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!