Hello, Hello... Is Thing On?
I know, I know, it's been a while. The sad part is? Not much has changed, except for the worst. I am at a weight that I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be at. I'm not ok with that. Though I'm down almost 12 pounds, I still feel miserable with my body.
Update
2 years ago, I met the love of my life. I was fresh home from being in Arizona for 3 years to jumpstart my career, and this guy whom I thought was cute in his picture on Eharmony wanted to take me out to dinner. He sounded too good to be true, but I went out with him anyways.
I started to lose weight slowly without even trying. Then, without realizing it, the weight started to pile on quicker. We were eating out at restaurants constantly, I was always traveling because he lived 45 minutes away from me, and I was getting happy... content. So I started putting on the pounds without trying just as quick as I was losing when we first met.
In February of 2016, Jeremy asked me to be his wife. I was so excited, but terrified at the same time, because I never wanted to be the "big bride". I just wanted to be happy with my body. However, I wanted to get married as soon as possible. We set the date for December 17, 2016, and I was bound and determined to lose weight as quickly as possible.
True to me, though, I kept putting off the diet. Wait until the school year ends... wait until the school year starts... wait until after labor day...
Uh oh, the wedding is quickly approaching!
I was terrified in October, when it was time to put my dress on and get fitted for alterations. It was the day of my Grandmother's funeral, so I was at least distracted. My mom pulled my dressed on, and after what felt like an eternity, I said "OK mom, zip it up!" and without hesitation, she says "Erin, I did. It's that loose." WHAT?! She could quite literally put her whole arm between my back and the back of my dress.
So, apparently wedding stress took some weight off. I swore off of stepping on the scale during wedding planning, I didn't want to get frustrated over that, too.
The seamstress had to take the dress down 2 whole sizes (yes, it was a 22, I could fit in an 18 now)! The second fitting was just as dramatic, as apparently I lost more weight, and she had to take it in a little bit further. We asked her not to, since my weight was fluctuating so frequently.
Post-Wedding Bliss
Honeymoon, holidays, holiday parties, etc... before I knew it, I was overly frustrated with my weight. It had reached an all-time high by the end of the school year. Alas, I received a Facebook message from an old friend from before I moved to Arizona. He was challenging Jeremy and I in a couple's weight loss challenge.
I agreed instantly, as did Jeremy. He kept saying "Thank you. This will give me the motivation to lose the weight".
Our discussion had always revolved around getting healthy before we have kids. Especially me. My body will be home to a baby for 9 months, I want to give it the best home I can give it!
So, I weighed myself, and it wasn't pretty. It was a number I never want to see ever again. I will say, I am down 12 pounds as of today. (11.8 pounds really, but I'm counting it as 12)
I have set minimal goals for myself as to not get frustrated, but I know I can accomplish them.
Ok, Ok... Real Talk
My starting weight... 325.4 (yikes)
My current weight... 313.6
My goal weight... 160
When I was in high school, I weighed 160 pounds. It's my happy place. I don't want to be super skinny, just healthy. That's all I ask.
So, my current goals:
By the first day of school... 300
By Christmas Time... 250
The Plan
So far, I have experimented to see what works best for me. I love being Paleo, I feel fantastic on Paleo. However, it is incredibly hard to follow with a bread-loving husband. I have broken him quite a bit, and he has seen the benefits of Paleo. However, it is still incredibly difficult to get everyone on board. We eat with his family once a week and my family once a week. Not everyone is willing to follow our diet. So, I have been tracking calories along with everything else.
The Lose-It app on my iPhone has become a daily habit. I eat, then I log my food. It is a routine. Some days, especially when I'm extra busy, I will pre-log my food. Jeremy and I plan our meals at the end of every week for the next week, and we only buy what we need when we go grocery shopping.
My app sets me up to lose 2 pounds a week, which is a great goal for me. According to the app, I will meet my goal weight in June of 2019. I can accept this, though it's hard to think I won't hit my goal weight until then. However, I know that in order to be healthy throughout this process, I really shouldn't be rapidly losing weight.
Thank You!
Thank you for your acceptance of my story, the support to help me through this journey, and for just being a set of ears (or eyes, as you may). This is going to be a long process, but it is worth it! End goal = healthy pregnancy. This isn't just about ME anymore, it's also about our future children.
So, that being said, LET'S DO THIS!
