10 lbs. down!

Well, I do have a few things to report today.... I get my spa pedicure reward, because I made my 10 lb. goal! Happy Birthday to me! (Well, my birthday is Friday, so I plan on taking a nice long lunch and treating myself then!) I fit comfortably in my size 12 old navy jeans that are my favorites... ("The Sweetheart"), with no "cutting off the circulation lines" on my legs or waist!

(Do be alarmed, this picture was taken while I was using the bathroom...)

I got measured at QWLC last week (at 7 lbs. down) and had lost 1/2" in my chest, 1" in my waist and 1" in my hips. This is funny because my brother saw me this weekend and said "Hey, it looks like you are losing weight... right in this area especially." and he points to my chest area. I was like yeah... You know how it is ladies, ol' Lucy and Ethel lose the pounds first.

So I am 1/4 of the way there. People are starting to notice which really keeps the motivation fire burning. My ass looks smaller, clothes are fitting a whole lot better, but I do have 30 more to go to make my goal.

I do have to be honest, I did cheat this weekend. My adviser at QWLC wanted me to lose 2 lbs over the weekend, which I did do... but I ate a whole lot of celery to cancel out the "no-no's" I did eat. I spent the weekend with my mom for her birthday and we had a great time. This is what we did:

One, we went to see The Lion King in 3D. I did great here. I sipped on my unsweet tea I smuggled in from McDonalds and had maybe 3-4 little kernels of Carly's popcorn.

The next day we did a lot of walking! We went to yard sales and to Antique places which I love to do with my mom and James because we always score pretty big. Then, we ate lunch. It was my mom's birthday. We went to eat Mexican food. I assured my family I could order something there and not to worry about it. I ordered beef fajitas with no seasoning and asked for corn tortillas. Totally on plan. Then I asked the waiter to bring my mom a Sopapilla for her birthday, and yes, I ate some. Not on plan. Oh well.

Third, we went to THE FAIR... the sights and sounds and smells of Funnel Cakes, Fried Onions, Gyros, Cotton Candy and, gulp, Corn Dogs. I had one. There. I said it. And it was freaking good. I only ate 3/4 of it. But I cheated. AND did I write that on my paper to share with my adviser on Monday? Hell to the no.

And to top it off... I ate cookie cake on Sunday. Again, mom's birthday and I had turned down enough food from her that "I can't eat" but I did not turn that down. And I wrote "2 servings of green beans" on my food diary and went on with life.

I'm not saying I will cheat like that every weekend, but I have been on this diet for 3-1/2 weeks and it was about damn time. And when I weighed myself Monday morning after cheating some the weekend before and the scale said "191" I became more motivated than ever! I was at 9 lbs...

So, many of you might be asking if I am getting bored with the food. yes, I am. I have had enough chicken breasts and broccoli to fill up 2 potato sacks, and I am tired of it. So to keep hopes high and my motivation up, I made 3 new things last night that I would like to share. They are all from the QWLC cookbook, so they are all "on-plan".

Zucchini Fries
Cut up a few peeled zucchinis into little fry shapes
Wash and drain
Take the Melba Toast crackers and make bread crumbs (I placed them in a Ziploc and hammered them...)
Toss the bread crumbs into a bowl with some Italian seasoning, Morton's Lite salt and pepper
Coat the zucchini cuts in the bread crumbs and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with PAM
Cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes

THESE ARE YUMMY! And a very healthy alternative to french fries and Logan LOVED them.

Chips and Salsa
For the salsa:
Chop tomatoes, green onions (with the stems) and a green pepper and place in a food processor.
Add Morton's Lite salt, onion powder and garlic powder to taste
Add Chipotle powder to hottness desired.
Mix it all up and Wah-la!

Chips:
Take 10 or so corn tortillas and cut into triangles (I used a pizza cutter and cut each into 4 triangles)
Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes
Salt them with Morton's Lite salt
Place in an air tight container

People, I will never buy store chips again. I swear these tasted so fresh and were soooo yummy, I will always make my own chips. It was so easy!

