More Support than Victoria's Secret

So, a week ago, I wrote a blog about Calorie Count.

Well screw Calorie Count.
I've moved on to My Fitness Pal instead. Basically, they're both generally the same idea but MFP is far superior. (Think CC as the Screech to MFP's Zach Morris...)

*every time I've typed in Calorie Count, I've spelled that second word as "cunt". Sorry for the frankness that word offers, but I think that's a sign that it's no bueno compared to My Fitness Pal! :)*

In other news, some fine ladies branched off of Mama Laughlin's blog and created a Facebook group. Mama Laughlin's Fit Camp. There are over 3,000 fabulous ladies (sweat sisters) in the group.

I posted my username for MFP (as well as this blog) for all 3,000 of these sista's to see.

Originally I just wanted to use MFP to track my calories and progress, but I thought, why not get some friends along the way??

In a matter of minutes after that post, I had friend request after friend request on My Fitness Pal!

And the cool thing is, when I log the exercise calories I burned, that automatically shows up on the news feed. So then I get lots of comments telling me "Way to go!", "Great Job!"...

And they're just commenting to show support, not because they expect anything from you!

I can't tell you how nice it is to have other ladies (complete strangers at that) supporting you and encouraging you! As opposed to the cattiness we all can endure from we, as women, being jealous of one another.

It's just refreshing.
And it motivates me even more.
And it tells me, that when we stick together and encourage each other, we, as skinny bitches, can take over the world!!

Thank you, skinny bithces!

Goals! Goals! Everywhere!

I've decided to create one post with all my goals I'd like to reach. I've noticed there are different goals mentioned in lost of different posts, so for clarity of my mind, I'm jotting them all down here... in one location!

• In bed every night by 10 pm. - I haven't been doing excellent at this one! It has been anywhere between 10 and 11, so that's better than before

•  Morning Walk/Run, Light Calisthenics (jumping jacks, pushups, squats, etc) and Evening family walk - I have totally rocked the AM shtick! So far this week, I've gone every day except Saturday! The rain has put a  damper on our evening walks this past week. And I've done pretty good on the calisthenics...I've done them about 4 times this week.

•  170 pounds by Aug 24th **Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean concert!! - As my results haven't been what I want them to be, I'm not so sure I'll actually obtain this one. But I do know I'll be thinner than I am now when this time comes. Still working and striving for the 170, though!

•  Wear dress from Kohl's to wedding September 29th - I'll talk more about this one after the concert goal. Basically, we'll see what weight I am by the concert and then decide what to shoot for in September!

•  Will only weigh myself on Mondays and Thursdays - Haven't stepped foot on the scale since Thursday thus far!! :)

•  Complete a 5K in November - This is one I haven't mentioned in the blog yet, but my friend Tammie and I have discussed running one together! 

 Ahhhh.....I feel much better!! I love organization!

Insanity?!?!? More like effing NUTS!!

Yes. I, Kyra Tanner, went to an Insanity workout last night.
I was scared shitless.
Shaun T is an ass. I mean, if I dig anymore fricken deeper, I'll be in China! The only thing I wanted to push harder was him off of a cliff! (and those girls on the video who kept up with the workout the whole time...in their cute little fit and trim bodies!)

In all seriousness, it actually wasn't too bad. Don't get me wrong, it was bad...just not TOO bad.
Some moves I couldn't keep up with and had to take a little break or modify the move to something more tolerable for me. But I was definitely sweating and out of breath and feeling good at the end of the class.
I find it quite helpful to cuss at Shaun T throughout the whole workout too. So that was kind of fun!

My results haven't been entirely what I want, but I know that I am busting my tail.
And THAT makes me feel good!

Please enjoy my BALLS TO THE WALL moment of the week...

Me, just finishing up my morning run. Gorgeous, I know!

My son, after our morning run...SLACKER!!

Thick Thursday

No intro...just cutting right to the chase. I weighed in this morning at 187 and lost a total combined all over of 2 1/2 inches.

