Weight Loss Wednesdays

New Year – New Me…..  Can I get anymore cliché? 

Yes, I’m jumping on the “lose weight after New Years” bandwagon.

I read somewhere that if you are on a diet, tell everyone you know.  That way you can be held accountable.  I think its good advice.  So here I am – telling everyone.  I’m going to start Weight Loss Wednesdays.  I will check in and let you all know how I am doing weekly. 

This Wednesday I thought a nice way to start would be to give a little recap of how I got to where I am today.  I’m not one to play the “oh I’m so fat” card.  I know I’m not huge.  And I know a lot of people heavier than I am probably look at me and think what’s the problem.  But I’m doing this for me.  I’m not comfortable with my current size.  I’m tired of sucking in my stomach for pictures or having Lyla stand in front of me (kids are GREAT props)!  I want to be comfortable in my body.  I want to be able to put a swimsuit on this summer and feel confident, not ashamed. 

This is what I looked like in high school:

 

 

 PS, I thought I was fat.  Oh what I wouldn’t give to be that “fat” again!  Keep in mind though, I ran around with a lot of petite girls who couldn’t break 100 pounds.  I weighed about 110 – 115 and was at least 5 inches taller than all of my friends.  I think in my mind I mistook tall and healthy for fat.  Just because I was bigger than everyone else.

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Here I am in the summer of 2003:

 

I was hot!  ;)  2003 was definitely my best year as far as looks go!  I would love to get back to this size.  Obviously I know I will look different.  I’m not 20 years old anymore and I have had a kid…. BUT  I bet I can get pretty close!  This is what I’m aiming for, my motivation.

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This picture was taken August 14, 2003 – the night Gary and I met. 

 

This is the girl he fell in love with.  The one he was so impressed by….. 

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This is a picture from my wedding, August 6, 2005.  Two years later. 

 

 I gained a LOT of weight REALLY fast.  For starters, I was in love, that means you eat a lot.  I turned 21, so I also drank a lot.  I moved out of my parents’ house and lived on my own for the first time.  Therefore I could eat ice cream for dinner if I chose to.  There wasn’t anyone to tell me I couldn’t.  If I chose to eat McDonalds for dinner 5 nights a week – go for it.  From there the weight just continued to pile on. 

 

 

I was at my heaviest before I got pregnant.  I weighed 168 pounds at my first doctor’s appointment when I got pregnant with Lyla.  I was told I was overweight and should only gain 20 pounds during my pregnancy.  

Ok here is one of the last picture taken of me while I was pregnant. 

 

 

This is the most I have ever and will ever weigh in my life.  185 pounds.  That’s where I topped off.  I was so afraid of breaking the 200 pound mark.

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Most moms get to blame their weight gain on their children.  I’m sort of the opposite.  I can thank Lyla for getting me back to a healthy weight.  This is me two months after she was born:

 

I can’t explain why or how I dropped the weight so fast.  I lost more weight than I gained pregnant.  I very quickly got down to around the 155 pound mark.  And that is where I have stayed.  I may gain or lose 5 pounds here and there.  Depending on the season, depending on what is going on. 

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In 2013 I was in two weddings so I was being careful and thinned out some…. But nowhere near where I want to be.

 

 

 

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So here is where I am today:

158 pounds.  I would love to lose 30 pounds.  I downloaded an app on my phone, I am using it to count calories.  I bought a treadmill.  I’m getting serious.  This is where the journey begins.  Check back in next week!

Track #006 - Masterpiece

Kate's Playlist - Track #006

Song Title:  Masterpiece

Artist:  Andy Grammer

Album:  Magazines or Novels

My thoughts:

I just discovered Andy Grammer over the weekend and I am obsessed!  I have decided I like all of his songs, but I think this one is really great.  What a great message, we only get one go around at this.  Make it count!

Video:

I can't find one yet......

Lyrics:

Life is a canvas you paint in the mind
Colors dance, spill outside the lines
I refuse to settle, never the black and white
Rock the neons until the day I die

I'm on a constant search to make my heart swell
Bite off too much, chew like hell
Half my nights spent in a hotel
Price I paid to escape the conveyor belt

One, you get one heartbeat so, take it seriously
This is your masterpiece, don't forget to dream
And taste the colors in the air you breathe
It's your masterpiece, go ahead and feel it all
Don't stop till it is beautiful
(Oh whoa)
Don't stop till it is beautiful
(Oh whoa)
Don't stop till it is beautiful

Close my eyelids, take a deep breath
Feel the lightening down to my chest
I'm just a piece of art, and the paints fresh
Cuz I'm not yet finished yet
I've got a pregnant mind that wants to give birth
Breathe life into these big words
I can hear the universe in my ear

She whispers, you get one, one heartbeat so take it seriously
This is your masterpiece, don't forget to dream
And taste the colors in the air you breathe
It's your masterpiece, go ahead and feel it all
Don't stop till it is beautiful
Oh whoa)
Don't stop till it is beautiful
(Oh whoa)
Don't stop till it is beautiful
And you can settle for a normal life
Said that your afraid of heights
But you were meant to light the sky

This is your masterpiece
Don't forget to breathe and taste the colors in the air you breathe
This is your masterpiece go ahead and feel it all
Don't stop till it is beautiful
Oh whoa)
Don't stop till it is beautiful
(Oh whoa)
Don't stop till it is beautiful
(Oh whoa..)
Don't stop till it is beautiful

Christmas Chaos

The month of December came & went so  fast!  I will do my best with a recap:

The day after thanksgiving we went & got our first live Christmas tree. We had not a clue what we were doing but we ended up loving having the live tree versus our artificial one!

