End of 2014 Update!!!

Eeeekk!!

I know it's been a long time. I'm sorry for not keeping up with the blog as I should have. I want to say thank you again to everyone for the amazing support. I'm getting to see so many peoples journey on myfitnesspal and its very exciting to see. If you haven't added me yet, my username is CountdownToPrincess. 

Let me try to pick up where I left off. I believe the last update I had given was in September... 

So, I basically lost no weight towards the end of the year. I, at some point, got all the way down to 207, but then managed to gain a few pounds. I'll be honest, I didn't even try to diet for most of November and December. To make things even worse I spent the last 2 weeks of the year visiting my family, which means I had lots of mom's cooking. So I gained weight. 

I ended the year weighing 216.2

21.2 pounds above my end of year goal.

Now, with all that said. I still lost 47.8 pounds in 2014!!

I must admit that I'm disappointed. Not so much that I didn't reach my goal, but I am disappointed I allowed myself to GAIN almost 10 pounds from my lowest weight of 207 (which happened sometime in October, I think). 

But like I've said many times, I have to keep thinking "big picture." 

This is the first time in probably a decade that I actually weighed less at the end of the year than when it first started, and that makes it all ok. That makes me feel so happy. I still managed to lose a lot of weight in less than a year. I know I'll reach my goal eventually, even if it takes a little longer than I had originally expected. 

For now, I'm back to counting calories and losing weight! I'll be sharing my 2015 goals soon. 

Below is the last picture of my 2014 weight loss goals in my Erin Condren Life Planner (you can get $10 off your first purchase when you sign up). Quite a few people have sent me messages that they will be or have already ordered a planner to make a page like mine. That's seriously so amazing to me. The idea that I could inspire anyone feels almost impossible, considering how long I've struggled with my weight. It's exciting to be able to share this experience. Let's keep inspiring each other!! 

Thank you for a great 2014!

End of September Update!

Sometimes we fall of the band wagon. 

Sometimes we jump off the wagon because we see some cookies...

:)

I want to first say that I truly appreciate the support. Reading your comments here, on Pinterest and on myfitnesspal is truly helpful. 

Now for the weight issues...

As of the end of the month, I weigh 213.2 pounds. Looking back that means I've gained 1.8 in the last 2 months. It's disappointing. Big picture I know 1.8 pounds really isn't that big of a deal. The disappointing part is really that I haven't LOST any weight in 2 months. It's like a missed opportunity. 

I went on vacation in August and have not really been able to fully commit to my "diet" since then. Now, I know this is a journey and I never expected this to be easy. I just need to find a way to feel motivated again...

I just haven't been feeling it and honestly I think the only reason I haven't gained much of the weight back is that I am now completely vegetarian!

That's something somewhat new that I hadn't mentioned, but have been wanting to. So here's how this process started. I stopped eating red meat sometime towards the end of March. I was trying it out as an experiment. My stomach seemed to always be upset, and by upset I don't mean I was throwing up or was actually sick, it was really more of a general feeling. My stomach just never felt well. So I stopped eating red meat and within a few days I noticed a BIG difference. I somehow felt lighter. So, I was convinced, my body is just better off without it. For a couple of month I didn't really eat much meat, I think I had a hamburger at some point, and it made me feel like crap. BUT I was still craving meat. Then sometime this past summer, my husband decided to bbq. He made fajitas and all sorts of delicious smelling things. So I had some that afternoon and later went to bed. Well, I woke up in the middle of the night with this HORRIBLE pain, so bad that I didn't realize it was just abdominal pain, I truly thought I had somehow stabbed myself with something in my sleep. I actually felt around my stomach thinking I was going to feel some kind of gash or blood. The pain lasted about a full day, and ever since then I don't crave meat at all. Who would!?!?! So that was the last time I ate red meat. At this point I was still eating chicken and seafood. Well I eventually realized that every time I ate chicken I would get that upset stomach feeling again and decided to cut chicken out. I was just going to stick with seafood. I started reading more about being vegetarian and the want/need to eat seafood went away as well. So now, I am completely vegetarian. I've actually been contemplating the idea of going vegan. I've started to replace things in my pantry and refrigerator here and there with vegan options. However, I know it's not a commitment I'm ready for just yet. 

Now, I'm not saying that going vegetarian will automatically help you lose weight or not gain any weight back. After all, french fries are vegetarian! lol I do, however,  know that it has helped me tremendously. It has "forced" me to eat more grains, fruits and vegetables. So far, I feel great. My stomach really hasn't felt upset!

I still have a long way to go. I still need to lose a lot more weight, and yes, I am a bit disappointed that I basically lost the lead I had on my goals. But we have to remember that we must be kind to ourselves. The disappointment is really taken away when I realize that I'm still on track! Looking at this as a big picture is so helpful. Which is why I'm so glad I have my goals listed on my Erin Condren Life Planner! (picture below)

I can still do this! 

I can still be where I DREAMED of being by the end of the month!!! 

And I will keep trying! :)

Weigh In Wednesday # who knows... (I skipped a few!!)

Hello everyone!! Sorry for being MIA for a while. Soooo you're probably thinking I gave up and didn't continue on with my journey. 

No worries though, I'm still definitely on my journey! I've just had a few set backs. I have some great news and some not so great news to share. 

