I did it!

I had a goal for myself to be happy with how I looked on my wedding day. I may not have gotten down to the goal I set for myself in the beginning of this journey,  But what I did achieve is just as rewarding.

 I achieved confidence. 

I was not the thinnest Bride

I was not a super model Bride

I was however the best bride I could be, and I am so happy with how far I have come. 

I Married my best friend, while surrounded by people that love and care for us. 

In the end, that's all that truly matters.

Now here are some photos with about a 60lb difference! 

Left- Friends wedding 2011 / Right - My Bachelorette Party 2013

Left - Friends Wedding 2011 / Right- My Wedding Day 2013

Face Progress.

Sometimes I get down on myself for "only" losing 40 lbs in the last year or so. I have to remind myself that at one time (not to long ago) i weighed 264lbs. In fact I remember the day exactly because it was shortly before I delivered my son. September 8, 2013 the nurses told me.. that was my weight. Two hundred an sixty four pounds.. at 5 ft 4 was my reality! granted I was a few hours from giving birth and within' a few short months 264 turned into 240 on it's own from baby weights, bloat, and all that other yucky stuff you lose while having birth (I'll spare you the details..you're welcome.) That is where my weight loss journey really began. So that is why i say I've lost 40lbs instead of going up to my highest weight.

Never the less whether you want to say I've lost 40 or 64 it still is a huge chunk of unwanted fat and weight that i no longer have to carry around.. and you know what? I think that's pretty bad ass.
I still have a long road ahead of me.. but I'm excited to see what i can do next.

 May 2011 /  July 2013

Newest progress photo.

Well there I am now. 

7 months (roughly) since i started my journey to change my life. It also reminds me of how far i have to go. To a lot of people i am still what they would consider fat. Because after all i am still "fat" hell i'm probably still on the obese category for my height... But as those facts start to bring me down i have to stop myself and say NO. stop thinking like that kacey.... look how far you have come! keep going! don't you dare stop. Not now. Not ever!

i have days where i am still depressed over how big i am but i won't let them outweigh the good days where i am extremely proud of what i have done and what i will continue to do.

you've come this far...lets see what you're really made of.

Bishop's Peak

There are some amazing hiking spots here on the central coast but I have never taken advantage of them since I never had the urge to be active.  I would have rather sat on the couch and watched tv or just wanted to handout drinking some beers with friends in order to do "fun" things together.

I love that all that has changed! I had a thought about hiking one day and decided to ask my friend if she wanted to do it with me one day. And of course she said yes since she is awesome.                   

After we had to park our car at the bottom of a huge ass street in order to even walk to the trail entrance   I was more than a little winded having just gotten to the entrance lol. 

Me and my awesome hiking buddy.

But you know what? I made that mountain my bitch! I not only made it to the top of the trail but I also climbed to the tip top over the rocks. It  felt great! Not only did I have a blast with a friend and see an amazing view but I also got one hell of a workout.

Working out doesn't have to be a chore. 

Have some fun with it!

Me at the top!

What a view...

ONE-derland I have Arrived.

My heaviest weight was right before I gave birth to my son in 2010

I weighed a whopping 264. 

I weighed 236 when I started thinking I seriously had to change something

232 I joined My Fitness Pal.

229 Found a great support network in a Facebook group.

(special thanks to Booty Camp and everyone that has encouraged me)

and as of this morning

199.4

I have reached my first goal.

I couldn't be more proud of myself and I can't wait to see the rest of the weight fall off. Losing weight IS possible if you just put the work in. 

They Fit!

One of the perks of losing weight is being able to go through your stash of old clothes that you threw in the back in the closet hoping that maybe just maybe one day you would be able to squeeze yourself back into that pair of jeans you loved so much.

Let me tell you I have had a very large stack of clothes piled up back there for years now. After pulling these bad boys out and trying them on this September I was disappointed to find I couldn't button them (obviously shown in the picture on the left.. yikes!)

