Since I'm here....

I may as well tell my story. As my profile states, I am a wife and mother of six. What it doesn't state is that I am currently 80 pounds over weight, down from110. I am 5'2", so my height does not really allow for much weight. How did I get so far overweight you ask? Well, it happened over time. I can remember back when I weighed about 130lbs and I thought I was fat then. I was a little "thicker", but definitely not fat by any standards. But other girls I knew (I was a teenager) only weighed around 115 or so. 15 pounds on a young girl is a huge difference. But back then I got LOTS of attention from guys for certain parts of my anatomy so I just figured those girls were jealous. Fastforward to after the birth of my first child. I gained 31 pounds during he pregnancy and weighed about 179 the day I delivered. Within 6 weeks I was down to 157. While I didn't lose all of the baby weight, it looked really nice on my since my hips finally filled out, my waist was thin, and my stomach was flat. I wore a size 9/10 and felt great about the way I looked. Then I started taking birth control. The pills made me sick and after 2 years of taking them I had ballooned up to a size14. I got off of the pills b/c I couldn't stand them anymore. Within 6 months I pregnant with baby number 2. By the time I finished having babies I weighed about 210 (where I am now). That was 5 years ago. Over the last 5 years I put on 30 more pounds. I ate whatever I wanted, didn't exercise (at least not consistently), and had hormonal issues that contributed to the weight gained. And even though I was starting to squeeze into my clothes and shoes I still wan't motivated to lose the weight. I didn't get motivated until I realized I looked perpetually pregnant. Remeber I always loved the fact that I had a small waist and a flat stomach, well one day I realized it was gone. That was one of the light bulbs for me. Plus the fact that I was 30 pounds heavier than my husband. Maybe its just me, but I feel that I should be light enough for him to pick me up if he wants to. It may sound crazy to some, but thats just the way I feel. I also refused to accept that I needed to go up a size yet again! I have worn an 18 for the past 4 years and I just refused to go higher than that. 20 is just too big for someone my height. I also got tired of hearing "You have such a pretty face". My husband of course tells me I'm beautiful all the time, but I think he may be just a little biased...lol.
Anyway, right after Thanksgiving (11/26/07) I decided I needed to do something about not only my weight but my health. I knew it couldn't be healthy to be that far over weight. So I started reducing my portion sizes and cutting out fatty foods. Two weeks later I started hitting the gym regularly (since we have a free membership anyway). Now I'm officialy two months into my journey and 30 pounds lighter! I lift 30 pounds of weight at the gym sometimes, and trust me 30 pounds is a lot. I keep telling myself that so that I don't get discouraged on the weeks when the scale doesn't move. I joined a website that helps me keep track of the foods I'm eating, my weight loss, and my goals. It also has support groups that are absolutely fabulous! Thankfully since I joined the website 1/2/08 I have seen a steady decrease on the scale. I even bought a new scale to be sure I was geting an accurate reading. I wonder sometimes if I'll keep the weight off once I reach my goal, and you know what? I'm POSITIVE I will. I already love to exercise, and I haven't really given up any foods I feel like I MUST have. The biggest things I cut out was beef and pork which I was never big on in the first place. I also gave up processed foods, but now that I've started, I prefer to make everything from scratch anyway. It tastes better b/c its seasoned to my taste. Everything I else, I allow myself in extreme moderation. I can not, absolutely will not regain this weight once I get it off. We are done having kids so this is the perfect time for me to get my body back the way it was meant to be....... thin and healthy!