Fare-freakin'-well, weight!

Yes, yes...this is the first post in over a month...more to come on that another day when I can actually post about that. For now, let's just get this out there:

I've finally lost all my baby weight! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I know, I know. Most people loose it within 6 months (or 3 for you lucky b's! - love ya!) of having little ones and my "little one" is about to turn 2. Let me say first that I flat out didn't really try for the whole first year I had Bridget. As my good friend, Mandy, just posted on her blog: I was happy! I was accomplished! I loved my life! Apparently, I was also convincing myself that the girl in the mirror wasn't a hot, fat mess. Oh, the woes of having a good self-esteem. Thanks, Mom and Dad :).

October 2009: Look at me next to preciously 8 months pregnant Lydia. Agh! My belly is bigger than her's! Ugh. It was a month after having Bridget and believe it or not, a good 20 lbs had already evaporated. It goes without saying that I have a new plan when baby #2 decides to come into existence :). I went into baby #1 with the allowance that I would let this pregnancy be a little more "fun". Poor choice? Perhaps. Would I do it differently if I could go back? Who knows.

Thankfully, my real weight loss journey started nearly exactly one year from today. My mom and I went to a Weight Watchers meeting (her passive way to telling me I need to loose weight - love ya, Mom, but that's what you do!) and I LOVED the meeting leader. Talk about motivating! Pretty sure I wrote a very enthusiastic post about loosing weight and being healthy a few weeks after that first meeting, in fact. All was well and I was loosing...

Then that girl up and quit working at WW! Thanks a lot, Carla! Honestly, I was wishing her well on her new journey with a new job but man did that slow me down. I stopped going to WW (I've been a member 3 times and its never been my best way to loose...it works for many, but its just not for me) and stalled for a number of months. Not much gaining, but not any loosing.

My mom helped me with a gym membership that also included day care (again, passive Mom telling me to loose weight) near the start of this year and Voila! Weight flies off, right? Eh. At least I was enjoying my exercise time and showing B that mom cares about her body and heath (remember that post, too? I don't have time to find it...). Some started to come off and once I knew I had to buy a JCrew bridesmaids' dress that only went up so high in sizes I was motivated.

Though it wasn't until late Spring when my good pal and partner in crime started working really hard on her weight loss, too, that we really started seeing results. When you're as big as I was, 10 pounds isn't anything to write home about.

Summer started and my trips to the gym waned (who wants to go to the gym when your husband is home all summer and your friends want to play everyday?! Combine that with 3 full days of work and vacations and you've got a long sabatical from 24 Hour Fitness...oh, and they cancelled my favorite class...bastards!). But my eating was good and my activity level was up with a stir-crazy toddler running about. So...I'm proud to say.....

I've lost 35 lbs this year! That means all the baby weight is officially off, I've got a whole closet full of "new clothes" that I haven't worn in over 2 years, and I've got a nice summer tan 'cause I'm not afraid to go to the pool! Wahoo!

August 2011: Not the best current pic I have, but since my computer SUCKS right now (again, a whole different post, but just fyi) I'm using this instead. Maybe I'll get time to upload something better. Recent times tell me not to hold my breath :). You get the idea, though!

Sure. I'm already working on my next weight goal (15 more pounds...come on!), but this really was a big moment. All of you who've done the same know how it feels. Whether you've got 60 baby pounds (no comment on whether that was me or not) or 15. Whether you're working to loose 30 to notice a difference or 5. We've all got our struggles and we all know how it feels to come out on top of the weight/body image battle. Congrats to everyone else who lost their weight and much encouragement to anyone else who's struggling out there. Man, does it feel good!

Now on to those next 15 lbs...dammit...

(and have I mentioned that B's birthday is in T-23 days?! A 2 year old!)