So I took the picture then folded them back up and set them on my dresser telling myself it wouldn't take long! Fast forward to this month... I decided to try them on again and I swear I jumped for joy! Not only did they button but they buttoned easy! no froggy jumps, no laying down to shimmy into them and no fat pushing its way over the top.. They fit!! 

I have 3 pairs left that do not fit yet.. and I plan to be in them no later than new years! Then the real fun begins... shopping for jeans without crying in the dressing room. Oh yes! lol it's on.

Sicky

It's been 9 days since I have worked out..Normally I would feel like a fat cow right about now. But Luckily  unfortunately i've been sick this whole time so i'm still losing weight. I wish my energy level would just come back and I wish i could breathe. I also wish I didn't have to force myself to eat since I have no appetite at all. Hopefully this damn bug will get lost so I can get back to kicking ass...Oh the ups and downs of weight loss.

On a good note as of this morning I am 202.4.... which is SO CLOSE to my first goal of being under 200.. I haven't see that number since the beginning of my pregnancy.  I can't wait! as soon as i'm better i'm kicking it into high gear and getting shit done!

30 Day Shred..Round2 Day1

I decided to start the 30 day shred over...I figured I had great results last time I might as well give it another go! But i am taking Sundays off this round to give myself a day of rest per week.

I have to say starting this time was easier than last time.. but still not Easy. I still have to modify a few moves but for the most part I feel like I did great.  Best of all I felt great after.. and I plan on rocking the next 30 days of this!  Let's do it!

Face difference

Sometimes the pictures say it all! 

Getting back on track

Years of bad habits don't just go away. You're going to have bad days.. or in my case bad weeks. After getting my tattoo i sat around for 4 days with no exercise and then only did a few occasional short ones for the next few days.. I found myself craving fast food.. and giving in!! I even argued with myself in my head the other night over driving to taco bell at 8:30 at night. Guess what this fat chick did? I went and got it!  The next day I felt shitty about myself.  I have only gained 2lbs since my last weigh in but even so i still didn't feel that happy glow I had when i was losing instead of gaining...So today I woke up with the attitude of getting back on track! Even though I still shouldn't wear shoes I did a full low impact workout like I was doing before. Now I feel great about myself.. I'm telling myself yes you slipped up.. ok move on!  Everyday is a new beginning.  Back on track! :)

Such a Bittersweet Weekend Full of Great Times and a Sad "See you later"

This was a very eventful weekend for me! I had lots of exciting weight loss progress and also spent Friday evening and Saturday evening with my best friend before she leaves next month to go overseas. The downside to my great weekend was having to say Goodbye  See you later to her. I have to admit it was a huge downside and it was way harder than I thought it would be. I already miss her and I won't stop missing her until I know she is home safe and I see that beautiful face of hers! Now before I start getting all sappy and start crying again.. I think we will move on to some of the things that made my weekend so great.

After weighing myself Friday morning I saw I was down almost 3 lbs making me only 8.5lbs away from being at my first goal! Lets face it.. it was going to be a great day with a start like that.
When my best friend arrived my day got even better.! Then it got EVEN better.. she brought a huge bag of clothes that she is giving me since she can't take them.. Score! love her!<3
In this bag there are so many cute clothes that I love and its great because my clothes are becoming quite baggy ;)
While pulling out clothes I get to a bright yellow dress that she had worn a month or so ago when I saw her last and I had to try it on... IT FIT.. I was not expecting to be able to zip that dress.. after all it had been tight on her when she wore it (sexy tight..not to tight just to be clear lol) and she is a good 30lbs less than me. I couldn't believe it! I didn't end up wearing it that night but It felt so good to zip that thing up i had to take a photo! or two..

 A little tight for my liking to wear out.. but hey it fit!! I was shocked and so excited! 

