Before and After pics

[sparks19]

Well not really a complete after shot yet I still have lots to lose but here is a photo taken today and one from back in december.

I have officially lost 40 lbs so far. I started at 249 and I'm not at 209. So the first picture is from december (I was less than 249 at that point already)

Before
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b357/sparks1919/2nd%20set%20of%20pics/3rd%20set%20of%20pics/4th%20set%20of%20pics/5th%20set%20of%20pics/6th%20set%20of%20pics/DSC_0188-1.jpg

After
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b357/sparks1919/2nd%20set%20of%20pics/3rd%20set%20of%20pics/4th%20set%20of%20pics/7th%20set%20of%20pics/DSC00624.jpg

I still want to lose another 60 lbs but this is a start. Also check out Brian and his weight loss as well :)

[pomtzu]

Lookin' good girl - and Brian too. Keep up the good work! :)

[robinh]

You both look great. Congratulations!

[Taz_Zoee]

That is awesome!! You guys are doing wonderful! Keep it up and you'll hit your goal before you know it! :D :D (Wish I could get inspired to do that)

[Grace]

Fantastic!! I can really see it in your face - you look 10 years younger :love:

[Scooter's Mom]

You look terrific!

[Alysser]

Wow, you both look excellent! Congratulations to both of you on the weight loss. Just wait till your next trip to Disney, you'll both look so different :)

[sparks19]

Thank you everyone. I can't believe the difference myself. Seeing it side by side like this has really made it apparent to me. Sometimes it's hard to notice it when you are the one losing it and you look at yourself everyday lol.

Oh yes I can't WAIT until our next trip to disney. Only 143 more days LOL. I'm on track for approx 10 lbs a month and if that keeps up then I'm REALLY going to notice a difference when it's florida time... physically I mean. I already notice what a difference it's made in my energy levels and how much activity I can do now compared to before :D

My next small steps goal is ONE-derland. only 10 more pounds and I will no longer be in the 200's :D

[K9karen]

Wow! You look AWESOME! I'm so happy you've kept your new hair style and color! it really becomes you! "Ahem"...Brian is really handsome. OK, I said it :o

[chocolatepuppy]

Good job both of you! You look great!:D

[anna_66]

Your both looking wonderful!

[Cataholic]

You both look terrific, but you especially so (Sorry, Brian!!).

Losing weight is hard work. You deserve every confidence and accolades for each ounce lost! Don't you feel so much better, too?

[sparks19]

Thanks everyone. yes definitely keeping this hairstyle and color around for at least the next little while :)

I do feel so much better. I have so much more energy and can do a lot more physical acitivity before I feel like I'm about to die lol. I can run around at the park and climb the monkey bars with Hannah a lot more than I could before.

Thanks again everyone. It's actually been a lot easier than I thought... it was getting the right motivation to do it and sticking with it. I'd tried and failed many times before this but this time it wasn't a "Oh I should really lose some weight I guess" sort of thing... it was "I NEED to lose this weight or it's going to kill me one day and I want to be around for a long time" sort of thing. It wasn't an "I want" it was an "I NEED" and that made all the difference for the level of success I've had and it's really been a lot easier than I thought.

Portion control is the BIGGEST thing for me. I needed to get that under control and work on not mindlessly snacking all night every night. So we started a program online at sparkpeople.com and it's basically counting calories but this website keeps track of them for you so you know just where you are in your calorie goal for the day and now I don't put any food in my mouth without thinking about it first and thinking "hmmm do I have room in my calories today for this" or "am I really hungry or do I just want to snack" if I just want to snack I'll grab some celery and fat free ranch and that will satisfy the urge the just snack because I get that crunch that I want. Now that we've been doing it for a while we don't use the nutrition tracker anymore and we don't count every calorie anymore... n ow we just have a good idea of how much is in everything we eat and how much of that we can eat each day. So now it's just part of daily life.

[caseysmom]

You look great, I'm trying to get in shape too, I lost some weight earlier in the year but have fallen off the wagon...you inspire me to start it up again!

You look vavavoom in that picture!

