Bandwagon Jumping!

I read two fantastic blogs today about the trials and tribulations of maintaining a healthy body weight. I am now going to jump onto that bandwagon and talk about my own body image.

The above picture is from 2006, when I was 17. Look at those skinny legs and lack of multiple chins. I was wearing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and I felt pretty good. My high school and middle school years were not ever ones of depression regarding my looks (well, sort of, but that's a story for another day because it has more to do with love than weight). I knew I wasn't the best looking kid but that I wasn't the worst. Another picture from around that time:

I wish I had better photos, hahaha. Anyways, I was probably at about 120 in these photos which is the ideal weight for my height (5.1). Then I started dating B and we moved to GP and suddenly we both started gaining weight like it was nobody's business. We ate out. All. The. Time. And it showed, particularly on me. I had to chuck out so many clothes.

2007:

By the time of our wedding I was at my heaviest, somewhere in between 179 and 180. I didn't even try to lost weight for the wedding. It would have meant a dress alteration I couldn't afford, and it would have been stressful on top of the stress I was already feeling. I had a very difficult time preparing for my wedding (despite its simplicity). At that time of my life though, even though I was quite overweight, I felt good about myself. I was happy and married and in love and starting a grown up life away from my mom and dad.

Then I got knocked up!

I felt SO good during pregnancy. I lost 20 pounds (because of morning sickness), I was eating healthier, my hair was gorgeous and I was just happy happy happy. When G was born I weighed about 150, my lowest in years. I've gone back up to 166.6 (just checked, hahaha), but as long as I don't break the 170 barrier I'm going to feel pretty good.

I'm not a fool. Christmas is coming and I have no self control when it comes to turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy. My new year resolution therefore, will be to get down to 130 if possible in 2013. I think it's attainable if I stick to my guns. No more chips all the time! Avoid the call of McDonalds! Actually use the bloody Wii Fit! (seriously, the wii fit WORKS. I dropped a couple pounds last week using that thing). I can't do even one push up right now. This time next year I gotta be able to top that.

The reason I'm wanting to change things now is simple. My family. B doesn't care what I look like. The extra flab, the stretch marks and that extra chin that likes to hang out on my face are just parts of me that he loves. G doesn't care what I look like. She just cares that i get that bottle to her on time. I want to lose weight so that I can chase after G. I want to lose weight so that B and I can bring more physical activities into our lives like walking and going to the park. I love those two and I want to be healthy and fit for them.

Two of my cousins got the MyFitnessPal app on their phones, and they have lost so much weight on that program, but are both obviously healthy having done so. They look phenomenal. It's calorie counting, but it does the work for me. And it keeps track of my exercising as well. I'm looking forward to using it.

Now. I'm off to write another post about a subject that drives me CRAZY. See ya!