My weight loss story

This isn't something I have talked much about on here but I would like to now. I started blogging March of last year so about 10 months ago. That means that you folks didn't know me around Christmas time last year. Around December of last year, I weigh over 20 pounds more then I do now. You can see evidence below.

I am so happy with the progress I have made over the last year and I am still losing and trying to get down to my goal weight. I have 7 pounds to go until then. I also thought it might be helpful to talk about how I got 20 pounds overweight.

In high school I was always an athlete. I played three sports throughout the school year and I played basketball in the summer. Well after I graduated high school and I wasn't continuously playing competitive sports I gained about 8 pounds. I was still completely happy with myself and content with where I was at. Then I went off to college in September and I gained about another 12 pounds over the corse of 4 months. Then I started to realize that I wasn't liking the way I looked or the way I felt. So around January of last year I started to work on myself. I starting going to the gym everyday and logging my food with the WebMD food and fitness planner. (So helpful, and free!) And I started to see results. Yeah, it has taken me about a year to lose 20 pounds but I am so happy with where I am at now. And I feel 100% confident in my body. Like I said I am still trying to get down to my goal.  But if I don't I am happy with where I am at now.

When I first started my blog I would actually post about my weight loss journey see here and here. But then I found other interest that I wanted to focus my blog on. 

I am sure I could have lost 20 pounds faster then a year but over the last summer I wasn't to strict with myself and I still eat the foods I want. I just make sure to work out more. Since it is a new year, I feel motivated to get back on track and finish off my goal. My family is all trying to lose some weight, so we all weighed and my mom wrote down everyones weight in a notepad and each week we will weigh in and write it down again. We aren't competing, it is more just to keep each other accountable.

Here are my tips for losing weight:
1. Make it a lifestyle change. I know this is the number one thing everyone reads about/hears about when starting to try to lose weight but it is true!! You can't do a crash diet and then sit at home for a week eating potato chips and except the weight to stay off. Yeah it took me a year but I am so happy! 
2. Eat what you like. Really. I don't ever eat anything I don't like just because it is lower in calories or something. I just find a substitute I do like. I was talking with my brother the other day and he was shocked to find out that sometimes a Caesar salad can be worse for you then a hamburger! And I know I would much rather eat a hamburger. 
3. Be active. I was always active when I was younger and throughout high school. So when I got to college and I wasn't as active I started to gain weight. Now I work out about 5 times a week. I also try to mix up my work outs too. I hate getting bored. 
4. Log your food/exercise. Like I said above. I log my food and exercise with WebMD food and fitness planner. It is free and really easy to us. I realized logging your food works when I watched my mom lose weight doing Weight Watchers while I was in high school. 

Anyways, I hope you don't mind that I shared this part of my life with you today. If you have any questions let me know. I might also post a few more times about my journey! 
love, Carlee