Making changes

I just love "The Biggest Loser"! It's so refreshing that there's something on tv that is all about making postive changes in your life. That show is literally changing lives and not just for the contestants, but for America as well! I was excited that Ali became the first female "biggest loser"! She has been an inspiration to me! She went from being lazy and depressed and using food to cover up her pain to being a determined, postive, animal athlete!



The theme song for the show totally empowers me. I ask myself all the time, "What HAVE I done today to make me feel good?" When I was 9 months pregnant with Jonathan, and at my heaviest weight, something snapped inside of me, and I thought, "I want to be healthy. I want to be my best self, and I never want to be this big ever again, pregnant or not." As most of you have experienced when you're pregnant, you feel like eating everything in sight, but I didn't need to be eating the junk I was eating. I wanted to make a change. That's all it took, and I've been on fire ever since! I'm so passionate now about my healthy lifestyle changes, and I'm thrilled that these simple changes have influenced my husband and children as well! Since post-pregnancy, I have lost 36 pounds, and I'm happier than I've ever been because now I'm taking care of ME so that I can have more energy to take care of my family too.

I really believe that it's not about having the perfect body, it's about being the best YOU. For me, I wasn't as concerned about the number of pounds to lose, I just wanted to be healthy and look GOOD in my skinny pants! ;) First I would need to FIT into those skinny pants, and then I would shoot for the looking good part! I read books, like Eat Right, Walk Strong by Leslie Sansome and Body for Life. I even pulled out my textbook from my college Nutrition class so I could educate myself on what's healthy and what's not. I soon discovered I was doing a lot of things that weren't healthy... Yikes! So I just took baby steps to improve my nutrition and exercise habits. I bought wheat tortillas and wheat rolls for sandwiches, low-fat or no-fat dairy, ground turkey, chicken, salmon, and lots and lots of fruits and veggies! I still had white rice and white bread from time to time because I knew I couldn't cut ALL bad carbs out of my diet overnight. It takes time, little by little, to make these changes. I started drinking a glass of cold water before every meal and working on portion control. And now, even when I do have ice-cream 2 to 3 times a week, I scoop smaller portions, and if I have worked out earlier that day, I know I can afford those calories, especially if it's at 2 in the afternoon and not 11 at night!

I discovered Turbo Jam, which is the most fun I have ever had working out! It pumped me up every morning, and I found myself wanting to get out of bed at 6am to work out, as crazy as that sounds! My friends and family have played the biggest role in helping me get in shape. Many of you would ask me how I was doing with my weightloss goals, and it helped me stay on track to meet those goals. Kathy, my amazing walking partner, was/is always so positive and encouraging. She's been like my personal trainer, coaching me along the way. I don't know how I could have done it without you, Kathy! And then of course Wade has been my partner in crime to help our family make these changes permanent! He's been really good to help me prepare healthier meals and to cut up fresh fruits and vegetables for Emily and Jonathan. (And to hide the Nesquik so we all don't drink chocolate milk as often!) I feel proud of our family and I feel proud of me. And it feels good!