...After a night of fun with some friends the next day we all went to get tattoos for my friend.
That's where the next proud/awesome moment happened.  Before we left the house to meet the others we took pictures together. When I looked at the pictures which are pretty much full body shots. I didn't see a fat cow. I saw someone who looked like me but so much happier and so much thinner. Not thin..but thinner. it's progress and I am so proud of these photos. It has been a long time since I have seen a picture of my body without feeling horrible about myself.

<3

The Next and final great thing that happened was the actual tattoo Done by Tried and True Tattoo in Arroyo Grande, Ca by Jason. .....well not actually getting it OUCH! but the after product is so pretty. I love it so much and I love that it will be a reminder of how much we miss and love each other. My best friend.

We got the words "Tu Me Manques" Which means I Miss you or better interrupted as

"You are Missing From me"

30 Day Shred Results!

I started the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred a few weeks after i started working out.

At the beginning it was rough! lets face it i was out of shape and the only way to fix that was keep going! I did mostly the modified moves on level 1 and around half and half on level 2
Level 3 I could almost do all of the advance moves (not easily but i did em! lol)

And i took 3 rest days total. One every level.

The First picture is from around 7-10 days before i started the shred
The Middle Picture is after i finished level 1
And the Third picture was today after finishing round 3.

  I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking to it! And i also think I'm not quite ready to part ways with the shred. After a couple rest days i think i will start it over for Round 2! Hopefully i have just as good results the second time! I think I'll also incorporate some walking/running too.
Either Way I'm down 2lbs this week and I am only 8lbs away from my first goal of making it under 200! I originally wanted to do this by the new year but it looks like i am going to finish faster than i thought. Which is amazing. We will have to see what the new year brings... a new me perhaps? we will see!

Making Progress!

 When you're trying to lose weight i think one of the best parts is feeling and seeing how your clothes start to get loose.  It makes me feel even better than a lower number on the scale i think (although that's a close second ;).   I noticed a slight change in my clothing a few weeks ago but not really much of a drastic change.  This week on the other hand not only do i feel a huge difference i see a huge difference too. Let me tell you It.Feels.Great! This change is doing so much for me.. I feel better about myself and I also care less about what others think of me.. because honestly I'm proud of what I'm doing so if they aren't then screw em! I know I'm doing something great... something worth while.. Something For Me!

Ok ok ok.. stop blabbing and get to the photos :P
 Here they are! 

Loosey Goosy Jeans

Another Pair So loose! :D

HAHAHA look what i can do! This was just to good not to post.. i laugh but I'm also very proud of what I've accomplished so far! Can't wait until I'm camping out in these jeans next year!

Pushed through an 'I feel crappy' day!

I knew i wasn't lucky enough to not get my son's cold he has had for the past few days and sure enough this morning i woke up with a little cough and a stuffed up nose. GREAT!!..
 With some advise and a little push from some fellow mamas i decided to go ahead with my workout for the day.. it was tough getting started and i stalled for over an hour before actually getting to it but i did it!
I actually feel better now too! A Little but 'off' but not sick so hopefully i won't wake up feeling like death tomorrow.  I did however have to force myself to eat this morning and after noon since i just didn't feel hungry.. turns out its a good thing since my fiance decided he wanted pizza and then forgot to order it skinny crust for me... yup thanks babe! twice the calories :/...ugh anyways i got my workout in and i stayed under my calories even with pizza for dinner.. yay! I'd say it was a successful day!

Why "Diets" Don't Work...

First off... i am not claiming to be on a "diet." I am losing weight by eating the right size portions, healthier choices most of the time and the right amount of food for the day paired with exercise.

Now when i say diets don't work.. i don't mean they do not work to make you lose weight. Because that part is true.. you probably will lose weight if you stick to a diet.. BUT what happens when you get off the diet? you gain it back usually more than you lost. Now if you are ok not having carbs, not eating meat, not eating sugar, not eating any fast food whatever it is that the diet eliminates then more power to you! But for me if i tell myself i can't have something i will eventually get pissed off and binge on exactly what I'm supposed to be avoiding. There goes the diet...

