the first day of the rest of my life...

Tonight I am starting this blog for two reasons. Reason 1: I think that it will make me feel that I have someone/something to answer to each day. Reason 2: I think that it will be good to document my feelings and weight loss as time moves on... and in time I will be able to look back at how far I have come.

All of my life I have struggled with my weight, but NEVER has it been this out of control. When I was in high school (only 6 short years ago) I thought I was HUGE. Oh how I dream of being that "huge" again. In high school I fluctuated between sizes 10, 12 and 14. Now I wear a tight 24. I think the hardest part about being the size I am is that I can remember well what it felt like to be "skinny". I am ready to have that back.

When I met my husband, 4 years ago, I weighed 160 pounds. By the time we were married, one year later, I weighed 190 pounds. When I conceived my first child 17 months after our wedding, I weighed 220 pounds... and when she was born (partially due to pre-eclampsia) I weighed over 280 pounds! Within a week of her birth I had dropped 40 pounds of fluid, but I gained back 20 of those pounds within the first few months of her life. And that leaves me at a jaw-dropping 260 pounds 9 months after her birth! That is 100 pounds that I have gained in 4 years. That has got to be some kind of record.

Needless to say, I need to make some changes... and today is the first day of the rest of my life! I am ready to look in the mirror and feel pretty again. I am ready to walk out of the house and feel confident about how I look and how I feel inside! It is hard to be a positive when you feel uncomfortable in your own skin... but I am ready for it! I want to be the best mother that I can be for my daughter and I want to be a good example of being a healthy person so that as she grows up she has the best opportunities that she can possibly have! I am doing this for ME but I am also doing this for my beautiful baby girl!