Middle of a long journey...

The web is completely filled with stories about weight loss. Struggles and successes shared freely. Mine is maybe no greater a struggle than others, but I have decided to throw mine into the mix.

Few "stats" about me:

Name: Mary

Occupation: eBanking Specialist (Fancy title for stressed out person who helps cranky people/businesses with their online banking)

Married to my amazing husband Daryl since September 17, 2005, but we've known each other since 1996!

Mom to two beautiful boys, Evan Joseph 3, and Andrew Lucas, born Aug. 12, 2009!

What motivated me to lose weight and get healthy after years of obesity?


I'll start by saying that I realize most of what you read tells you that you need to follow this journey for YOU. That YOU are important enough for this work you need to put in, for the improvements you are making. I'm not really arguing against that, however, from my personal experience, it took an outside force to prompt me into action. In 2006 my wonderful little boy, Evan, was born. He was this perfect, healthy little boy who needed nothing more than our love and care. We were picture-crazy as most new parents equipped with digital cameras are these days. And it was one of these photographs, taken in November 2006 brought home to me how I was NOT "fitting" into my image of a healthy family with my husband and son.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/myoung1977/beforeus.jpg

I bawled like a baby. I could not believe how unhealthy I looked next to my husband, and holding our first son. I knew I had to do something to change my path. To be a good example to my family.

This was no simple task. We love to eat out. I grew up in an unhealthy family that ate absolutely nothing but junk and fast food. I have to fight every natural instinct I have when I am following a balanced eating plan. I decided upon Weight Watchers for a healthy eating plan that would be "easiest" to stick to, and walking as a start for exercise. During my maternity leave I walked with my son everyday, eventually moving on to Biggest Loser workouts, and went back to work weighing less than I had when I got pregnant. It was nothing that happened quickly. It took 3 years of hard work to go from my high of 293 to my low of 189.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/myoung1977/evan001-1.jpg

I celebrated being in a size 14 (even a few 12's! From a size 24!), for about a week, before we got the big, happy surprise that I was pregnant with our second child! I was a bit freaked out about seeing the scale go up, I'll admit it. Thankfully my new habits did lead me to gaining less with my second pregnancy. I was 193 at my first OB appointment, and 224 on the day of delivery. At 11 weeks after giving birth to our sweet Andrew Lucas, I am sitting at about 200. I want to get back to where I was, and keep the momentum going, to hopefully see 160! That would be smaller than I've been since early *junior high!*

It isn't easy, I have a demanding and precocious 3 year old, and a needy, momma-centric 2 month old who I am nursing, and I return to a very stressful job in 7 weeks. But as I let myself slide into old habits this past few weeks, I had to remind myself, along the way there have been major stressors (I lost my dad on Feb. 5, 2006, during my first pregnancy to lung cancer, and my mom to Emphazema on Feb 14, 2009, during this pregnancy), and I have persevered. I will not only regain the momentum of the past, I will build on it and be better than ever.

Me and my boys, Avila Farm October 8, 2009. Their future is definitely brighter due to having a healthier momma.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/myoung1977/IMG_0331.jpg

My plan for now is to walk a minimum of 60 minutes per day with my son during the next 7 weeks. I will blog at least every week when I "weigh in." My eating will once again go to the Weight Watchers plan, as I feel that it is so well balanced in terms of wanting you to do what is just naturally healthy. Yes, you can use your "points" for junk, but you can do that without the plan. To truly follow the guidelines of drinking water, eating fruits/veggies, using whole grains, getting a healthy oil in, taking a multi-vitamin, etc, is something that is just going to naturally lend itself to weightloss, especially when combined with exercise. Eventually my husband and I would like to add the Biggest Loser workouts back into our schedule, once the baby is a bit more adjusted, hoping to work it in in the next month or so.

I return to work on December 18th, and hope to lose 10 pounds before that date. That will place me nearly to my lowest weight ever, and 4 pounds below my weight at my first OB appointment. The holidays may seem a tough time to start, but I lost 14 pounds last year during a Biggest Loser competition at work at this same time, so I know it can be done!

Healthy living, being a healthy, balanced example to my sons. That is my goal.