July 26, 2012 187 pounds

Arms: 14 1/2"
Chest: 39"
Waist: 42 1/2"
Hips: 42 1/2"
Thighs: 26"

What's that, you say? I don't seem happy with those results? Well, I'm not ecstatic! But I have to accept that a loss is a loss. It's gonna take my brain a long time to accept that. My mindset revolves around the number on that damn scale.

It's about how we feel. How our clothes fit. How we love ourselves when we look in the mirror.

I'm still going to weigh myself. (I mean come on, get real...the scale and I have a very hetero Brokeback Mountain relationship... "I wish I knew how to quit you"...) as much as we all hate it, we are driven by that number on the scale. And it is a good tool in giving you all and myself another "measurement" of where I'm at and where I was.

So, I've talked a lot about goals along this journey and one I'm making right now is to learn how to NOT be obsessed with the scale. At the beginning of this journey, I told myself I would only weigh on Monday and Thursday mornings. While I've stuck to this pretty well (I weighed last night out of shear panic that I wouldn't have good results to show today) it's do or die time now.

Seriously...I'm rigging up a bomb on the scale and if I step on that dreadful machine any other time outside of a Monday or Thursday morning, I will die.

DRASTIC!!!! : )

I must embrace the fact that while my weight is necessary for tracking my progress, that number does not define me.

Just yesterday, I FELT thinner. I felt my clothes just fit better and I didn't mind (but so much) the body I saw in the mirror. And then I step on the scale and it instantly changes that feeling.

Sing it with me...

Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride. Nobody's gonna slow me down. OH NO! I got to keep on movin'

Pinspiration

So, as any good young woman and mother that loves to craft, cook, give gifts and throw parties...I am addicted to Pinterest! And good thing, I might add, as that is how I started this blog. Mama Laughlin's blog (why yes, I am beating a dead horse) came my way one night while pinning! Pinterest also brought me this wonderful idea...

 Basically, you get 2 glass jars and "write" on one (whether you paint on the words or use stickers) "Pounds lost" and on the other, "Pounds to go". Figure out how much weight you want to lose and put that amount of glass stones, pebbles, whatever; in the Pounds to Go jar. With each pound you lose, transfer over a stone to the Pounds Lost jar and fill that baby up!

I'm a visual person. Just the differences in the mirror aren't enough...I want to see the progress anyway I can! And I think it's good to see how far you've come and how much more you need to go, so, I created my own! Check it!

I used shorter jars because I wanted to see that FULL "Pounds to Go" jar diminish! I also used bigger stones. I feel like each pound is a huge part of my weight. I wanted the satisfaction of transferring these large stones from one jar to another. You can't see in this picture, but there are 2 stones in my "Pounds Lost" jar. Hopefully I can add more to that jar tomorrow! :)

As Pinterest would say...HAPPY PINNING!!!!

September Shenanigans

We just got our invitation in the mail for my cousin's wedding on September 29th. While I'm still working towards my 170 goal for August 24th, another weight loss mark on my journey is this wedding. Now, don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm waiting for my results for my first "deadline" to then set the bar for September. I just do well with "mile markers". BUT...I don't think it's ever too soon to show you the dress I want to wear to the wedding!

My first choice has now become no choice at all as I just went to the page and saw the large, red message, "Sorry, this item is out of stock..." It was $92.00 anyway, so had it been available, I would have DEFINITELY had to have hit my goals as that would be a huge reward! This dress combines two of my favorite things...neon and lace! And I hope that every single person out there that bought this dress knows how incredibly jealous I am of them and that they better rock this dress HARD!

Why yes, I did just fall in love!

BUT...Have no fear...I came across this little diddy that is half the price and from Kohl's (so you know there's always going to be at least 15% off!) While it is not neon, it is still lace and basically the same shape. AND, I already have the most amazing pair of coral wedge shoes that would go perfect with this dress!

