How to start.

It seems like every time I decide I'm going to lose weight, I have to "prepare".  

You do it too.  I know I'm not the only nut job out there. 

I go on the internet and start searching for ways to get healthy.  

Search tumblr for those little motivating exercise pictures of skinny ass women I will NEVER be, not because I "can't", but because it's physically impossible.  I will never have a beautiful tummy again, it pretty much looks like hamburger (YESSSS THEY ARE SO WORTH IT).  That doesn't mean I can't have tight, toned abs, they just might not be pretty to look at. It's a good thing I'm not Saige and I don't live in a nudist colony. In my world, there's this thing called clothes, they cover that stuff up.  

Anyways.

Now we have Pinterest.  I can find all kinds of "healthy" ideas on there.  Recipes, 10 minute work outs, a work out calendar, more motivational pictures (I will be posting those btw because I LIKE them!). 

I start browsing for new equipment.  A heart rate monitor, pedometer, diet books.

I even go shopping.  Have to stock up on healthy food, right? 


By the time I am done "preparing", I have wasted AT LEAST 3-4 hours of time.  What will 3-4 hours give me? 4 hours of kick boxing will give me a calorie burn of 2,749.  You must burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of fat.  And just in case you were wondering, this is what 1lb of fat looks like.

If I get off my ass and work out for those 3-4 hours instead of "preparing" to lose weight, I could potentially lose enough weight to go from the 160's to the 150's. 

  
So what's different this time from other times I have tried to lose weight? This time I don't feel like I have to prepare.  Ask my husband,  I am the queen of "starting my diet tomorrow".  All I really need to do is START. 

Anyone can lose weight.  It's simple really.  Burn more than you consume.  EAT LESS, EXERCISE MORE.  How exactly do you know that you're burning more than you consume? TRACK EVERYTHING. Write down every single morsel of food that goes into your mouth and keep track of your exercise. The only person you are cheating by filling the measuring cup with a mound of cottage cheese instead of straight across is you, the food police will not arrest you, no one will ever know except for you and your fat cells. AND NO, cleaning the house vigorously does not count as exercise, I don't care what MyFitnessPal says. 

I am fat, but I'm no stranger to weight loss.  I know what I'm talking about.  I'm not a fitness trainer, or professional body builder, but I know what needs to be done to get where I want to be. 

After Saige was born, the exact same thing happened as has happened with little Swayz. 

Pre-pregnancy weight 147 (both times, exactly the same).  
Gained 25-30 lbs during the pregnancy.  
After the pregnancy lost almost 30 lbs.  
Down to about 155.  
Eat like a hefer gain back 10 lbs. 
Get pissed cause I let myself gain that much weight from overeating in a 2 month period.  
Go into weight loss mode.  

Sometimes in order to get motivated to lose weight, something has to click. 

After I had Saige, it was this picture. 

The 4th of July, 2011, my sister in law posted this picture on her FB wall &  I was like shit. I have the opposite of anorexia.  I feel thinner than I am! HA! Seriously though.  It is WAY too easy to get comfortable at an unhealthy weight.  Even though I wasn't uncomfortable to not wear a tank top, you can tell from the picture I wasn't happy. Folding my arms, trying to hide my fat, you can see the insecurity.  I just didn't realize how bad it was until I saw the picture.  [again don't be offended people... if anything you should be offended by my truck driver mouth]

So what did I do? I started counting calories and working out.  I am a FIRM believer that counting calories works.  They make it SO easy now too if you have a smart phone.  All you have to do is download the My Fitness Pal app (there are others out there too, but this is my favorite), open that baby up, and scan the bar codes.  It enters all of your calorie and nutrition info for you.  SUPER EASY.  You really can't screw it up.  

ADD me to your MFP by the way ashbergum. 

I set my calorie limit to 1,300 per day.  I eat back my exercise calories if I feel like it.  So that means if I exercise and burn 300 calories, I can eat 1,600 calories that day.  As long as I'm under my goal of 1,300 per day, I'm good to go.  It really works people.  

So what did counting calories and exercising get me?

4 months later, Nov 2011, I looked like this.

Not too bad for a little work hahaha..little.. and a little bit of food modification. 

In April 2011 I looked like this.  

Down about 40 lbs.  I was in the 120's for the first time since high school.  I was still in a size 9 pants, which goes to show you how important lifting weight is (but that calls for an entirely different post).  I never really got to experiment with weight lifting, because in July of 2012, I got pregnant with my little baby Swayz. 

I know that losing weight is 100% doable.  
Yes, it sucks to exercise.  
It sucks to count calories. 
It sucks to not be able to stuff my face all day and drink gallons of Dr. Pepper.
It's HARD.  
But I have to remember, it's not easy for anyone.
I won't die.

I have to remind myself that "she" doesn't look like that, by sitting on FB all day eating Cookie Butter and drinking Dr. Pepper.  [yes, there are some women who don't have to try to be skinny... *cough cough* my sister. & we hate them .... jk. <3 ].  It might seem unfair, but losing weight isn't just about being skinny, it's about the journey, about finding yourself (under all that fat... bahahaha), it makes you strong. 

So here I am.  again.  All fat...& motivated to get un-fat.