Cucumber Veggie Dip
Chop 1 cucumber, 3 large green onions (with the stem), 7 radishes and place in food processor
Add 7 oz. of cottage cheese and blend
Squeeze about a tsp. of lemon juice in and add a tsp. of dill
Blend, blend, blend and you have a delicious greek tasting snack!

Serve with Wasa crackers (whole grain)

So, I woke up this morning and weighed myself and the scale said 190.4! I even made up a little song I sang in opera about losing 10 lbs. It was amazing. Maybe not so much to my family, but that's what I felt like doing.

So at this point (contrary to the 3-5 lbs a week QWLC wants you to lose while on the program) I am averaging 2.5 to 3 lbs. a week and I am happy with that. ;) I feel like if I go at this rate I will keep it off when this is all said and done. So I am going to pat myself on the back and keep doing what I am doing.

P.S. I left my sweet mom's house with cash to get me 2-3 weeks worth of my "supplements" from QWLC and groceries for the week. Everyone knows eating healthy is expensive... so I just wanted to publicly thank her. Moms rock!

Well, ain't that about a b****

So, it has been a week and a half since I started this diet. Although I am seeing results and I am happy I am doing it, I do have a complaint.

I know, I know, but I deserve to complain about it because all you ladies know how this goes.

Girl goes on a diet.
Boy supports said girl on her diet. Says go for it!
Girl eats nothing but protein shakes and plain chicken and broccoli for a week. Rabbit food.
Boy decides to join in and participate on the healthy dinners but has whatever he wants the rest of the day.
Girl looks at a slice of cheese cake and gains 2 lbs.
Boy does a couple of sit-ups and loses 10.

Now ain't that about a bitch!

Yes, Denny has lost 10 pounds since Labor Day. As proud of him as I am, I am so jealous of guys. They barely have to do anything and they lose it.

There is my short rant for the day. Deep breath. Carry-on.

Reminds me a little of myself...

I am reposting an article I saw online today about a contest for American Apparel to recruit models for their new XL clothing line by sending in pictures of "photos of you and your junk to back it up.” First of all, American Apparel has been around for more than 20 years and has NEVER catered to anyone above a size 10. So they are calling all "plus size" models for a contest to represent the new line of XL hipster wanna-be clothes. Guess what sizes the "XL" line will consist of? Size12-14.  Really AA? Really? Way to throw us "fatties" a bone.

Here is a link to the article: http://shine.yahoo.com/the-thread/american-apparel-s-feud-with-photo-contest-winner-heats-up.html


Nancy Upton is my hero for this. She thought that the contest was rude and appalling and so she sent in a series of shots where she is suggestively eating chicken and potato chips and bathing in ranch dressing. "Her photos, intended as both a joke on the company and a social commentary on how marketers represent the plus-size demographic".  


I love her confidence and her "go-get'erness" to hire a photographer and shoot such a funny statement concept. And she actually won the votes from the contest. But AA has lashed out at her saying "while you were clearly the popular choice, we have decided to award the prizes to other contestants that we feel truly exemplify the idea of beauty inside and out, and whom we will be proud to have representing our company."


Shut-up AA! If you think that "plus-sized" women are beautiful on the inside and out, then why has it taken you 20 years to offer the size? You can keep your plainly designed, over-priced t-shirts and "scene" pants to your self. Us "curvy-women" don't want your stupid clothes anyway. 


And to Nancy: I love you dear. You are beautiful!

