Visual Progress

I am not one to take a lot of pictures of myself; I am usually the one behind the camera! I am also pretty self-critical, and so despite being down almost 30 pounds, (yes, I said it. I have three more pounds to lose before I am down 30 for this year!) I don't always feel like I look down almost 30 pounds. It is a sad thing really. 

So, I decided to put this post together. One where I share lots of pictures of myself instead of others, and one where I admit what the numbers say ... honesty and bravery go a long way in feeling better!

I decided to take this post back about 4 1/2 years: This first picture is from February 2008. 2008 is when I hit my then heaviest weight. I decided enough was enough; I had just started a thyroid medication, and decided I would also start walking/running, stop drinking pop, and make a conscious effort to eat healthy. At this time I was weighing in at 179 pounds. 

I lost 15 pounds extremely fast. I am not sure how much of it was related to thyroid versus diet and exercise. Regardless by Summer 2008 I was down to 165 pounds. 

Another picture from a wedding we were at in August 2008.

Fast forward a few years. I did not lose much more after those 15 pounds came off. I was able to maintain around 165/170 for about a year before the weight started piling back on. When I got pregnant in September 2009, I was back up to 184 pounds. After I had Ava in May 2010, I quickly fell back to about 180, but was not able to lose any more. Granted I was not exercising as much as I should have been, but I do feel like my diet was acceptable. Here are two pictures from August 2010. I don't look great, but I don't hate how I look either. 

So, I don't love the next picture - but I was just three months post-postpartum. My stomach will forever be my worst enemy, I swear. 

In late spring 2011, we moved for my new job. After we moved that summer I spent a lot of time walking. Not a lot of running, but I walked like crazy. There were weeks I walked 20 miles because I loved walking around the lake in Albert Lea that much. I was off my thyroid medication from August until October, and I believe that played at least a part in ballooning me to my heaviest yet. Here is a family picture from November 2011. I think my face is what changes the quickest when I gain and lose weight. By late December 2011, I was up to 193 pounds. UGH. 

Here is a picture from Easter 2012 (early April). By this point, I had already dropped between 10 and 15 pounds. 

And these last three pictures are from this past weekend at my sister's wedding. I am just under 167 pounds these days. The lowest I have been since 2008. Even in this dress, clearly you can see I still have some work to do in the mid-section! When I go back to the pictures from 2008, I think my face is skinnier now, but I like how my overall body looks in the red-shirted picture above. Either way, whatever the reasons for putting weight on, I have visual proof I've put the work in to do something about it.