That Saturday we went to Becca's 4th birthday party. 

 

The following weekend I had my work Christmas party Friday night & Gary's birthday on Saturday. The three of us went to dinner & Lyla got them to sing!

 

 

The next weekend we did the Santa trolley in WashPa then lunch at Shortys. It was a really nice day. Lyla spent the night at grandma & pappys then Sunday the three of them and Em & G came up for lunch. 

The following weekend was the weekend before Christmas & Maria's annual fried dough party. Lyla had so much fun playing with Maria's niece and Gary & I had fun visiting everyone. 

On Christmas Eve the three of us stayed home and baked cookies all day and Lyla did her gingerbread house. Then in the evening we exchanged our presents to each other. 

 

On Christmas morning Lyla got up at her normal time of 4:30 which I was good with. I was afraid she would be excited & we would do Christmas at 3:00 in the morning!  Santa brought her the panda & singing Elsa she wanted so all was good!

 

Around noon we left to begin our travels. First stop was Bill & Patti's. Hendrick was asleep so he didn't get in on the yearly picture in front of the tree. :(

Then we went to my mom & dads with Em & Gerald. We exchanged gifts, had dinner, played games. Then me, Gary, Lyla and my mom went to Oglebay to see the lights.  It was fun!  

Friday morning we got up & went to Morgantown to meet Chris & Judy for lunch. The to Clarksburg to visit Gary's mom & Jason and his family. 

Saturday morning we went to Gary's Aunt & Uncles. It was such a treat, Gary's cousins were there with their husbands & kids. We have so much fun when we are all together (which is usually only at Christmas)!

We got home Saturday evening & spent Sunday trying to regroup for work on Monday!

Heard Around The House #30

All of us sitting in the kitchen Saturday morning. I just finished organizing & cleaning of the counter. 

Me:  Wow I feel sooo much better now!

Lyla:  Why?  Did you poop?

5 Things Friday - Charities

Tis the season for giving! 

If you are someone who is financially able and looking for a charity to give to this year, let me share with you the top 5 charities I believe in donating to:

1.  Alzheimer's Awareness/Cures

My Grandma died of Alzheimer's.  A guy I work with and adore lost the love of his life to Alzheimer's.  Its a horrible disease.  It terrifies me that there is a chance of my mom ending up with it.  There is a chance I will end up with it.  The movie The Notebook brought some awareness, but its really just one of those things people don't talk about and unless you have watched a family member die from it, you really don't understand the devastation. 

Seth Rogan (who I LOVE) heads a charity called Hilarity for Charity.  His mother-in-law has Alzheimer's.  He wrote a really good essay for Glamour Magazine you can read here:
Glamour Essay

And you can donate here:
www.hilarityforcharity.org

Or donate to the Alzheimer's Association here:
www.alz.org

2.  SIDS Prevention

I have written a lot about my friend Amanda losing her daughter Cassie.  It was such a horrific event that has forever changed my life.  Amanda works hard at educating other parents so that they never have to go through what her and Justin did.  Every year we participate in the Breath of Life Stroll by Cribs for Kids in Cassie's honor. 

You can donate directly to Cribs for Kids in Cassie's honor here:
www.cribsforkids.org/wings-for-cassie

3.  Remembrance Photography

The day that Em and Gerald lost Lexi none of us were thinking straight.  The hospital asked if they would be ok having someone come in and take photos of Lexi for Em and Gerald to have.  What a blessing.  These are photos that will be treasured always.  The organization Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is amazing.  At no cost to the parent, they come in and take professional photographs.

You can donate to them here:
www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org

4.  St. Jude

I don't know anyone personally who has benefitted from St. Jude Children's Hospital but its always been an organization I believed in.  How awful would it be to have your child sick and not be able to get them the medical care that they need.  

Donate to St. Jude here:
www.stjude.org

5.  Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

I wish I could say that I never spent any time at Children's, but I have.  I have had Lyla there, Cassie was there, Hendrick was there....  Its a place you hope you never need, but when you do need them you are so glad that they are there.  The staff at Children's is the best and the details of everything in that hospital is remarkable.  It is so kid friendly.  A sick kid is still a kid and things that are scary to adults are even more scary to them.  Children's has made it a safe place.  From the colorful hallways to the toys and iPads.  Donations here go a long way.

Donate to Children's Hospital here:
www.givetochildrens.org

Much to be Thankful For

Coming up on Thanksgiving I was thinking about all that’s happen in the last year.   I was feeling like there isn’t a ton to be thankful for.  But Thanksgiving came and we spent it surrounded by our family and I realized, we do have a lot to be thankful for, even when life doesn’t go as planned.  We have been through some rough patches, but we went through them together.  I’m thankful to not go through the down times alone.  I have a great family and I have really wonderful friends.  And this year, that is what I am thankful for.