One Year Ago today....

...I joined Weight Watchers.

Jayden had come into the house really upset one day. I guess he was arguing with one of his friends and that friend said to him "Your Mom is fat." He about beat that kid to a pulp over it. Bless his heart.

I never wanted my kids to have to stick up for me that way. I was embarrassed to be overweight. That kid was right, and it made me a weird mix of angry/hurt/and determined to change.

That and my fat pants were tight. Again.

I had a friend that had done WW and wanted to sign on again. That gave me the encouragement I needed.

So I went.

I was in denial still, thinking I didn't really need to be there. I thought the meetings were weird. I felt out of place, and then I really listened to the people at the meetings. They had the same struggles I did.

It was intimidating to sign on to the program. It was a lifestyle change. I don't like change much. And my Mountain Dew and Peanut M&M's didn't fit into the plan.

My first weigh in was a huge eye-opener. We didn't even own a scale at home, so when I saw that I was weighing in at nearly what I weighed when I delivered the twins, I was even more committed to the program.

Then I found out that the first weigh in determines how many "points" you get, and that each week you need to try to lose weight enough to be under your last weigh in weight. I turned to my friend and said, "Dang! If I would have known that, I would have put rocks in my pockets today, to make sure I was under the weight goal and I would get more points." Pretty crafty, I am.

And she very wisely said "If you are going INTO this looking for ways to cheat, it will never work for you."

That really stuck with me.

I was determined to be successful.
I followed the program faithfully.

I remember starving some nights, and being out of points.
I remember being very choosy during the holidays, and reluctantly passing on some of my favorite foods.
I remember making cakes and cookies that I would never eat.
And fitting exercise into our vacations.
Once I wanted to make out with Sam because he had just eaten a candy bar and I wanted to just taste chocolate...
Good times.
But...
I remember my pants needing a belt, and then eventually given away because they drown me.
I remember running without my knees killing me.
I remember hitting my weight loss goals, and being proud of myself.
And going shopping, and fitting into sizes that surprised me.
Calling Sam after weigh-in excited about my loss totals.

I hit goal weight, and then lifetime last February.

I have dropped a few more pounds since then, bringing my grand total to forty pounds lost.

My five year old weighs 40 pounds.

Granted, I hold weight pretty well.
My ancestors were a handcart pushin' sturdy bunch. Thank goodness for good genes!
When I gain, it isn't manifested in a bubble butt, or thunderous thighs.
We gain allll over, like a polar bear.

I did find some pretty great before photos though. Bad angles and all that.
Are you ready??
(Can't believe I am going public with these puppies...)
Behold BEFORE:

I know!
And AFTER:

I am not blogging this to get a whole bunch of "You look so great" comments.

I am blogging this because if I can do this, so can you!
If there are any of you reading this that are ready for a change, seriously, DO IT!
You can e-mail me!

I still hate exercise.
But I found things I can tolerate.
I still eat junk.
Just not as much.

You can't put a price tag on self-esteem.
Or the sense of accomplishment that comes from feeling like you are in control of at least one aspect of your life.
On for once NOT trying to ditch your old high school crush before he sees you at the mall.
Okay, so I still do that.
Only because I married my high school crush, and most likely he would have all the kids with him, and well...that's ditchable.

In closing, I would like to bear my testimony of the power of Weight Watchers...
Amen.