Twelve weeks!!

 I have gone back and forth trying to decide whether or not to write this post, but as usual when it comes to personal struggles, I figured "Why not? If someone else out there is having the same problems, maybe reading about mine will help."

So here goes...

I have always had a struggle with weight, which I have mentioned before here and here.
Well, it started out no different after pregnancy. At first I was thrilled! The first few weeks after having Jacob I lost 35lbs, all but 10lbs of my pregnancy weight. But I had just undergone surgery, I had a brand new baby and all the struggles that came with it. I wasn't able to exercise at first because I needed time to heal, and I was exhausted all the time. I still wanted to lose weight though. I didn't quite fit in my maternity clothes, and I definitely didn't fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes. I was constantly self-conscious, hated going out in public, and never had any energy. I think that was the worst. I wanted to go for a walk, or do a quick workout, but the idea of getting up the energy to do so tired me out. I tried though, as tired as I was, as little as I felt I was capable of getting done, I still tried. I went out and bought a couple DVDs. I did Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (and couldn't even stand up without hurting the first two days...literally. It hurt to pick up my baby.) and stuck it out for a week, but I only saw weight gain. I wasn't any smaller, didn't feel any better. I tried some pilates, tried to start changing and tracking the way I was eating...nothing. I was still gaining weight back.

It felt familiar. Right after getting married I started putting on weight, regardless of how I ate or exercised. I was exercising 40 minutes or more at least 3 days a week, and consistently staying under 2,000 calories. But gradually putting on pounds.

Well, I stopped worrying about it too much when I got pregnant. In fact, the first few months of my pregnancy was the first time I lost weight in about a year.

But now that I was back to how I started, I was about to give up. If eating healthier and exercising more wasn't going to keep me from gaining weight, why should I bother with it? So I ate what I wanted, when I wanted, and didn't exercise if I didn't feel like it...and I was miserable. I felt like I was doomed to feel sluggish and heavy and uncomfortable with my own body for the rest of my life.

Then one day a friend of mine handed me a book and said "I was reading this and it made me think of you. You might want to check it out."  The book was called The Metabolism Miracle, and when I got home and read it. I was shocked! I told Alex it was like they had been spying on me.
The first part of  the book explains a "Type B metabolism" and how someone with this metabolism processes carbs and sugars differently from a normal metabolism. In the book the author said that a normal "calories eaten < calories burned = weight loss" equation would never work for a type B.
Everything I read in these first few chapters made so much sense I decided to try out the diet/lifestyle change described in the book. (To read more on this visit the Metabolism Miracle website)

I stared the very next day. It has definitely tested my willpower at times, but I've stuck it out and yesterday was week 12 from when I started. I decided I would share my progress with the world!
(I just wanted to add that it was VERY difficult for me not to suck in my tummy in the before pictures...)

April 19, 2012. 200lbs

July 12, 2012. 168lbs

I have lost 32lbs and a total of 29 and 1/4 inches (measuring everything from my neck to my ankles: chest, upper arms, thighs, calves, etc.) I am fitting back into almost all of my pre-pregnancy clothes, I weigh less than when I got married, and another 5-8lbs and I will weigh less than when Alex and I met!! (which was my lowest weight since early teen years) I feel so much better physically! This was never just a struggle with the weight. I started each day dreading having to try to accomplish anything, and worrying if I would be able to keep up with Jacob as he grew and got more active. Now I look forward to our (almost) daily walks, I feel energetic and am able to accomplish so much more!

What has been your biggest weight struggle? What has helped you the most?