... And Here We Go...

I am a mother.  I am a wife.  I am soooooo many things, but the thing that I think about everyday is... that... I... am... overweight... "obese" to be technically precise (thanks, Doc!).  

Here is my story...

This is what I looked like when I was the "girlfriend" for my husband...

My senior high school Songleading photo... it was the 80's... be nice! ;-)

After we had 2 children and almost 10 years of marriage, my husband found another girlfriend... and left...

The kids and I packed up and moved in
with my Mom and Dad... (they are AWESOME!!!)



The new family of 3...  Jessica (8)... Chris (6)



...skip forward to 1998...

I had known Jeff for over 10 years... I managed an on-site homeowner association and he was the electrical contractor for my account.  After living with my parents for 1 1/2 years, a mutual friend suggested we go on a date... and my life changed...



My sister, Mary, her husband, John, Jeff and me... on a weekend cruise...

This is what I looked like when I was Jeff's girlfriend ("His Chicklet" as he called me)...



Ahhhhhh... the good 'ole days...

... and this is what I looked like on our wedding day,

2 1/2 years later...



This was seriously A PERFECT DAY!

Before we were married, I was running marathons and taking a "supplement" called Ephedrine.  Jeff made me promise that I would stop taking Ephedrine after we were married since we wanted to have more children.  "Sure," I said without having any idea what that was going to do to my body. 

I almost immediately started gaining weight and two years later, was blessed to be pregnant with our first biological child.  After Anna was born, I lost almost all of my pregnancy weight and all of a sudden, my weight skyrocketed.  After several months of working hard at the gym and my diet, I went to my doctor in tears. Several tests later, I was told that due to my "advance maternal age"... (come on... I was 34...) that my thyroid had taken a hit and I started taking medication.  I have been struggling with my weight ever since. 



ADOPTION DAY... Jeff ADOPTED Jessica and Christian and we celebrated with so many family and friends (both here at the courthouse and with many more back at the house.)  This was 2 years after the wedding and I had put on 25 pounds... and we didn't know yet, but I was pregnant with Anna in this photo... ;-)

Two years ago I had ENOUGH and joined the Weight Loss Challenge at our local YMCA.  Since then, I have completed two sprint triathlons and two metric centuries (65 mile bike rides.)  I work out 4-5 times a week and although my weight will fluctuate 10 pounds up or down, I am still considered obese by my doctor (and by me, too).

So, here we are.  I am sick and tired of my weight.  I am embarrassed about my size 18 body (hiding my cute size 9 frame).  I want to feel sexy.  I want my confidence back.  I want to be able to tie my tennis shoes without holding my breath because my belly is in the way.  AND, I WANT TO BE MY HUSBAND'S GIRLFRIEND AGAIN.  

There is so much that has brought me to this point that I could write for the next few days, but I want to jump into this social experiment of mine and tell you what I am up to.  I have spent the past two decades telling my kids that they can do ANYTHING they want... if they work hard enough!  It is time I show them I was right...

"Becoming my Husband's Girlfriend" is my definition of the ultimate weight loss peer pressure... my weight loss "Full Monty," if you will.  I will be posting my current weight photos and stats... stories about my weight loss and challenges... training that I am doing for 4 athletic events this year... I will be laughing... I will be frustrated... I will be sharing inspiration that I find around me and people whose stories inspire me... and so much more in my ultimate goal to lose weight, get healthy and bring the SEXY BACK to my life and my husband. 

I hope you will join me in this journey, because I think there are A TON OF YOU that are probably in a very similar point in your life.  You might not have a ton of weight to lose, but maybe you are looking for some confidence... maybe you need to get that happy spring back in your daily step... maybe you can't wait to see if this experiment of mine will be a train wreck (we all know how much we love a good train wreck) or if I can actually do it...

... so become a follower of this blog... share the story of this "fatty" with your friends... because I can promise you this... we are about to embark on an amazing journey!  Fasten your seat belts... the fun will start on Monday...