Moment of Weakness

So. My friend Ronda saved my diet today. She is a true friend and was really looking out for me. If you have read previous blog posts, I have already had a few obstacles with food to overcome. I refused cupcakes on Saturday, my Friday night wine, multiple goodies on the back table near me at work, but TODAY I had a moment of weakness. This is why:

Today I came into work without packing my lunch, but I knew there were fast food options out there that are on my diet. So when I went to my lunch buddy Ronda to see what was up for our lunch break, she suggested Jim n' Nicks. I told her I was too weak to go and sit in there and smell BBQ and french fries... and the infamous cheese biscuits. If you have not been to this place and had them, you are missing out. They are like the garlic cheese biscuits at Red Lobster but in sweet corn bread form (AND you can actually eat other things on the menu without being disgusted!)

But she knows me well, so she says we will just order it to-go and not go in. She knows my diet so well that she actually orders for me. "Yes, we need a Pig in the Garden salad with Smoked Chicken instead of pork and a large Sweet tea with Splenda." Ronda and my friend Nicole order their salads too and we go back to the lunch room. On the way back to the office Nicole asks "Can I have your cheese muffin?" I told her yes. I was not even aware it came with my salad, but yes.

We sit down and start unpacking our food. I put my splenda in my tea, stirred it around and opened up my to-go box. There they were, sittin' pretty. Yes "they". There were 2 of them. But I sat them aside and ate my chicken. And then I ate my salad without any dressing because I forgot my spritzer. When I was finished I look up and there they were in all their glory. Staring at me. I ignored them. They were calling my name. They even jumped up on my shoulders like two little cheesy, melt-in-your-mouth, sugary devils, poking me with their little salty forks chanting "eat me! eat me!" I had a stare down with them, and then I picked them up and gave one of them to Nicole as promised.

This is when it got nasty.

As I started to offer Ronda the other one, my right hand decided to have a mind of it's own and tear off 1/3 of the muffin. The right hand so desperately wanted to feed the mouth that was oh-so watery for it. But what happened next happened so fast. In a flash, Ronda took that bad hand of mind and scooped that muffin out! I, in return, about went after her hand with my mouth like a starving, salivating and possibly infected with rabies, WOLF. I wanted it bad.

But she said she wasn't going to let me do that. She took it all away from me and said she was only looking out for me. Then I snapped out of it, came back to reality and thanked her for being a true friend and for all the support.

1 Week Mark - 5-1/2 lbs. gone!

Goooood morning everyone!

So today is the 1 week mark.... and I got on the scale (again, butt-naked, FTITM) and I have lost 5-1/2 lbs! So it IS actually working. I met with my counselor yesterday and she took a look at my food diary. She laughed at a couple of things, which scared me, but she said I was doing really well and could tell I was "really trying". But she pointed out that I cannot have deli turkey, which is what I ate throughout the cleanse and the a few times over the last week. I told her I asked for the "low sodium" kind and she still said it had too much sodium. So I guess if I want to eat turkey slices on my sandwich (which consists of 1 slice of bread) I have to bake a whole damn turkey and slice it up like it's freaking Thanksgiving day. Oh well... lesson learned right?

She did clear up the schedule a little bit for me so I could understand what I needed to be eating when:
Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 fruit, 1 starch, skim milk OR 3/4 cup of Special K Protein cereal with skim milk, 1 fruit. And of course your QuickBoost, Vitamin, 2 KLB-5 and Fish Oil
Mid AM Snack: 1 Fruit and the Protein drink mix
Lunch: 1 Protein, 2 Veggies, 1 Starch, QB, 2 KLB, 1 FO
PM Snack: 1 Fruit (option to have protein bar here, or save it for later)
Dinner: 1 Protein, 2 Veggies, 1 Starch, 2 KLB, 1 FO
(Side Note: After dinner you could save that protein bar for dessert if you need something to eat, but no more than 2 hours before you go to bed. Dinner should be 4 hours before bed, no fruit after 6pm.)


How I feel:
Honestly, I am getting so used to the diet that I don't miss some of the things I HAD to have everyday, like my nightly cheese and crackers or my glass of wine with dinner or my morning Coca-Cola. I am a little constipated though... I really wanna go eat a hash brown from McDonalds because I know that would give me a good  trip to the bathroom. That might be my other 1/2 a pound!

