"So where do I start?... At the Beginning of course."

     For many of us the most difficult part of losing weight and getting healthy is starting out.  With most people having access to the internet it should be easier than ever. There is tons of good information on losing weight out there, you just have to know the difference between the good, the bad, and the ugly.
     First of all,(I know you have all heard it before, but listen this time) IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE...THEN IT IS!!!!!!!!!! We are constantly bombarded with diets that promise huge results in a very short time, or by eating anything and everything you want, or not having to exercise at all. If losing weight was really as simple as all of the fad diets claim, then nobody would be overweight or obese. To lose weight it takes a lot of work and willpower. You have to make permanent changes in your life that YOU can live with for the rest of your life. Now, that's not to say that you can't enjoy your favorite foods ever again, but it does mean that you have to exercise good judgement. You can't eat bacon cheeseburgers and french fries all the time and expect to lose weight, but once in a while you can. There is nothing that I cannot eat, I just choose not to eat the junk that I used to, except for those rare occasions that are few and far between.
     IT'S NOT A DIET...it's a lifestyle change. To me yo-yo dieting is like having a fat suit that you keep taking off and putting on. Who WANTS to live like that. When I get the rest of my weight off I want to keep it off for good.  The way to do that is to take the weight off the right way the first time. It's like you always hear "Calories in VS. Calories out". Of course that is easier said than done, but you can do it. Personally, I count calories, and using the "Lose It" app and website makes it so much easier, but I still use my "Calorie King" calorie counter book, and if I'm out of the house then I keep a little notepad in my purse and write down what I eat and how much, then enter it into "Lose It"  when I get home. However, I have lost weight with nothing, except making smarter food choices and not eating as much, but it's much easier using an app or a calorie counter.
     GET MOVING...Exercise is also extremely important in weight loss. I don't care what anyone says. The benefits of exercise goes beyond just losing weight, it improves your overall health. Now, not to say that you can't lose weight just by nutrition(you can), but it's normally slower. Also, when I get to my goal size I want to have a physically fit body type. I want toned muscles, to get those you've got to exercise. Plus, when you build more muscle you improve your metabolism and have a higher rate of burning calories at rest(Resting Metabolic Rate). Weight training also improves the strength of your bones and reduces your risk of osteoporosis. Now, cardiovascular exercise is where you burn the fat. Not only that but it strengthens your heart and lungs as well. Besides all of these benefits of exercise, it's a great stress reliever and when it becomes a routine you have more energy.
     Exercise always seems like a giant mountain to climb, but you have to start small and work your way up to more intense and longer workouts. I know I probably sound like a gym rat that absolutely loves working out, but to tell the truth I'm really not. I have to decide every single day that I'm going to workout, because it will help me fell better and get me to my goal. Start with buying a video that is of interest to you, or getting active with your family, or something as simple as taking a walk around the block. Just GET MOVING!!!!!  Some of the video that I use currently or have used in the past include: "Walk at Home" series by Leslie Sansone, Biggest Loser Workouts, and Videos by Jackie Warner. Or, if you like dancing by all means buy a  dancing workout, I've seen tons of them at the store and online(I don't do them only because I'm not coordinated enough, otherwise I would use those too. lol).

     If you want to get in shape and drop some pounds, then stop thinking about it and DO IT. Only you can make the decision, if I could do it for you I would immediately, but you have to do it for yourself, all I can do is offer help, advice, and support. Don't wait any longer, you possess all the strength and willpower that you need to lose weight, you just have to believe it. The moment I started to believe it about myself...That's when my life changed in such a positive way, and I want everyone to experience that feeling because there really is nothing else like it.

How did I get here?

