My weight Loss so far...a pictorial

Over the past 2 1/2 years I have seriously yo yo dieted. I went up and down. I was at my heaviest (ugh) and now I am at the lightest I have been in 15 years. I still have 20 pounds to go, but I am just so happy and proud of how far I have come.
As I was putting together this photo journey, I realized I don't have a lot of photos of myself.  I HATED having my picture taken. I knew I was fat and I thought if I didn't have the photo evidence, then it wasn't true.
So let us begin:

his was my heaviest: July 2011.  I was out in Spokane Washington visiting my friend.  She is so tall and svelte and gorgeous, and I am dumpy and fat with a huge fat face.  HATE this picture, which is a shame because we had such a great time together. I was a Size 22 pants and a 3x top. Fat and round.

Christmas 2011.  Co worker and I at our holiday party.  I had lost a little weight., maybe 10 pounds...then went and got the WORST haircut I have had in a very long time. That's the LAST time i agree to be a hair model.  So, That didn't help. At all.

August 2012.  Chk and I in Orlando for our nieces wedding. At the rehearsal dinner.

I thought I looked pretty good(The mirror can be deceiving) . I hadn't really gained a lot of weight back, and was kind of holding steady at a size 20 pants and 3x top.  Then I saw the pictures and was truly horrified.

Halloween 2012 at work with my two skinny co workers. Had lost a few pounds again, but still the fat one of the group, always.  Hadn't lost any size in clothing.

March 2013 with my boys. Hadn't gained or lost anything really. Still the same lump.

July 22, 2013.  We were in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.  At this point I had lost like 12 pounds. I 

had just started my diet a few weeks previous.  I was thrilled with the jump-start and wasn't going to let it go. I was going to keep it going.

Beginning of October 2013. i had lost about 28 pounds at this point. starting to look and feel a lot better. 

Mid October. About 32 pounds gone. Posing with Spock. 

I am starting to not mind my picture being taken. I find I don't have to selectively edit anymore, or be the one in the back so everyone can camouflage my bulk.

The week following this picture, I joined the weight loss clinic and started really taking control.  I went on their recommended diet, I started logging everything on myfitnesspal, and I really started making myself accountable for my weight and weight loss. No more excuses.

Me and my boys on Halloween 2013.  About 40-ish pounds gone.

 People had REALLY started to notice the difference.

FINAL Picture taken December 17th.  

55 pounds GONE FOREVER!!!

Like I said I still have about 20 more pounds to go (I think. We will see. I want to drop 2 more sizes, and I am almost the next size smaller.).

I have dropped lots of sizes, most of my clothing has been donated to Goodwill  and eve my bras, and shoes are too big now!

. 

best part??? My wedding ring fits again. And it fits perfect.  It hasnt fit since 1999, and then it was TIGHT. (Need soap and spit to get it off my finger tight)

I have been seriously motivated. I am so much happier, healthier and feel better about myself.

I have had so many sweet compliments and encouragements. I WANT to keep going. i WANT to be the best I can be, and I am getting there.

So thank you to all who have helped and encouraged me and have stuck by me and made me feel good about myself during this time. I know a huge part of my success is because of the love and support of friends and family and even strangers who drop a note of encouragement in the comments.

THANK YOU for helping me.

anatomy of a cannonball

This memorial weekend we were invited over to a friends pool. Here is a photo series of a cannonball into the pool, courtesy of Finn.