I have set up some "rewards" for myself and they are the following:
I did have one for 5 lbs, but that happened so fast (and was pretty easy), so...


10 lbs: A spa pedicure
15 lbs: Birthday Cake! (My birthday is at the end of September)
20 lbs: Trip to Charming Charlies
25 lbs: Girls Night Out, wine!
30 lbs: A MAC makeover
35 lbs: A shirt or dress from Anthropologie
40 lbs: Shopping spree!

I also think it is time to start adding some exercise into this diet. Even if it is just briskly walking on my lunch break (enjoying the Fall weather too!) I need to do something because I don't want to go to the movies when this is all over and have a bag of popcorn and blow up like the Snoopy float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

And with that being said, here are MORE reasons for weight loss:
I want to get in pre-pre-pregnancy jeans
I want to plan a wedding dress wearing party with the girls and my dress be too big!
I want someone besides Mexican men to check me out at the mall
I want to wear this Halloween costume (Sucker Punch Baby Doll - see it!):

(But only if the stretch marks agree) ;)
I want to get a family picture done at Christmas that I actually like.

Stay tuned my friends!

Cleanse is over, Diet is go!

Yes, I made it through the cleanse thank God. It was REALLY tough. And I couldn't have my "Friday night, time-to-relax" wine, but I can just get over that real quick since I can't have a sip of alcohol at least for 12 more weeks.

Day 3 was hard. I was STARVING, I was HANGRY, and I was sick of raw vegetables. But I got up and ate my eggs, took my vitamins, had my Quick Boost and went on in to work. I forgot my orange though. I had my drink mix supplement around 10 and it was strawberry kiwi flavor and a vast improvement over the orange pineapple and mixed berry I had before. Then I went to weigh in and chat about what I can eat after the cleanse. According to my scale (I weigh FTITM butt-naked) and I lost 4 lbs! According to their scale, I have lost 2. So at least that kept me motivated.

Day 4 (today) was a glorious day because I could eat more food! And I went to the store and bought my list and I am figuring out how to be creative with the few things I can have. I had my 1 egg, cottage cheese and Skim milk for breakfast, my QB and my vitamins, and went and did some yard work and painted my porch. Then I came in for a snack and had Melba Toast (which is on the list and is basically a flat crouton but healthy for you), with basil and cherry tomatoes. Pretty cute huh?

I also had my drink mix at this point and it was Lemon-Razzy, which is now my favorite. So basically for the next 12-13 weeks I eat the following:

3 Proteins (1 of those has to be my breakfast egg)
4 Veggies
3 Fruits
3 Starches
1/2 TBSP of Lite Salt
1/2 TBSP of fat (Butter or mayo)
2 protein supplements (bar and drink mix, 1 each a day)
2 Quick Boosts (B-fast and Lunch)
1 Vitamin

NO SODIUM, NO SUGAR

And then, figure out a way to space all that out into 5-6 different meals/snacks, don't eat fruit after 6pm, don't eat 4 hours before you go to bed, you can have beef but not 2 days in a row, there are only certain veggies you can have so no carrots or corn... it's a LOT to remember! No wonder some people give up on this plan. But luckily I am a pretty organized person so hopefully I can figure it out.

The true test for today was I had  a lunch meeting AND a birthday party to attend and boooooooooyyyy the temptations! For lunch I met a client at Mimi's Cafe and they actually had a few good choices! I had the salmon with a small salad, strawberries and an orange slice or 2, which game me 1P, 1V, and 1F serving. I had water to drink. I had my QB and went on my way. When I got home I had a snack of watermelon and some of these thin Waca crackers that weren't that bad.

