minus 35 pounds....

Left: October 29, 2011 - two days before my "tipping point"
Right: June 18, 2012 - at 185 pounds which is minus 35 pounds!!! And by the time I weighed in a few days later I was at -38 and have stayed there for 2 weeks...I need to kick it in gear!!!

Though this happened a few weeks ago (I'm writing this on 6/30) I still haven't hit the -40 mark but I"m okay with that. Between the end of the year and going on a mini 4 day vacation I'm happy that I only gained .4 in the last two weeks. That is a success to me.

I also can't believe that I have lost almost 40 pounds!!! It has been a combo of hard work, exersice, eating better (not right because I will always allow myself treats), and staying positive. The last part is the hardest part for me - it always has and probably always will be.
Now that school is out for summer (!!!!!!!) I really want to try to get some of my meals and tips and whatnot up here. As well as some goals I am finally setting for myself. Now that I have the beginnings of the change underway it is time to look forward!!!

I cannot wait to hit that -40 pound mark.

Fingers crossed!!!

it is {almost} unbelieveable...

Every few weeks or so I get my measurements done by my personal trainer!! It is a super awesome way to see the results...see below for the proof!!!

The two I am continuously most proud of are the waist and hip measurements. They are, by far, the most noticeable!!! I'm done 6.75 inches in my waist and 6.25 inches in my hips. It is, to me, crazy. I mean...wow. Just think about that. I don't go off these weights because they are almost always in the evenings and I'm clothed with shoes on...but On my weight loss journey I have lost 33.3 pounds since last October. I've decided to switch to calculating by the 220lb number because that was my heaviest and where I started this journey from...crazy. Just crazy.

The first quote I really put up there because PCOS has so many odds stacked against it and since I have PCOS, that means that I do too. But, I am determined to "overcome" them. PCOS is never.ever.ever going to go away. I have had it forever and I will have it forever. I am doing things like ~ losing weight, eating healthy, washing my hair with sulfate free shampoo {to control the oil}, educating myself as to what PCOS and IR really are and many more things.

It's been 2 weeks shy of 5 months since I went in to the endocrinologist and 2 weeks sky of 6 months since I started working out with Amanda. These have been the most telling, trying, tearful, and terrific months of my life. And for that, I am greatful.

my inspirations...

Since I've been losing weight people keep telling me I am an inspiration...and while I am beginning to see it/believe it...I was certainly inspired by others!!! Here, in no particular order, are some of my inspirations.
Picture this. I'm at a Halloween party with my coworkers. Two of them are talking about how, when they were pregnant, they got around or over 200 pounds. And it wasn't like they were just stating that as a number, there were comments (unknowing of my weight) about how they couldn't IMAGINE being that weight without being pregnant. Now imagine my self-image thoughts as I'm standing there, not pregnant, at 220 pounds. It wasn't a good conversation going on in my head. I actually stopped drinking because I knew if I didn't I'd say something I'd regret. I was standing there, amongst my friends, totally self-loathing myself. UG. It was one of the worst feelings in the world. Looking back, that moment, was one of my lowest moments and I didn't want to feel like that anymore. I needed to change. I started using "MyFitnessPal" the next week to start to keep track of my calories after seeing my old college classmate Lindsey's transformation...

This is my old college classmate Lindsey. She's lost almost 100 pounds. 100 POUNDS. And you know how she did it, food control and exercise. I mean, NO fad diets, NO drinks/smoothies/programs. It is amazing!! And she's lost even more since these pictures were taken. I think what I am most inspired by her is that she did it the "old fashioned way". That's how I am doing it too. I mean, it is nice to see the people's before and after's on TV, but it really got me going when it was someone I knew!!

Another person is an old frat brother of my hubby's.

This is Larkin. He has an amazing spirit and was one of my hubby's favorite frat brothers. Like I said about Lindsey, it is so much more meaningful to see people I know having such great success. Larkin, who I am friends with on Facebook, appears to go to the gym all.the.time. I don't honestly know how he's lost all the weight but it is inspirational none-the-less.

I got this message on Facebook the other day. You know how in the wide world of FB you're friends with people who you've only met a few times - well this is one of those situations. This message is from an old sorority sister of one of my best friends. As you can see, she had a baby (I think almost a year ago). I was SO surprised when this message popped up in my Inbox. I read it like 5 times. I think this might have been the turning point in my believing I might inspire others. A person, who I've met probably less than 10 times in my life, is messaging me to tell me I'm an inspiration. I guess it could be true...

Fingers crossed.