Lauren Conrad collection at Kohl's

Now, don't any of you wenches (and I use that term with all sincerity and endearment possible) go out and buy this dress so that when it comes time for me to actually purchase the dress it is sold out like my last love. And stay tuned for September to see if I actually wore the dress! :)

I love rewards!

10 Months!

Yes, I am now 10 months post-partum and still carrying around some extra love... But let's forget about that for today and allow me to dote on my super cute and handsome, tons of fun, insanely hysterical, love of my life 10-month-old son, Royce!! With each month that passes, it's so crazy to think about the fact that I have a child and he's growing so fast! I cannot believe I have a 10-month-old!! The 1 year mark is starting to settle in that it will be here before I know it! I can't remember what life was like without him and, quite frankly, I don't care to think about a life without him! He truly is the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to Michael and I. At this 10 month mark, Royce is crawling, pulling up on everything and has finally learned how to get down rather than standing at his current docking post and fussing so someone will come save him and sit him down! He opens his mouth (sometimes pushes his tongue out) and leans in when you say "kiss". He's had his 2 bottom teeth since about 8 months, but just this morning I felt his top left tooth through the gums! It's so neat to just sit back and watch them learn life! So, without further ado, please indulge in the cuteness that follows!!

Posing pretty, over it, and Peace, I'm outta here!

ESPN fan

Mr. Handsome

crawling!

There's an app for that!

I just wanted to highlight a helpful little tool I've been using along this journey...

For those of you who are iPhone or iPad users, there's an app called Calorie Count. (for those of you not on the i...bandwagon, the website is http://caloriecount.about.com/ ) As part of my weight loss regimen, I am monitoring my portion control and food intake. I'm shooting for 1200 calories a day. With Calorie Count, I simply go to the food log, search for the food I just ate and pick whether I had it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. I log it and it saves it to the appropriate day. I then go to the Activity log, search and choose the activity I did and for how long and log it. This tells me how many calories I burned! At the end of each day, once all my food and activities for that day is logged, I hit the "Complete Day" button and it saves everything and also grades how I did that day. - my average has been a "B"- It also tells me what level of what, protein, fat, vitamin C, etc. I had for that day. I can also enter my weight and it keeps track of my weight loss! It also gives me the ability to share my day with the other users, in hopes of building that support. There are many other features of this tool that I have yet to use. - that just requires me taking time to sit down and understand how those features work. But so far, I'm very pleased with the use I've gotten out of it thus far. It just helps me keep track of all I've done during the day...and though the week; As Calorie Count saves everything you've logged!

It really is a neat tool just to help along the way. And I have to give a shout out to Tammie Gloss for telling me about it! :)

**some Cons to this app is that it sometimes just kicks me off. So the next time I log in It gives me a message asking if I want to report the crash. I always do, and I recently just got an upgrade notice for the app, so maybe some of that is fixed in the upgrade. And also, when you search for a food, some of the foods have a bunch of different choices with different calories listed (you also have the ability to add a food yourself, so I think one too many people have done just that, creating a lot of entries for one food) But, I try to look at the nutrition facts on the product I have eaten and then choose the best one from the list in regards to the amount of calories. You can also change the size of the serving to tailor the calories to just how many you actually ate! Download the app or go to the website and play around with it yourself! You'll learn as you go, and if not, ask me and I'll try to help you best as possible!!**

Thick Thursday

Today's post is sponsored by the number 2.
Yes, folks, it is Thick Thursday, and I weighed in this morning at 188. Making that a 2 pound weight loss. I also lost 2 inches in my waist, 2 inches in my chest and 3/4 inches in my hips!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Weight:    188
Arms:     14 1/2"
Chest:      40"
Waist:      43"
Hips:        43"
Thighs:    26 1/2"