The birthday party was a cupcake wars theme and all the kids were making their own cupcakes. This was soooo hard! But I didn't even lick a bit of icing off my finger from Carly's cupcake. I just ate on a fruit kabob and pretended it was on of those milky, moist, sugary, chocolaty delights. AND THEN, to top off the night, I took my husband out to Longhorn to celebrate his promotion and refused the bread, ate 1/4 of my salad because of the dressing, and had a 6 oz. sirloin but asked for them to not season it and a baked potato with just a tiny bit of butter, WHICH IS ALL ON THE DIET! Wahoooo!

If I can resist the temptations I was faced with today for the next few weeks, this might just work!

Oh, and I tried a new protein bar today after raving about the Caramel Brownie one... it is still my favorite but I finally found a way to describe it's taste to you. At first I thought "Little Debbie" but now it is more like, you find a Twix from Halloween last year in your kids closet and it's a little stale but you eat it anyway because you really like Twix... that's what it tastes like. The new one is Fudge Graham and it's pretty good. It tastes sort of like a stale Kit-Kat.

I'm hanging in there and more on Monday when I weigh in again!

Day 2 of "Cleanse"

I woke up today in a good mood. I felt refreshed and motivated from all the support here and on Facebook. And thanks to family members that have called and texted me.

I started out with my 2 eggs for breakfast again, on this beautiful 75 degree weather Cleanse Day 2. It is even more motivation when it is pretty outside and my favorite season is right around the corner. I mixed up my 1st bottle of Boost and chugged that on the way to work. All this protein makes me thirsty.

About 10:15 I had my 1/2 an orange again, I did better eating it this time. I found that if you just stick it in your mouth like you are doing the "monkey orange slice" smile and bite it, you don't get juice everywhere! And I drank my fruit protein drink which was a lot better than yesterday's orange-pineapple... Mixed Berry was pretty good.

I went in to QWLC for my "nutrition class" which consisted of them telling me what I can and cannot eat for the next 13 weeks. I got a print out I can take to the grocery store and shop for the things I need. I met with my counselor for a few minutes but I had to be back to work for a meeting so I told her I would be back tomorrow to check in and go over the booklet. And I want them to weigh me to see if this 3 days of eating protein and raw greens has paid off at all.

Oh, and apparently, I am drinking too much water, so I need to ask them what I can do since this stuff makes me really thirsty.

Of course they are going to push their "supplements" that are not "required" but will help you make your goal faster. One is some $80 Quick Trim appetite suppressant which I decided I am NOT getting because it's $80 AND I know those things don't work for me. I have tried them all. I can't imagine taking them along with the Boost drinks and other supplements anyway. I think my head would probably spin right off my body!

Next they push an EFA supplement. I did my research and there is nothing special about their pills except the fact that THEY think they are so special that they can charge $40 for them. No thanks. I will go to Walmart and buy some Fish Oil pills and that will do, thank you very much.

The third thing I am still thinking about buying. It is a supplement called KLB-5 which I cannot find any alternatives for online. There was one place that sold it for $36.50 with shipping, and it costs $40 at the center so I may just go ahead and get that. KLB-5 in a nutshell is Bromelain which is is some sort of enzyme that eats your fat; Lecithin that gets rid of fat in those "hard to reach places" and gives you energy and brain power; Blue-Green Algae which is protein and helps you not get hungry; Kelp helps the thyroid produce thyroxine which helps you to not be sluggish, tired and nervous, helps with overall thyroid performance and it doesn't like fat so it helps get rid of it; and finally Apple Cider Vinegar (Fergie takes a shot of this a day) which helps with arthritis, asthma, constipation and obesity and is rich in potassium.

I think that one would be good for me to try.

So I just ate my lunch  of salad greens, raw green beans (well I steamed them about half way through) and turkey deli meat. I can't WAIT for my caramel brownie bar snack later and I don't know what's on the menu for tonight, but 1-1/2 more days and I can have potatoes and watermelon and grilled veggies... stuff I don't mind eating on a diet!

Thanks again for all of the support!

10:04 PM - Day 1

I promise not to post so often in one day but I wanted to let you know how I am feeling right now after a day of "the cleanse."

