Weight Loss . . . Ugh!

I've always been a pretty hefty looking girl - I come from large ancestors from Scandinavia and Scotland, Germany, etc. I was born at 8 pounds and 4 ounces - my Dad being a big boy and my mom fairly normal sized. This has always given me problems and a huge complex about life since I was always teased by siblings and extended family members, and then by kids at school. It didn't help that I was given naturally curly (frizzy) hair and that I ended up with glasses and braces during my most important social years.

By the time I turned 21 I was so frustrated with life that I knew I had to do something about it so I did what no one else in my family had done except my older sister who ended up going a little anorexic in her quest, and that was to exercise and diet my way to where I felt better about my self. I tried the Atkins Diet and I lost 20 pounds, then I made up my own step aerobic routine and did it for 20 minutes until I could easily handle it. Then I upped it to a half an hour. When that wasn't challenging me, I upped my intensity of my workout. Then I added an additional half hour riding a bicycle and then lifting weights. I dropped another 20 pounds. People were shocked that in 6 months time, I'd lost 40 pounds. But I still looked huge.

I started working at Weber State University in 2003. Some of the benefits of working at the school was the tuition that was covered, discounts on my books, and access for free to the amazing gym they have on campus. I started going to the gym either after class or between work and class, or at the end of the day. I dropped another 18 pounds. In 2008, when I met Erick, I was the smallest I had ever been in my life. I was active, eating healthy, and able to lift a fair amount of weight. However, looking at me, I still looked large.

I felt so much better knowing I had lost a lot of weight, but I was frustrated that when I went out on blind dates, guys would treat me terrible, because I wasn't thin like other girls and I soon gave up hope of ever getting married. Then I met Erick and we fell in love and got married and had a baby a year and a half later. This joyful event was awesome, but I gained 40 pounds during the pregnancy and I looked terrible again.

So long story short . . . here I am with Ryker at 3 years of age and I'm still overweight. I decided 2 weeks ago to start getting up at 5:30 a.m. and exercising for an hour and watching what I eat better. I am down 4 pounds, but no one can see the difference yet including me, which means I have a long road ahead of me because I have to stay interested and motivated. I'm going to keep track of myself  on my blog to help feel somewhat accountable, even though I'm not sure that anyone ever reads these posts, at least I know that I can go back and see my journey on my blog. My main goal is to get back what I had before I got pregnant with Ryker because I want more children and I don't think my body will let me if I don't, and because I want to look good and feel good, and because I know it is the right thing to do. So here's to weight loss!