Ok, allow me to bitch and then celebrate!
I was honestly hoping for a 5 pound weight loss. In the past, the first 20 pounds dropped off like nothing. But I may just have to accept that my body is different now. I may need to do more "shocking" to it to get the ball really going. I also decided to add the measurements cos sometimes that nasty little scale won't budge on that number, but that doesn't mean you're not losing inches and toning. So can I get an "Amen!" for some inches lost?!?!
My mentality these past (almost) 10 months has been, "Ugh, I've been walking and eating right, and still only losing like a pound or two. This is not worth it!" So I would say screw the healthy eating and PIG OUT!! You know what that did?!?!? Made my weight go up. So I then gained the 1 or 2 pounds I'd lost and then some! And that vicious cycle is what got me right here! So, since I am so pumped and amped about losing this weight, that mentality is gone! So I only lost 2 pounds in a week's time, THAT'S 2 POUNDS LOST!!!!! I'm not gonna stop or give up or back down. If anything, this makes me want to push harder!

Here's what I've been doing this past week:
 Walking/Jogging every morning pushing my little man in the stroller
 Light Calisthenics prior to evening walk (jumping jacks, push ups, planks, ssquats...)
 Evening walk pushing the stroller (this is a little more casual and slower paces than my morning gig!)
 Smoothie for breakfast (recipe posted in a prior post)
 Eating about 1200 calories a day

My plan this week is to go BALLS TO THE WALL and push myself. Whether it's pushing myself to go a little further on the jogging interval in the morning, or pushing myself to extend my time doing calisthenics, or more pushups, or more squats, or pushing myself to amp up that evening family walk (the hubs has long legs, so let's try to make him strive to catch up to my short and quick power walk!) or pushing myself to NOT eat those 2 slices of delicious Zucchini Bread I baked last night!

You gotta work to get those results!

**I just feel it should be told that I haven't had my eyebrows waxed in a month and they are severely taking over my forehead and eyeball space! So, I'm pretty sure those themselves weigh about 2 pounds. I'll work on getting them waxed for next weeks weigh-in!**

Priority gives you Progress

Since creating this blog, I've had some people tell me, "I so badly want to lose weight, but ENTER EXCUSE HERE". For the past 10 months my excuse has been, "I have no time!" Taking care of my little guy, working from home part time, fixing Royce's food as well as mine, washing dishes, cleaning the house (which is probably the thing that's been neglected most! - ATTENTION cleaning fairies, my address is...), still maintaining relationships, and not to mention the 50 million other things that can come up in a day! Ok, so to those of you out there that aren't moms, it may not seem like these take up a whole lot of time. But I will have you know, that caring for a baby requires more time than I could have ever imagined! I think my guilt plays a big part into this excuse. Meaning, if I was doing anything else that took time away from my little precious, I felt like I wasn't being the best mother I could be. This is just my personal struggle.

I've finally gotten serious about this weight loss/being healthy thing. And I've realized that if I'm gonna do this, I have to make time for it. Truth be told, you make time for what's important to you. Losing weight and my family are important to me. I do my jumping jacks and push ups and other exercise moves in the living room where Royce is happily playing with his toys. He thinks it's hilarious all the moves that mommy does! (sometimes I think he's honestly thinking, "Look how short of breath she is! And that flabby belly bouncing up and down...now THIS is entertainment!") Michael, Royce and I went to a family member's pool on Saturday and I did water aerobics in the pool while playing with Royce! My morning walks, pushing Royce along in the stroller, now entail some jogging as well! By complete chance, someone at church gave me (FREE) their old jogging stroller! (it is super old and very bare minimum. I have my eye one some that I would eventually like to buy. I think I will make that a prize to myself when I reach a certain weight goal....hmmmm, I like that idea!) I had mentioned in a previous post that I would like to incorporate running back into my regimen but didn't know where to fit it in. Well hello?!?!...Get a jogging stroller and turn that morning walk into a run! So, that's what I'm doing! And I haven't "neglected" my son to do any of these workouts!

It's about getting serious and making the time. No more excuses. If you want it bad enough, Make it a priority! Saying, "I want to lose weight" does not shed those pounds. (SHOCKER!!) So you can either put in the work or be jealous of my results. :) The choice is yours!

