My Weight Loss Journey

For quite some time, Gerrad and I have been discussing trying to lose some weight, and try to improve our overall health for ourselves and the girls. We wanted to set a positive example for our daughters, and also feel better about ourselves in the meantime. Sometime in June some friends of ours at church started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge. They had such great response, of course it sparked our interest. Gerrad took Advocare during college when he played football, so he was plenty knowledgeable about the product when it came to muscle gains, but he wasn't aware of all the trim/active lines that Advocare offered. We started researching it, and decided to give it a go. On July 1st we started our journey to a new 'us' and haven't looked back since.

Over the winter I had put on some weight, like most of us tend to do over the holiday's and when it gets cold outside. You wear baggier clothes, and just really don't notice a few pounds here and there. I hadn't stepped on the scale in quite some time, and decided in February enough was enough, so I hopped on the scale and saw a number I've NEVER seen before (except when I was pregnant): 165 lbs. I'm going to be completely transparent here for everyone. I know I'm not the only female alive who has struggled with weight. I've always maintained my weight/size going between an 8 or a 10 for the past 10 years or so. Over the winter I had gotten to a 12 and decided that was enough. In March I started cutting my portions, and occasionally walked around the neighborhood, but nothing too serious. I got off about 15 lbs or so doing that. When we started Advocare July 1st I was weighing in around 149-150 lbs. My weight as of today is 137.8 lbs. I lost almost 30 lbs over the past few months, and couldn't be more proud of myself!

Overall I just FEEL so much better, and it doesn't hurt that I feel like I look so much better as well. I'm currently wearing around a size 6, some 8's depending on the store. I've NEVER in my life seen a 6, even in high school I wore about an 8 and was fairly average size. My goal is to not lose anymore weight, because I feel like I look healthy right where I'm at, but just to continue to tone up- which is hard, I'm not gonna lie! Toning this mommy tummy has been nothing short of a constant daily struggle.

This is me around Christmas, I really notice a difference in my face when I look at old photos...

This is Easter...

This is from just a few weeks ago...

Here are my before and after photos from day 1 of the challenge to day 24...

I've been taking a product called Catalyst that helps build lean muscle, and I've been working my arms like a mad woman, trying to get rid of the jiggle. Gerrad's friend and I were goofing off a few weekends ago comparing muscles, and let me just tell you how excited I was that mine were more defined than his...

For those that want to know what I've been doing besides the challenge, I've been trying to get into running, but it's definitely a slow start. I go to the gym with one of my girlfriends 3 mornings a week, and try to do some things at home also. I know how important cross training is when you're running, so we do a ton of ab, arm and leg workouts. There are SO many great resources on Pinterest... here is the link to my fitness board that has a few of the workouts I've been doing. We've also converted to a clean eating lifestyle. No fried foods, no dairy, no sugar, we're trying to avoid white flour if possible, and I haven't had a coffee OR soda since July 1st. That's a miracle for anyone who knows my former love of Diet Dr Pepper. It's embarrassing how much soda I used to drink, GROSS!

I'm definitely not trying to shamelessly self promote here, but I know quite a few of you are trying to work off a few extra pounds, and I'd love to hear from you, and help motivate you if needed also! There are so many of you that inspire me all the time to stay on this fitness goal!