Right now is the time I usually go and microwave me a plate of cheese crackers and sit on the couch with the hubster until I go to bed. But honestly, I don't know if it's in my head or a high from all the support, I am not hungry. I am thirsty and I just drank my 6th or 7th bottle of water today.

Dinner wasn't as bad as I anticipated in my last post. Denny did do me a solid and didn't cook. He ate leftovers from last night and I made the kids a little mac and cheese with veggies and didn't sneak any. I, on the other hand, ate more turkey deli meat, and half a sack of lighty steamed green beans and a small salad with balsamic vinegar on it (and I sat back and imagined it was on some yummy bread and not leaves...). It wasn't too bad because I LOVE me some balsamic vinegar. I will do that instead of the DISGUSTING Red Wine Oil and Vinegar Dressing I bought from Kroger last night.


Right now I feel (on a scale of 1 -10):
Energy Level: a 9, but I DO feel like I can go to sleep, no Jitters
Motivation: a 10, Thanks to all my support here and on Facebook
Nerves: an 8, I am calm and content
Stomach: a 7, I do want to eat, but I am not hungry, it's a habit I have to break
Pee: a 10?, I did a LOT of it today, like I was 8 months preggo again
Poop: a 9? Only once, I didn't want you to think this was THAT kind of cleanse, but it would have been nice to have a good shit or 2

Okay, I won't share that every day.

Reasons for Weight Loss:
I want to be skinny and cute
I want to be healthy for my kids and family
I want to be healthy for my future and be a good example to my kids
I want shop in the Mediums at Marshall's and Jacque Pennet (JC Penney)
I want to buy size 8 pants again (or a 6 would be fine)
I wanna shop in the Juniors section if I feel so inclined
I want to feel sexy in bed and not cover up my stomach all the time
I want better self-esteem
I want to wear a hottie Halloween costume next year
I want to feel cute at the pool next year
I want to share clothes with my mom and best friend
I don't want to be the fat chick on my team at work
I don't want to weigh more than my brother
I don't want fat rolls!
I don't want a double chin in my reflection when I look down at my phone to make a call

So at the end of Day 1, I say Mission Accomplished! I feel good and energized and because I didn't drink any soft drinks, and eat sugar and salty foods, I don't have that horrible "cut off my circulation" waist band tonight from my jeans and I don't look 4-5 months pregnant. Well, I do a little bit, but it is only Day 1 right? ;)

Day 1 of "Cleanse"

Okay, so I officially started today if I did not mention that yet. Today was Day 1 of 3 of the "cleanse" portion of the program. So let me tell you how it is going.

For breakfast I had 2 eggs with Lite Morton's Salt (required 1/4 Tsp a day to prevent muscle cramps) and poured the Lemon-Lime "Boost" powder in my water bottle and downed it. Neither were too bad, and I instantly felt full and energized when I got to work AND I was a bit of a chatty-kathy. But mission accomplished, I was full and satisfied. I have to say that the Lemon-Lime powder mixed in my VOSS water bottle looks a bit like that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ooze from when we were kids.

Snack: About 11:00 I was getting hungry, so I ate my 1/2 orange as directed, with my choice #1 of 2 protein supplements (an Orange-Pineapple protein drink). An orange is hard to eat at your desk, and I never eat oranges so I was getting it all over my face and juice is dripping down my shirt. I guess I need more practice. The protein drink smelt protein-y, and it tasted just okay. Glad I got the variety pack so I can try a different one tomorrow.

Lunch: At 1:00 I ate my "unlimited amount of protein" which I ate a few slices of turkey sandwich meat, and my "unlimited amount of green raw salad veggies" which was Italian Lettuce mix (on Manager's special, go Kroger!) and some broccoli and oil and vinegar dressing. Meh... but I was full. I also drank another Lemon-Lime boost mix/ooze, as directed.