Royce getting a kick out of watching mommy work out. Sorry it's blurry, but I didn't want to stop working out to take the pic! :)

 

 

At the pool on Saturday

my FREE Jogging Stroller

Monday Morning Motivator

Ugh! Life's a bitch! I take that back...cake is a bitch. Cake is the biggest bitch I know. Last night we went to a cookout at church. I knew there would be temptations, so I ate my lovely salad with grilled chicken before hand. Worked perfectly! Until they brought out the cake and ice cream. I fought the urge at first, but then gave in. Dammit! I got one scoop of ice cream and a tiny piece of cake (portions that small were an act of God in itself). And guess what?!?! Neither were really that good! But I finished them both nonetheless. As I said before, Bitch! Now, on a good note, I didn't splurge like I normally would, but I'm still beating myself up for it. I did so well for the past couple days. Eventually, that tiny piece of cake and one scoop of ice cream on occasion will be fine. It's called Balance. But right now, it's do or die time. I don't want to fool around this early in the game. Please, healthy eating....take me back! :)

 Ok, enough doting! Today is a new day! My Aunt Patty told me about these shakes she's been drinking and she's lost about 7 pounds in 2 weeks (doing 2 shakes a day and a healthy dinner with protein and a few healthy snacks as well as walking/running). So, I had one for breakfast this morning. Not too bad! For this week at least, I plan to do this shake every morning for breakfast. Healthy eating the rest of the day as well as exercising. Stay tuned for the results!
Here's the recipe:
 2 handfuls of baby spinach, 1 cup each of plain yogurt, crushed pineapple & water, 2 bananas.
 Blend well in mixer and drink!
     Variations:
         Add 1 Tbsp flax seed for extra fiber
         Use 1 cup of crushed ice instead of the water for a colder smoothie
         Use Greek yogurt instead of plain yogurt for some protein (These last to are what I did this morning             and recommend!)

I mentioned "Mama Laughlin"s blog in my first post. She wrote something in hopes of motivating and inspiring anyone wanting to lose weight. THIS is what lit a fire under my butt to get me going. I seriously cried reading it. I could relate and it got to me! I immediately printed it out and hung it on my fridge to read every day. It's also "bookmarked" on my iPad so I can quickly pull it up at any time! I want to share it with you all cos I think it's that good!
Check it! :  http://www.mamalaughlin.com/2012/03/this-is-what-i-know.html

So, get MOVING and get MOTIVATED on this MONDAY!!!!

Shake it for me

I mentioned in my "About me" section that I had some events along the way that I want to use as markers along my weight loss path. The first....Friday, August 24th Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean concert in Virginia Beach!! Oh hell yeah! Everyone that knows me knows that Luke Bryan is my baby daddy! I CAN'T let him seems like this! :) I'm going with a group of girls that are gorgeous and have fit and fabulous little bodies. Not to mention we'll be at the beach. Sounds like a recipe for disaster (for me) but LOTS of fun! So, I'm going! And I want to work my tail off between now and then to get down to 170 in time to go. So I'll stil be chunky, but not a complete fat ass! Now, I know what you're thinking...20 pounds in 42 days. Impossible?? I don't know!! But I'm going to strive for it! I know slow and steady wins the race...I'm not going to do anything drastic. I know a thin lifestyle takes time and dedication. But it doesn't hurt to push yourself. Plus, when you're heavy, the first 20 pounds are the easiest to lose. So, here's to hoping and here's to pushing!

Also, I got into bed at 10 last night, but scoured facebook for a little, so it wasn't till about 10:30 that I drifted off to sleep. BUT...I didn't hear my sweet little son till 6:30 this morning! That's 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep!!!!!! I can't tell you the last time I did that! Annnnnnd, my husband woke up right at the same time that Royce and I were getting ready to go for our morning walk so he joined us! Shaping up to be a great Saturday! :)

Oh, Luke Bryan!!! (now if that doesn't get you up and moving, dammit, I don't know what will!)

Game[plan] On!

