P90X (and more)

SO...I am doing P90X.  I started April 1st and I plan to be very consistent with the program for the full 90 days.  I am borrowing it from a friend as well as resistance bands and heavy weights.  It's an at-home DVD system with workouts 6 days a week for at least an hour a day. It's a big time commitment but I am ready to kick up my fitness level.  Here's a little background information to help everyone understand my dedication.  It's also very good for me to remember how far I've come so I don't get upset about how long it's taking me to get to my final goal.  This is not to brag on myself, but I really hope to encourage others who want to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way. It's very cathartic in a way!

So far in total I have lost 125 pounds from my heaviest weight.  I was probably pretty close to that weight here, with my BFF Theresa. 

Here again in 2007 when I worked at the credit union.

I honestly don't ever remember looking and feeling like this.  This makes me cry a little, actually.  I was so happy but so unhealthy at nearly (gasp!) 300 pounds.

 I lost a little over 100 pounds before getting pregnant.  I did it through a combination of tracking calories and exercising.  I remember that I started a healthier lifestyle on September 24th, 2007.  I recorded my weight loss weekly and took monthly measurements.  I like to look back on those entries to remember how hard I've been working for so long.

February 2008 - I had already lost about 35 pounds by this point

June 2008 - 60 pounds lost

November 2008 - after running my first 5K

January of 2009 - about 95 pounds lost

March 2009 - I hit my 100 pound loss mark the day we left for Portland!

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Summer 2009 - pregnant!  Part of my motivation to lose weight was to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.  I gained more weight than I wanted to, but the end goal was still met!

40 weeks pregnant

1 week postpartum with my sweetie!

November 2010- I ran a 5K pushing the jogging stroller.  I was trying to get back into shape but just couldn't get the motivation up like I had before.

March 2011 - Violet's 1st birthday party

July 2011

I had lost 40 pounds between May and September when we left for Cancun.  I originally set my goal to get back to where I was before I got pregnant with Violet.  Once I was there, I decided to really work hard to get to a healthy weight according to the BMI scale.  I made a chart and put it right above the scale.  My goal is to lose 5 pounds a month until I hit my final goal of 149 - exactly half of what I used to be!  I would like to be there before September 4th - our 7th anniversary.  I am a few pounds ahead of schedule but I know it just gets harder as you have less weight to lose so I'm happy to have a little wiggle room. 

I kept working hard and lost about 10 more pounds by New Year's Eve.

January 2012 - officially lower than I had been in my 20's

Let's get real with the numbers here - 188

175 - early March   The lower I get the more drastic a 10 pound change looks

 So that bring me to now.  It's definitely getting harder to lose weight consistently.  I have a little over 20 pounds to lose before September and I would LOVE to meet my final goal sooner.  I'd heard of P90X before and I started asking around about it a few months ago.  When a friend said I could borrow it I set a start date of April 1st.  I have already been running, lifting weights, and doing several workout classes at Club Fitness a week.  I figured that the P90X program of workouts 6 days a week would be the intensity level that would get me to my goal as quickly as possible.  It's a HUGE time commitment, but I really think it will be worth it.  They recommend taking pictures before, at 30 days, 60 days, and after the full 90 days.  I will take them and post them so I can be accountable to all of you!  

Before - 173

Muscle pose!

From the back

Back (lopsided) muscles

My least favorite - the side pose

Bodybuilder twisting pose

Ok friends, that's the end!  If you think about it, would you send me some words of encouragement about doing this program?  It's HARD work but I cannot wait to see the changes that happen over the next 90 days.  I just have to stay motivated and NOT eat everything in sight because all of the muscle work makes me super hungry.  I even ordered some protein powder for the first time ever to help keep my energy up! Thanks to everyone for always loving me no matter what size I am, it means so much to me.