Photos taken on sports mode  with my canon power shot sx50Canon PowerShot SX50 12.1MP 50x Optical Zoom Black Digital Camera (Google Affiliate Ad)

Ashboro Zoo on First day of spring break a.k.a 7th circle of hell

So apparently we went to the North Carolina Zoo in  Ashboro on the busiest day of the year.  An average Saturday during the summer has about 6 to 7 thousand people visit.  There were over 13,000 there yesterday. The Lady was saying they had run out of parking yesterday.  People were parking along the roads, in the woods, on the grass and lawns. Thankfully we got there early enough to get a parking spot near the front and didnt have to hike like a lot of the poor souls who got there AFTER us.
Considering how BIG the zoo is, it really wasnt too terribly bad.
What I LOVE about the NC Zoo, is that it is an open plan. The animals get large fields to roam in, there are multiple vantage and viewing points and it is so spread out that even when there are more people here than you would perhaps like, it is actually really a nice day.
And on the plus side, I think I got Charles as excited about the new cameraCanon PowerShot SX50 12.1MP 50x Optical Zoom Black Digital Camera (Google Affiliate Ad) as I am.   We were able to take some INCREDIBLE shots, especially in the aviary. He kept borrowing the camera and wandering off, coming back with various shots of birds and the flora in the beautiful Aviary.

It was a beautiful 73 degree day, blue skies, slight breeze. Perfect.  The animals were all out, showing off.  The only bad part is there had been rain the day before, so the turn was wet in the giraffe habitat, so the giraffes were not out, due to the slippery terrain and their propensity to slip, fall and hurt themselves. Oh well, cant have everything.

We started our day with a visit to the cemetery to visit the grave of our sweet Jillian.  I feel AWFUL because I havent been there in FOREVER. Worst...mother...ever.  But it was a short, sweet visit.  i even made it through without crying.  After 15 years it is getting easier.

 We Then took a 3 mile detour to hit one of our favorite restaurants in Kernersville, Prissy Polly's.  We have been going there for 16 years.  The first time charles and I ate there was before we were married. He had come to NC to visit me for a few days before the wedding. We went out to eat with my parents and at that time P.P's was run out of a small house and you would go through the line like a cafeteria.  However they are still delicious. So every time we are up in the area, we hit P.P's. LOVE THEM. The Lexington Style BBQ is delicious.(Especially with the BBQ slaw).

We finally made it to the zoo...along with 13,000 other people. Thankfully we found a parking spot rather quickly (after illegally entering a "Lot full, do not enter" barricade, looking for a handicap parking spot.  A quick jaunt into the gates and 50 dollars later and we were inside.

We spent almost 5 hours roaming the zoo. The kids were troopers (Although I heard "Im Thirsty" 482 times.).

 FIRST STOP: NORTH AMERICA:  Marshlands, Rocky Coast etc.  Alligators, Crocodiles, Turtles, puffins, otters, harbor seals and more.  All the reptiles and amphibians were out on the rocks sunning themselves. It really was a perfect day for it. Never smile at a crocodile...

This turtle couldnt get enough sun. He was trying to stretch every limb to the extreme to get the most out of the warm rays!

NEXT STOP: THE AVIARY.  This was my favorite.  It is a HUGE glass biodome building full of tropical plants, birds and more.  It smelled like jasmine, and the birds were amazing.

NEXT STOP DINOSAUR EXHIBIT:  The zoo had a special Dinosaur exhibit. It was animatronic dinosaurs that you could walk through.  It was an extra 4$ per person,  It was cool, but really for kids about 10 and under to be honest. a little young for my kids.  They enjoyed it, but it wasnt as awesome as they thought it was going to be.

 NEXT STOP: PRIMATES.  Lemurs, Gorillas, Chimps and more.  LOVE these guys.

I like to move it move it:

Now my favorites...the chimps were eating popsicles. It was hilarious. They are like little people. The gorillas were just hanging out.  There were 2 new gorillas born in august, about 7 months old. Bomassa and Apollo.

NEXT STOP: LIONS.  These fat cats were the laziest things Ive seen. and I know lazy cats, I have two at my house.  They would have given Rusty and Skittles a run for their money.

NEXT STOP ELEPHANTS, RHINOS AND ZEBRAS:

And other random pictures from the day...and yes that IS a dung Beetle sculpture.

And finally, after a LONG LONG LONG day, Foof just couldnt handle it.

Looks like he had the right idea.

Love my boys.