Good morning! Royce and I just got back from our morning walk. This is a new development for us! Normally we do a family walk in the evening but that's much more leisurely. The new morning walk is purely to get the heart pumping....well, it is kind of a quiet time for me too. I think I'm gonna like these new a.m. walks! I mentioned in my first post that I didn't really have a gameplan. I want to start with the 2 walks a day as far as exercise goes. Eventually....and by that I mean hopefully sooner than later...I would like to add running back into my routine. I just need to figure out how that works while being home with my little man. I could go in the evening when Michael is home with him, but it's hot then. I could wake up earlier before everyone is awake, but I want my sleep...Hello?!?! Excuses!! And since I'm making excuses, it probably means I'm not ready to get back into the swing of running. So for now, I'll work at making my walks worth the effort! **GOAL ALERT** In my life time I totally want to do a 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon...I totally wanna be one of those people with the "13.1" and "26.2" stickers on the back of their car! :) In other workout news, my good friend, Tammie sent me some URL's with minimal workout routines with maximum results. I need to look into them some more and share them if I find anything worthwhile! When I watched "Biggest Loser" this past season, a "trainer tip" they shared was that if you do 3-5 sets of 30 jumping jacks, 30 lunges, and 30 pushups a day you will lose weight. So, I started doing that but pulled something in my knee (it was due to the lunges, and probably the fact I had extra weight on me that my feet and legs couldn't support!) so, I backed off on that. When my knee got better, I worked jumping jacks and pushups into my pre-evening walk. I also came across this little gem on pinterest in regards to losing that baby belly:
http://www.getfitandyummy.com/post-baby-workout-tips/
I really like the exercise moves she shows in the video posted on this page. I've done them and I feel there could be progress. My problem is that I don't do it regularly and stick to it. So, I am here to say, I am starting with this exercise gameplan...2 walks a day for 30 minutes each (morning and evening), moves on the "yummy mummy" blog (link given previously), and 2-3 reps of 30 jumping jacks and 15 pushups. Get on my ass and grill me about sticking to this!

Now, on to an eating gameplan...I went to a nutritionist occasionally before and that is how I lost all my weight prior to becoming pregnant. I got down to 137 by following the guidelines of what to eat and I went to the gym 5 days a week. I was super motivated...I'll admit it, I've become lazy ever since having a baby. I think it goes along with me feeling like I have to give him all my time and attention. Anyway, I don't understand why it's so hard to get back on track with the eating. I mean, I LOVE food (sweets are going to be the death of me!) And I can't stop at just one...when I eat something super bad, I can't stop...it's basically binging. This past week has been SUPER bad. I think I'm PMSing which means I'm super pissy, irritable, tired and eating everything in sight. (bithces!) I would like to incorporate what I've learned from the nutritionist - basically following the food pyramid - and just being conscious or what and how much I am putting in my mouth. The eating part, especially has to be a life change...this will probably be the hardest part. I'm totally in for any ways to make yummy foods "healthier"... I love this idea! So please share any you might have as well as any tips or struggles you have when it comes to the bitch that is food! So, that's my not-so organized gameplan currently. The fact that I dont have a clear vision of how I want to lose this weight scares me that I'm setting myself up for failure, but that's what I have you all for...to kick my ass when I don't stick to it!

And, oh yeah, I want to make an effort to be in bed by 10. Sleep is a vital part of this plan. I said, this past monday, that I would be in bed by 10 every night....so far I haven't made it to bed before 11. It all comes down to self discipline. I need to get my mind right. So let's do this!