Let's just start with the weight. Last time I posted, which was almost 2 months ago!!! (crazy how fast time passes us by!), I weighed 218 pounds. 

My current weight is 213! 

Even though it's not much weight lost in almost 2 months, If you've been regularly reading my posts then you know what reaching 213 means...

I have now lost 50 pounds!!!!!

51 to be exact :)

As far as the not so good... I had gotten down to 210.8 about 2 or so weeks ago, but then I went on vacation. haha.

My husband and I went to an all inclusive resort in Cancun, and well the free drink and food calories added up pretty quickly!!!

But it's back to reality and back on track! I will start keeping this updated again :) I'm still on myfitnesspal, my username is countdowntoprincess, I will start tracking again as of today! If you're currently using the app, please add me, we can encourage each other along the way!!

Weigh In Wednesday #15

Ok, this is going to very short. I'm actually quite sick, and just typing is taking up the very little energy I have right now.

Also, I'm aware this is late.

So let's just get started. 

I lost .6 pounds this week. So, not a very good weight loss week. However, better down than up! right? 

I now weigh 218 pounds even. 

Brining my total weight loss to 46 pounds :)

I'm so close to 50 pounds. I can't wait to be able to say "I've lost 50 pounds!"

For now, I really just want to feel better, so I'm going to cut this short. I'll explain more next week of why I'm so sick...

Good luck to everyone out there on their own weight loss journey!!!

End of June Update!!!

Well, as you can clearly see in the picture below....

I didn't have the greatest month.

That being said, I still managed to lose 6.8 lbs.

So here are the numbers:

I started at 264 pounds

I now weight 218.4 pounds!

Bringing my total weight loss to 45.6 pounds!!!

It's pretty amazing. 

I have a picture of my husband, my dog and myself as my background on my computer. Every time I look at it I can see a difference. A BIG DIFFERENCE.

It's hard to see it sometimes in the mirror, but that picture is a constant reminder of the progress I've made.

Anyway, I mentioned in my "End of May Update" that I was (at the time) wearing a size 20 pants and I was waiting for a size 18 to arrive in the mail (hoping they would fit). Well, they did fit! And within 2 weeks they started feeling very loose. So, I thought, what the heck I'll order a size 16, if I don't fit into them when they arrive I'll fit into them in a few weeks. 

Well, the pants arrived a couple of days ago.

They fit!!!!

I started off wearing a size 22 and I just fit into a size 16!!!

I have not worn a size 16 in so long!!! AHHHH!!!! 

Ok, as you can see from the picture below I'm still about 2 months ahead of schedule on my weight loss! I've mentioned before that I really don't want to redo my goals. I would much rather focus on the progress I've already made. However, July is usually a big celebration month. Lots of birthday parties (mine included) as well as several other family members. 

AND

My husband and I are going on vacation at the end of the month. 

We haven't quite decided where, but I just want to go to the beach. We'll see where we end up.

I REALLY want to weigh 210 by the time I go on vacation, but that's only 3 weeks away. Realistically, it doesn't seem doable. 

I'm still going to try.

I'm going to be extra well behaved with my food choices in the next few weeks. 

Just in case I gain a little weight while on vacation :)

Weigh In Wednesday #14

I know, I know...

Worst blogger ever....

I have been so exhausted lately (working lots of extra hours at work) that I just completely forgot to write my weight loss update on Wednesday. But...

Better late than never!

Alright, well if you have added me on myfitnesspal (countdowntoprincess) then you already know, but here it is...

I lost 1.4 pounds this week!!

A small victory, but a victory none the less!

Bringing my total weight loss to 45.4 pounds!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!

It is so amazing to think, and truly, I can't even believe I've lost so much. 

This week was one of the best weigh ins. 

I am now officially in the 2-teens!! I think the last time I weighed this was about 7 or more years ago. I didn't even weigh this for my wedding!!

My current weight is now 218.6!

218.6

Wow, this almost seems impossible. I can't believe I've come so far. I still have a long way to go, but I know I never ever EVER want to be in the 220s or 230s or 240s and so on ever again!

Weigh In Wednesday #13

Sooo.... 

if you read last week's post, you may remember that I said I was going to be a bit more "strict" with my calories this week. I had been loosing smaller amounts of weight recently and I wanted to kick myself back into gear. 

I wanted to stick to 1200 calories instead of my usual 1300-1400 daily calories. Well, I tried. I must admit, most days I went over, but usually only by a little bit. 

Well, its mini dance party time again!! 

After a week of being extra careful...

I lost 4 pounds!!!!

4!

I couldn't even believe it, that's the most weight I have lost in one week!!

4 whole pounds!!!

I have now lost a total of 44 pounds!

Bringing my current weight to 220 pounds! 

I am so so so close to the "teens."

This may be really strange, but sometimes I feel like it's all a dream. I'm just so happy that I'm doing this and I can't wait for Wednesdays every week.

Now, I know I had said I was going to do something special for myself once I reached 225 pounds. Obviously, I met that goal a couple of weeks ago, but I still have not decided what I want to get for myself. Once I do, I will give an update.

Thank you to everyone that has been reading and leaving comments, it's so great to hear from others that share this struggle! 

Please leave me comments or follow me on myfitnesspal.com my username is CountdownToPrincess we can motivate each other!