and that, to me, is very important.  Your body needs fuel to run.  If it doesn't get that fuel, your metabolism will go on a downward spiral.  


Oh.  One more thing.  Drink water.  Lots of it.  It helps things *ahem* along.


The second habit that helped me loose weight:  KEEP MOVING (challenge yourself)!  It is worth the thirty minutes a day to "sacrifice" for the results you get.  And I'm not only talking about the weight lose.  I am talking about the strength, energy, and endurance you gain.  I love being able to run after my kids, pick up my toddler, and still have energy at the end of the day.  God did not create us to be sedentary creatures.  We have been made to move, whether it be work or play!  I am the type of person who gets very bored very quickly with workouts.  I do it for a week, and then I am done with it.  For those of you who tend to do the same thing, I would recommend something like Supreme 90 Day or Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.  These workouts play off of "muscle confusion," which basically means mixing up the workouts so your body never gets used to them.  That way, you get the most out of your workout, as do your muscles.  I can tell you first hand that this approach worked for me.  Whatever your perfect workout may be, find something that will keep you motivated to keep on moving---and make sure that the way you are moving is challenging your body.  Huff and puff!  You were made to!


Alright, folks!  That is just a small tidbit of what I have learned through my weight loss journey.  I am still learning, devouring all the facts that come my way.  I enjoy being healthy and fit and I have to say that I am most thankful to God who had given me perseverance to get through this weight loss journey.  I strive to keep that perspective.  It is for Him that I do these things.  It is for His glory.



1 Corinthians 10:31, "So, whether you eat or drink,or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."