Becoming Me

I have decided to participate in my first ever "Show Us Your Life" hosted by Kelly's Korner!

My journey has been a long one, to say the least. I was always a little bit overweight in high school, but never extremely overweight (although as a highschooler I thought I was the fattest person on the planet- ha!). When I got to college, I faced new challenges and trials, and turned to food. I slowly began to gain weight. By the beginning of my sophomore year I have gained around 10-15 pounds.

By February of the my sophomore year I had gained another 30 pounds.

December 2006

Mardi Gras Ball- February 2007

I realized I needed to get my weight under control. I started Weight Watchers and really liked it. By the end of my sophomore year I had lost about 10 pounds, and by the end of that summer another 5 pounds.

My weight loss then hit a hiatus because a cyst was discovered on my thyroid, and I have surgery before Christmas the end of that year to remove the right side of my thyroid.

After that surgery, my weight loss began to occur once again. I have lost a total of 65 pounds. I still want to lose another 10 to 15 pounds. It has not been easy. Here are a few of my tips:

1. Eat breakfast. It has been proven that people who eat breakfast weight less. However, limit what you eat for breakfast. Choose cereal full of fiber, fresh fruit, and yogurt. Limit bread because you will be hungry before long if that is all you have.

2. Throughout my college career, I ate Subway most days due to my good-ole' flex dollars at the cafeteria. I learned what to eat and what not to eat at Subway. Always choose wheat bread, and if you must have cheese, limit the amount they put on. I love tuna, but it is high in calories, so I would get tuna when I wanted, but most of the time got turkey, chicken, etc. which are lower in calories. Pile on the veggies, and skip the mayo. Spicy mustard adds lots of flavor without calories. As for chips, go for the baked. They also have sides like apples and yogurt that are wonderful!

3. Snacking doesn't have to be bad. I love chocolate and found a little goes a long way, especially dark chocolate. Some of my favorites snacks are Fiber One Bars (they come in a variety of flavors), low-fat pre-portioned yogurt, Weight Watchers Snack cakes, Skinny Cow Ice Cream (I LOVE their ice cream sandwiches), and Laughing cow cheese with veggies or a few crackers. Fruit is also always a good snack.

4. Clip coupons in your newspaper and online. CouponMom is a wonderful site. SmartSource and Redplum also have online coupons. Also sign up for emails from STL Mommy. Included in emails are locations for great coupons, money saving tips, and even freebies!

5. Sign up for emails from Hungry Girl, which provides great healthy food makeovers and healthy snack ideas. Also sign up for email from Jillianmichaels.com- she includes exercise tips in her emails (yes, you can sign up for her emails for free- you don't have to join her online program).

6. Exercise, but don't stress out about it. I had 20 hours this past semester, and worked four jobs that equaled between 30-40 work hours a week, not counting my classes and studies. Did I have time for exercise? Hardly! I exercised when I could but didn't stress when I couldn't. Also- mix up your routine. I have several exercise videos that I can pull out when I want to do something different (Biggest Loser, 30 Day Shred, Dancing with the Stars, and 5 Mile Fat Burning Walk). I have a gym membership and attend classes there, as well as use the machines about 4 days a week. My parents have a treadmill so I will do that on days I do not go to the gym. We also have Wii Fit.

7. Portion control- read the labels and measure. You won't always have to measure, once you get the hang of it you will be able to tell what a 1/2 cup is, etc.

I think I have said enough, lol! God bless those of you who made it through. Here is a picture from Christmas of what I look like now:

Remember, it truly is a journey and you can do it!