[krazyaboutkatz]

You both look great.:) Good luck with achieving your goal.:)

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Fantastic!! I can really see it in your face - you look 10 years younger :love:

Exactly my opinion too !!! You look fabulous!!

[gini]

Losing weight and keeping it off is just plain hard work. You look great - and hearing that often from all of us will help you meet your goal and then stay there.

Feeling so much better will be a motivation too.

Congratulations to both of you.

[caseysmom]

Sparks it would be great if you could share some of the things that have helped you...I know those kinds of tips really help me...we should start a healthy weight loss thread.

[K9karen]

The best part for your motivation is that you told all of us and now you HAVE to stick with it since you have a huge fan club! I'm so proud of you!

[Asiel]

Sorry I'm seeing this so late Spark's but I want to tell you that you look absolutely wonderful. The change is fantastic, hubby better watch out, the guys will be oggling you :D. You both look great. Seriously, you look so much younger and your face is so radiant. That took a lot of will power, congratulations.

[carole]

WOW what a fantastic effort by both of you, you certainly can notice the difference, good on you for taking the challenge to get healthy and fit, it is a battle all right, one that is not easy,but so worthwhile.

Keep at it and i cannot wait to see further pics as you loose more, way to go girl.:)

[sparks19]

Thanks everyone :) all the support really helps in this journey

My method of choice is called sparkpeople.com it has a great nutrition tracker to keep track of calories and based on your weight and how much you want to lose it gives you daily goals for calorie intake etc and you just try to stay within your goals. Portion control is a big one for me. I never realized before how inflated my idea of "portions" really was.

After a while of tracking the calories I started to learn how much and what I could eat and stay within my daily ranges. So now I don't actually use the nutrition tracker anymore it's just become second nature.

Because of this method I don't eat ANYTHING without thinking about it first. I think about how it will impact my daily calorie numbers. Is it worth eating? am I really hungry? is there something better I could be eating?

[carole]

i have to agree with you 100 per cent portion control is so important, i really believe it is not so much what you eat, as how much you eat, i think you can eat everything, as long as it is in moderation., I pretty much have proved this myself, even if you eat too much good healthy food , say for example fruit, you could still continue to put on weight.

[sparks19]

i have to agree with you 100 per cent portion control is so important, i really believe it is not so much what you eat, as how much you eat, i think you can eat everything, as long as it is in moderation., I pretty much have proved this myself, even if you eat too much good healthy food , say for example fruit, you could still continue to put on weight.

yes that's what I like about this "diet". You can pretty much each whatever you want... you just have to figure out how to make it fit in your daily goals... and then of course once in a while is fine. I still enjoy chocolate from time to time. I get dark chocolate and instead of eating the whole bar like I would have done before I only have a couple squares.

I still hit up McDonalds on the rare occassion but instead of getting a meal (often supersized) I skip the fries all together and get a grilled chicken sandwich or something instead of a big mac for example. If I REALLY need a french fry hubby doesn't mind if I steal one... but I only have one lol if I have more I will end up eating them all and one is just enough to give me a taste and satisfy the craving a little. So I just have to behave and remember moderation.

[carole]

it really is about making lifestyle changes, and keeping them, that is the one that is the hardest, but yes you can enjoy chocolate, ice creams, etc take out all in moderation,yes it is hard to resist those french fries, at macca's though isn't it, you certainly seem to have got the balance right, and that is what is what it is all about as well, keeping the balance, life does not have to be miserable, i always just feel proud and happy when i am eating healthy, i hate it when i go off my healthy living style, i feel depressed, gain weight, and feel simply yuck in everyway.

And a word of advice do it while you are still young like you are, as the older you get the tougher it is to loose those extra pounds, i can honestly tell you this from personal experience.

Good luck and feel happy and proud with yourself for making these changes and changing your life.

[caseysmom]

For me the type of food is the key, it is making good choice I can have a huge plate of steamed veggie or 20 cheeze its...its all about choices for me

[catnapper]

You look AWESOME!

By the way, I know you're in the Park City Mall -- I still want to meet up with you one day. Maybe we can meet there:)

[cassiesmom]

Yay yay yay, congratulations! I like the "after" picture!!

[lvpets2002]

:) You Look Great.. keep up the good work..