Slowly but surely

I have been working on losing weight for quite a while now. Even before I was pregnant with Angelica, I had gained a lot of weight and I was pretty unhappy with myself. After she was born, I lost my baby weight immediately, but I knew I still had a long way to go. I have never had luck with diets and exervising would come in fads but never last. I longed for the day of my bikini body and not being afraid to put on my old Hooters uniform. Oh yes, I still have one stored away because one day...some day....I will be able to put it back on...just to say that I did it. This time though I decided to take baby steps. The weight didn't come on overnight and I know it won't go away overnight either.

I joined a running program and May and ran through November. I really started to enjoy it. I took a break during the colder months, but plan to return to it again this spring. I also started a weight loss program where I keep careful track of what I eat and how I cook. Not only have I lost weight, but my hubby has lost a few pounds too. It is pretty awesome to go into the closet where I stored away all of my cute jeans and take them back out and actually wear them. I am hoping to make much more progress over the coming years, but in losing just 1lb/week, I know I will be able to keep the weight off for good and permanently change my lifestyle. I am happier than I have been in a while, more confident and no longer hating being in front of a camera. I still have a long long way to go, but this has been a good start for me. I've lost 22lbs so far and the best part is that I am keeping it off. Hopefully by this time next year that number will be much more significant!

Here is me in January 2010 - One of my favorite pictures!

And here I am in January 2011. So far, so good!

Gymboree

I signed Angelica up for Gymboree a couple of months ago. At first I thought it was kind of a waste of money, but after going week after week I can see how much she enjoys it and how much she is learning. Some things are different each week, but some are the same. The kids always push this "air log" across the room together each week. The first week Angelica just stood there bewildered, but now each week it is one of her favorite things to do. The kids also have a time allotted for playing with small toys and afterwards they are suppose to clean up after themselves and put toys away. This week, Angelica actually carried her toy over to the box and put it away all by herself! I am proud of my little munchkin and as we move forward I can see that Gymboree, although a short class and a long drive, is definitely worth the money.

Here is a picture of Angelica and her buddy Lucy at Gymboree pushing the air log. Lucy was in visiting from NC so we brought her and her parents as guests to our class. It was lots of fun!