Weight Loss Journey: Week 12 Update

It has been 12 weeks since I started eating right and exercising.

I have lost a total of 18 pounds!

I am now only 5 pounds away from my goal and pre-pregnancy weight!

Note: this is not a great picture of me...I was just getting ready to leave for the gym. Sorry!

It's much better than this one though...

This was my January picture...16 pounds ago!

I have made A LOT of progress in 3 months and I'm very proud of my accomplishments!

1) I ran a 5K without stopping!
This is my biggest accomplishment yet! I am working on a blog dedicated to that event now. :)  I'm hoping it will inspire you to do something you thought you would never do. Watch for it soon...

2) I have learned how to cook in a whole new way and my meals are actually turning out pretty good lately! I have adapted a whole new lifestyle when it comes to what food we eat around here and my family is eating it and not complaining!

3) I have stuck with eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis for 3 months straight and have successfully lost 18 pounds!

4) I am now able to wear all of my pre-pregnancy clothes again!
I even went shopping in my "clothes for the yard sale"  boxes that I thought I would never be able to wear again. It's a shame most of the clothes had been sold, but I still got some "new" clothes out of it! I must admit, it felt GOOD to be able to fit in them again!

5) I have made steps towards making myself and my family healthier...as far as preventing cancer and diseases. My diabetes has been more under control and I feel I am doing something positive to protect us against cancer. Losing my Dad at the age of 55 was a wake up call that I'm not taking lightly. Cancer is a serious thing!

6) This one just happened tonight...I TAUGHT MY FIRST KICKBOXING CLASS!!!!
My instructor had the flu over the weekend and is still recovering and now both of her kids have it. :( She asked me to step in since I'm always there. I thought I would only have 1 other "regular" there (shout out to Rachel) but I ended up having 10 girls in class! The kicker was that 5 of them were there for the first time! Ha! Yep, that's my luck! I did my best and we at least got a good workout in. Hopefully they will come back when the real teacher is back. I'll give it another shot tomorrow night too...

Confession:

It is true that the closer you get to your goal weight the HARDER it is to lose! It's also easier to go back to your old habits. I am determined to stick with it though. I started out losing about 2 pounds a week and now it's down to around 1 pound a week. It seems like it takes forever, but when I step back and look at where I came from and where I'm at now, it makes me so glad that I have kept up the good work!

If you're struggling with your weight, just take one pound at a time...it will eventually all add up!
There's my progress report!

How are you doing on your weight loss journey?