    I'm like a lot of  that have spent there whole life being overweight. Even as a little kid I was always fat. In my house growing up most of our food was homemade, we rarely ate out, but my mother was and still is an amazing cook. My problem was that the food was so good I would always overeat, and we ate a ton of fried food. As I got older I was stuck in a pattern of overeating at every meal.
     As a child it was very difficult in school being the fat kid. Not everyone was mean, but it's always the most unpleasant memories that stand out to me. I remember being made fun of at least a few times a day, and it was awful. I hated it, but I had no idea how to fix my problem. Even once I was in high school it was still difficult. I had developed a hard exterior to keep others from hurting me. I just pretended that nothing people said every got to me, but when I was alone I was so sad and depressed because I was so fat. In high school I weighed 220lbs. Once I graduated and started going to college and working part time I finally realized that I could change my weight. So when I was 20 years old and weighed 230lbs, I started watching what I ate and exercising 6 days a week and managed to lose about 25-30lbs in about 6 weeks. At that time I started going out a lot with friends and dating so I stopped working out but managed to keep most of the weight off until I got pregnant with my first child at the end of 2006. My son was born in Aug. 2007, then I had a daughter in 2008.
     So fast forward a couple of years, I was busy raising my children and keeping a house up and a husband, and I felt overwhelmed. By the end of 2010 I weighed 240lbs, and at 5'6 I was very round. I had been so busy taking care of the rest of my family that I kept telling myself that I just didn't have time for myself. I was so tired from having two toddlers to care for and a home that I just had nothing left of myself at the end of the day. My weight was causing problems in my everyday life. Besides being exhausted all of the time, my body was suffering from so many aches and pains that at 25 years old I should not have had. My knees and my feet were sore everyday. I did not feel secure in the way I looked that it interfered with my relationship with my husband. I hated when we would go out together, I felt like people would look at us and think "Look at those two, they look so miss matched" or "What is a guy like that doing with that fat girl"(Since my husband is about 5'10 or 11 and weighs a whole 165 or 170lbs).
     Finally, I knew I had to make the change, I couldn't go on living the way I was or feeling the way I felt. And in January of 2011 I made a promise to myself that I would change and I would feel happy with myself again. This is the journey that I am still continuing on. I've been working on myself for a year now and I'm still not finished. This road to a new me is long and has many mountains and valleys, but I keep looking toward my destination of feeling good about the way I look and I keep pressing on. It is never easy, everyday I have to wake up and tell myself that I am going to eat good food and not overeat, and that I will do my workout, even though I may not want to. I have to give myself pep talks all the time and remind myself that I may only have a small support group but I cannot let myself down because I really am my toughest critic.
     If you have any of these same feelings, don't waste anymore time. Even if you have to do it on your own, just know that you can do it. We are all much stronger than we think, and that is where the real secret of losing weight lies, in yourself and your strength.

The Beginning

I want to start by saying this is the first time I've ever written a blog. So here's a little bit of info about me. My name is Carrie, I'm a 26 year old, married, mother of two. I'm your average stay at home Mom. At the beginning of 2011, I was tipping the scale at a whopping 240lbs. I decided that I had enough of being the "fat chick" everywhere I went. So I decided to do something about it. Instead of throwing a pity party for myself(which is always the easy road), I got proactive. I started watching what I ate and exercising most days of the week. Those two things are hard enough when you don't work, but at the time I was working a full time job and had a 2 and 3 year old to take care of, along with maintaining a relationship with my non-overweight husband. I've been on the weight loss train for over a year now, so "Why are you just now starting to blog about it?", you may ask. Well, the reason is simple...I've accomplished a lot over the past year, I have lost 65lbs to date!!!! Yay. I learned more about myself than I ever have before. And my biggest accomplishment is that I've realized that I'm far stronger than I ever thought I could be(and I thought I was a pretty strong lady before). However, I'm not starting this blog at the end of my weight loss journey, I still have about 35lbs to go to my goal. But, at this point I feel like I'm grounded in my "beliefs" about weight loss to begin pursuing my passion and desire to help others begin or continue the seemingly treacherous road to losing weight and getting into shape. Helping others has really been my ultimate goal, not only in losing weight, but in my life. Even if I only reach one person that is helped along the way by my words then I have succeeded.
Since this is my first blog, please feel free to comment about anything you would like me to discuss. I will update weekly along with my weigh ins, obstacles, and victories. I will give you support in your own struggles and praise for your triumphs.

This is my before picture, when I weighed a whopping 240lbs 

This picture is from 6 or 7 months ago

(a more recent picture is soon to come)

Thank you soooo much for this opportunity and I hope to hear from others soon. Even if you're not losing weight, but maintaining, I am here for support.