Thick Thursday

Ok folks....you asked for it (well, actually, no, you didn't but I'm shoving it down your throat anyway!)...it is officially a Thursday in which I have decided to name "Thick Thursday" where I will post a most lovely picture of myself as well as divulging that nasty number that dirty lying whore of a scale tells me. Every Thursday I will post a picture of me along with my weight so we can see the progress. Eventually I would like the name to be "Thin Thursday" :) So, without any further ado....*cue drumroll*

Thursday, July 12, 2012 - Weight: 190

Shorts: from Wal-Mart sz16 (they're a bit big, but the 14's would be a little too snug)
Shirt: from Target sz:XXL (this was a shirt I bought and wore during pregnancy)

You know the movie, "Home Alone"?!? (what a dumb question! if you haven't seen it, you have no life...you need an intervention.) All i can think when I see this picture is "Buzz, your girlfriend...WOOF!" Not only does my body need to change, my mind-set does too! Let's get positive! :)

Weight: 190
Arms: 14 1/2"
Chest:  42"
Waist:  45"
Hips:  43 3/4"
Thighs: 26 1/2"

Nine months later...

If I had a burger every time I've heard or read the following statement when referring to losing the dreadful pregnancy weight..."it takes 9 months to put the weight on. it'll take 9 months to get it off"... actually, by the looks of me, I probably did eat a burger every time I heard this phrase! In the first few months after my little precious was born, I took comfort in this statement, thinking '"I've got some time. The weight will come off in [less than] 9 months" Well guess what?!?! My sweet little man is 9 1/2 months old and I'm still FAT!!! It is beyond time for me to get serious about losing this weight and becoming healthy again. I'm sick of the way I look in the mirror and miss taking vain pictures of myself! : ) I have a closet full of cute clothes that I can't fit into and I REFUSE to buy any more larger sizes. I'm not entirely sure of my gameplan at this point. I go for a walk with my family every evening and I'm going to add a walk into my morning routine. I've come across some exercises that seem to be easy to do all the while, keeping up with my little man. And I want to clean up my eating...which will be an act of God in itself! I came across a fantastic blog written by a woman who was in my exact same position and worked her ass off to drop the weight...and THAT got me motivated! She's very real and very honest in her posts. She shared pictures and her weight (Eeek!). She's gorgeous and has incredible style. She's a mother. She's witty and straight up, no bull shit (she called the scale in one post a "dirty, lying whore"!)...I could relate to this gal! She shared in her blog that she encouraged anyone who wanted to get serious about losing weight to blog about it themselves. She said that some days she didn't want to work out or eat right or just blow it, and it was the people that read her blog that motivated her, held her accountable and complimented her. I NEED THAT! Hence the reason you are here, reading this! So bring on the encouragement, the great ideas, your success stories! I'm here to be honest and real. Share my victories and my struggles. I'm here to effin' do the damn thing!

(YOU should read her blog too... www.mamalaughlin.com)

 Let me give you a little background. May of 2010 I was at my lowest weight of 137.

May 8, 2010 - my lovely sister and I in our brother's wedding. I was 137 and that dress was a size 5...God, I wanna fit in that dress again!

June 2010 was the month I got married, so with the planning and preparing and STRESS, I had packed on a few pounds! I was probably a good 145 pounds.

June 19, 2010 - JUST MARRIED! 145 pounds

We found out we were pregnant in January 2011. My first doctor appointment was February 18, 2011. I was 9 weeks along and weighed in at 172. Yeah, that's kind of a jump from the 145 just 7 months prior, but think Honeymoon, Thanksgiving, Christmas...it was easy to pack on a few pounds even prior to becoming pregnant.

12 weeks pregnant and about 172 pounds

September 2011, final weigh in at the doctor prior to giving birth was 202 pounds (Ugh!)

Ready to pop! September 2011. 202 pounds

Add giving birth plus breastfeeding plus no time to even think about eating, I got within about 4 pounds from my starting pregnancy weight...so October 2011 I was weighing in at about 176 pounds.

I couldn't figure out how to flip it...but this was Halloween - October 31, 2011. About 176 pounds

I was definitely thinking that the rest of the weight would come off, no problem. But, it seemed, from out of nowhere and all of a sudden, I was back up in the 190's where I've seem to be stuck in ever since.

My plan with this blog is to post a pic of myself every Thursday and include my weight. I don't want to become obsessed with the number, but I also understand that the number is helpful in seeing the progress. So, stay tuned till tomorrow at my first official weigh in!