In my opinion.. the saying "I'm not on a diet, I'm changing my lifestyle" is so true! It really is!
If you want to lose weight and keep it off you will not be able to do that with fad diets that limit what you can have. Or maybe you can.. but for me it just doesn't work.

I can have anything i want.... if i want a piece of pizza? ok awesome.. get the skinny crust with veggies.. and have 1-2 slices.. not 3-5.  Want a burger? get it w/o cheese...or scrape some cheese off (takes major calories off)  or get a kids meal.. that really is a great way to have fast food without eating way to much.. kids meals are more than enough food for an adult in my opinion.
Want a soda? have one! but don't have 3! and the biggest rule of all that I'm trying hard to follow is... if you want to have those pancakes for breakfast (or whatever it is) then that is OK just have a light lunch and dinner... if you eat light for the rest of your meals you have plenty of calories for what would be considered a "bad" meal..
No food is "bad" if you know how to control yourself and not eat the whole thing.
Moderation is KEY to a healthier life style! 

My New Addiction...

My new addiction is shopping for workout clothes and equipment!!!  lol

Whenever i can spare some extra money instead of wanting new clothes, jewelry, fast food, whatever else i used to want.. now i just want to go to big 5 or Dick's Sporting goods.. lol i may have a problem :P

I'm glad though in a way because it just proves that I'm in this for the long haul.. i want it all! weights, video's, mats, balls, and of course the workout clothes! to bad they are so expensive! lol My Fiance treated me to a trip to Dick's Sporting goods today and i got some much needed fitness stuff! Yay :)
My workout collection is growing!

Why this time?

You may be asking yourself as i have before... how is this time different? what makes you think you won't give up like all the other times? and how are you doing it?

Well.. this time is going to work because I'm READY to change. I read a great quote posted by one of my favorite facebook pages called FitFotLife  that said it perfectly

That is how i feel about this time. i feel like I'm finally ready. i know its going to be hard. i know I'm going to want to quit and i know I'm doing to have bad days, but this time i will do this.

A month of busting my ass

So 11 Days after deciding i was going to do it this time i decided to take a "before picture".  I had been eating right, counting my calories using myfitnesspal.com and exercising for 20 min everyday so i figured it was the next step.. (plus you can't have a rockin' after picture if you don't take a before picture)

For the next month i continued what i was doing and even decided to take on Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (I'm currently on day 17 now)
I didn't see any change in the mirror even though i was losing weight and my pants began to get baggy.
Either way it was a pretty successful month so i took another picture.. One month of eating right and exercising...

 i can't wait for another 30 days to take another picture. i plan on taking them monthly on the 6th. (that's the genius random day i took the first picture lol)

My Fitness Pal

I had made a myfitnesspal.com profile a few months ago after one of my nights where i told myself "i really will do it this time" ... yup i lie to myself. or i used to at least.
But after joining the facebook workout group i mentioned in my background story i found out a lot of the ladies were on the site so i decided to give it a real chance this time and even downloaded the app which makes things really easy since i always have my phone with me.

It helps me so much being able to easily log everything on the go and keep track of my calories.. also knowing how many calories to add after working out makes things a lot easier. I have to say another great thing is having friends on there who will scan your diary everyday.. knowing "big brother" is watching to make sure i don't fill up on crap helps keep me accountable.
You do have to log everything though.. and i mean everything. If you Bite it you Write it basically. Not logging everything is not lying to people looking at your diary its lying to yourself. The only person who that will hurt is you.

It really is simple and if your looking for a good way to take that first step then making a profile is a great start in my opinion. It changes your way of thinking to take a moment to check the back before opening and eating a whole bag of cookies(guilty in the past) Now that i've been doing it for over a month i really have a habit of looking at everything now. Once you see how bad the food your putting into your body is.. it's a lot harder to ignore what you put in your mouth!