Snack: I ate my other 1/2 of an orange as directed, making a mess of myself again, and then it was choice #2 protein supplement snack. This was a protein bar called Caramel Brownie. I have had protein bars before and I knew it wasn't anything to be excited about, BUT BOY WAS I WRONG! Ladies, ladies, ladies, this protein bar was a piece of heaven! It was like eating a 500 calorie Little Debbie snack. I enjoyed all 4 bites of it.

For dinner tonight I have to have a repeat of lunch. An "unlimited amount of protein" and an "unlimited amount of green salad veggies". Going home is what I get worried about because I know there is wine and cheese and snacks for the kids, and Denny is probably making something fabulous for dinner that I won't be able to eat. So think of me as I try to complete Day 1 without cheating.

Tomorrow starts Day 2 and I repeat the same ol' thing. But I go to my nutrition class at QWLC to find out what I can eat after the "cleanse".

Thanks for the support bloggers!

The decision is made...

TMI alert! I plan on being very honest about myself and plan on giving gory details/stats on my weight loss and gain. So if you do not want to get that personal with me then do not read this blog. There.

I am about to turn 29 years old and I weigh the heaviest I ever have. I got on the scale after a summer of trying (and not trying) to lose some weight and I hit the 200 mark. THAT was an eye opener. I have spent my entire 20's overweight. This is how it all started, as this will probably sound familiar to a lot of people out there.

I started out to college at 17 years old. I weighed about 130-135 lbs and was a size 6 in women's and a 9 in juniors. I was smoking hot. By 19 I had definitely put on that "Freshman 15", and then some. I was dating a guy pretty seriously and got really comfortable. By the time we broke up, I was 20 years old and went to the doctor and weighed 164 lbs and was a size 10. I still looked pretty good, but the doctor advised me to get back to at least 160. What did I do? I ignored him and went on gaining weight. It was 4 lbs! I WISH that's all I had to lose now! And with a major in graphic design, all I did was eat and sit. By the time I started dating the lucky man I married, ;) I was about 175 lbs. and a size 10/12. I lived near my in-laws and since there was free food on the table every night-free country food- that is what I ate! When Denny and I got married I was hanging on 178-180 lbs. Although I did like the way I looked in my wedding dress, it could have been better. After a year of marriage, and eating horribly, I weighed in at 188 lbs. and was barely squeezing into my 14's and started having to buy 16's. THAT was my wake up call. So I joined a place similar to Curves, ate 5 small meals a day, watched what I ate, worked out 3 times a week, weighed in once a week with the trainer and lost close to 20 lbs. in 3 months. By the time me and Denny left for Miami to celebrate our 2nd anniversary, I was 172 lbs. and could get away with wearing a 2-piece! While in Miami, I got knocked up with my precious daughter Carly! I did pretty well with the weight gain during pregnancy. I think I weighed in at about 204 at the hospital before she was born. The weight from that fell off pretty quickly, but I did not lose it all. And about 2 years later I got pregnant with my son Logan weighing about 182 lbs. I weighed in at the doctor with him before he was born at 209 lbs. So needless to say, I did not do so well getting that weight off. I have spent the past year (he is 1 now) fluctuating up and down between 190 and 200.

So here I am now. Staring at the scale with that big "2" in front. So I got up, and on my way to work called QWLC and gave them a visit during lunch. The lady gave me her pitch, but I knew enough about the program to know that I already wanted to do it, and I really didn't care how much it cost. I figured out a way to pay over the next few paychecks adjusting some bills around and made my 1st of 3 payments. My neighbor across the street had great success with the program, and I had read some reviews and it does actually work if you STICK TO THE PROGRAM.

Here is my official "before" picture. Weighing in at 203 with clothes, shoes and a belly full of lunch. I never want to see that number again.  

So that is the point of this blog. I will be giving a play-by-play of how I do on the program and this will act as another point of accountability for me because that is the only way it works for me... the accountability of  strangers.