September 28, 2018

Hello again!

Earlier this year, I posted about starting my weight loss journey, and about having a healthier year all around. I've been chatting with a close friend this week, and she convinced me it was time for an update. This is kind of uncomfortable to talk about, but I am proud of how far I've come. Seeing my friends' achievements has also helped keep me motivated to keep going, so maybe this will help one of you. I feel like this is mostly just fluff at this point, so I'm going to jump right in. **I know everyone loves a good progress pic so it's at the bottom, ok**

In January of this year, I decided that I was tired of hating the way I looked and the way I treated my body. I could barely squeeze into my jeans, and it sucked. I set a goal of losing 35 pounds, and I wanted to do it in a sustainable way. I decided to start counting my calories, and focus on eating healthier foods and smaller portions. I didn't want to make too many changes all at once so that I wouldn't get burnt out. It was hard.

In February, I cut out pop completely. I put a sticky note where I could see it with the date of my last Vanilla Coke (my faaaave), and wrote the date. February 17th. It was even more difficult than the previous month, but seeing that date kept me going. I did not want to have to mark it out, and write a new date. It sounds silly, but to me, that was failing, and I was determined not to fail.

I also started adding in some exercise here and there. I walk a LOT at my job, including up and down stairs, so that was VERY helpful in keeping me active.

By March, the pounds were falling off, and I was physically and mentally feeling better. It was still difficult, but I kept going.

By summer, my pants were literally falling off, and my lovely parents treated me to some new pairs. I had gone down TWO sizes. It was exhilerating. It, honestly, still is. 

It is September 28th, and I have lost 32 pounds this year. I'm ALMOST at my goal weight, and I feel so much better about myself. I feel better mentally, too. I still have my bad days, but I don't eat my feelings anymore. I am more productive. I can run around with my dog, and not wheeze afterwards. I eat vegetables now. Well, at least more than before haha. I still complain about them, but I don't see that changing anytime soon. I can also fit into my favorite dresses again, and my favorite leather jacket is no longer too tight.

I still have more to do. My next goal is toning a bit, and getting stronger. I'm VERY excited to continue this journey.

Anyway, I'm going to wrap it up by listing things that helped me personally, and I'll include a progress picture at the end. These are things that worked for me. Everyone is different. I'm not here to tell you how to live your life.

• Take baby steps -- don't try to change too much at once
• Hold yourself accountable -- I used an app to count calories (Lose It), and being honest with myself
• It's okay to cheat sometimes -- Special occasions or even a treat yo'self day is fine every once in awhile
• Have a support group -- I know so many girls working on themselves this year. They are all amazing, and it's been a HUGE help feeling like we are all going through this together. 
• Take pictures -- It's super hard to notice yourself losing weight, but seeing pictures helps
• Don't let a bad day turn into a bad forever -- It's ok to mess up, but don't let one day discourage you from trying again the next.

Welp, that pretty much concludes it for me. If you made it this far, here's a picture. On the left is from January and the right is today. This is literally just from counting calories, portion control, and moderate exercise. No fad diets. I still make hella good brownies, and eat the batter, but I'm just conscientious of how often and how much. I repeat -- I still have bad days, and this is difficult, but it gets easier with time, and if you want to do this, too, you can. Ok, here goes.

January 2018 --> September 2018