I'm Baaaaack!

Okay... okay... I KNOW I have not blogged since September 2010... I'm really going to try to do better.  I needed something to get my motivation back up, and I found it.

Before I tell you what has spurred my motivation, maybe I should recap my journey... I can't believe I'm about to do this... but I'm showing a picture of myself when I was as big as I ever remember being... In my defense, this picture was taken ten years ago in 2001 & I was on HEAVY doses of the dreaded steroid, Prednisone.  That mess blew me UP!  That's all I'm saying...

Summer 2001... looking like Winne the Pooh :-(

It was a really bad time for me... REALLY BAD.  I was not a happy camper.  I wasn't working. I was about to have major surgery to have my colon removed, and I was all around miserable.

But God is good.  I had two very successful surgeries, and eventually got off of all my colitis medication.  So years passed... my weight went up and down and around.  I had convinced myself that I was okay with how I looked... but it was absolutely not true!  The next picture of me was taken in December 2006... five years post surgery... no medicine to blame for being this size.  This was just good ol' fashioned "more calories in than out":

Christmas 2006

I think I gained a little more weight after the holidays... But some time in March of 2007, I walked past a mirror in my house and stopped.  I looked at myself & said, "Oh hell no. This is not cool!  AT ALL!" At that moment, I decided to join Weight Watchers.  I knew it worked, and I needed something to get me started... so I joined.  I still have my booklet from when I first started.  April 21, 2007:  Starting weight? 179.8.  Yep. You read that right.  Picture proof below:

Um... 180??? Say whaaat?

There is no reason a 5'2" woman should weight 180lbs... it's just not healthy!  But I was ready, and the weight started falling off...  In late 2007, I was introduced to Claudine Cooper, who I mentioned in a previous post.  She's my trainer, my friend, my sister and one of the best things that every happened to me.  I've probably said this before, but God brought her into my life exactly when I was ready for her.  I had figured out the eating part with the help of Weight Watchers, but I still wasn't good on the fitness.  Claudine changed all that... PLUS she came with two beautiful daughters (and now a son!) who I love to death, a husband who doesn't mind that I'm ALWAYS over their house working out, and a next door neighbor, Nichol, who has become a wonderful workout partner & friend.

Claudine, Nichol & JoLai; October 2010

Auntie JoLai at  "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" with 3 of my favorite little ones, TJ (Nichol's son), Mackenzie (Stacy's daughter), and Faye (Claudine's daughter)

Oh, back to the story... I can't remember why I stopped going to Weight Watchers... I wasn't at my goal weight yet, but I had lost nearly 40 pounds.

Last WW weigh in was 140.6 lbs... 39.2 lbs lost!

That was October of 2008.  Since then, I've gained weight and lost weight... kinda floating between 145 and 155.  That's not so great when I was down to 140.6, but I was pleased with how I looked & I knew there was some muscle gain going on.  I am not perfect on my eating habits, but I can pretty much keep it under control... otherwise I'd be back up to 180 again... and then some....

June 2009... maintaining

August 2010... still maintaining...

February 2011... looking good!

February 2011... still looking good (later that same day! LOL!)

Sidebar:  I have GOT to get a new pose!!!  LOL!  The problem is that I have to pose from that side because of my lazy left eye... and I always put my hand on my hip, because it makes my upper arm look smaller. LOL!  Oh well....

So back to what spurred me to blog again... I decided to go back to Weight Watchers to get off these last 20 or so pounds.  My weigh-in this morning was 151.8.  I knew where I was, so I wasn't shocked or anything. I don't know exactly how much I need to lose, but I do know I need to lose some more -- simply because I'm still 5'2" (not gonna grow any more!) and I shouldn't be 150 lbs. I carry that 150 well, but I'd love to get off my HBP medicine one day. Maybe this last 20 pounds will do the trick. 

I'll keep you posted on my WW journey.  This will be fun.  I'm excited about the new Points Plus plan... and, hell, Jennifer Hudson looks like a million bucks!  I'm gonna try to take a before picture that doesn't involve me wearing Spanx... I'll post it when I take it. :-)

Here I go again... I'm BACK!!!

Toodles!