Here is the skinny on my weight loss!

So here it is. This post is not intended to be a narcissistic bragging post, but more of a motivational post for me and anyone out there who has destroyed their bodies bringing their beautiful children into this world.
Long story short. I weighed 150 when I got pregnant with Hudson (I am 5'8). I had gained about 5 lbs in my first year of marriage(from 145) and then I ballooned up to 220 at the end of my pregnancy. For those of you that are unsure of  the math that is 70 pounds!!!!Plus my five from the beginning of my married life = 75 pounds! That is freaking crazy. I weighed 75 pounds when I was finishing fourth grade! I can't even believe that I had to lug that around! No wonder I was in such agony!
After I had Cooper I weighed 200 pounds just home from the hospital.  I am fortunate enough to be able to breastfeed easily, and although I don't care at all what other Mama's do I truly believe it helps you to lose weight if you are able to(who cares about the nutritional benefit right? heehee)
Because I was breastfeeding Cooper, I knew doing too much dieting might be a bit hard, so I told myself that I would wait until he was eating some solids at 6 months to see a trainer/dietician. I have a whole bunch of friends who have seen one lady and have had SPECTACULAR results, so I figured I would go to her for some help!
When I went in to see Lisa Parker I had brought my weight down to about 170-172lbs. I did that by occasionally exercising and trying not to be too big of a pig. What Lisa did for me was weigh me and take before pictures(they were not cute) and give me a meal plan specifically for me based on my current weight, muscle mass, age, height ect. She taught me about Carbs, Fats and Protein, all which should be consumed daily and helped me figure out foods I like to eat that match the specs that would help me lose weight. I eat 6 times a day and eat some carbs, protein and fats at every meal. I feel like I eat more than I ever did before, but it is the right type of food, and I am not snacking on junk, because I am full all of the time.
In the beginning I was exhausted and we figured I was a bit anemic. Lisa adjusted my diet to help this. I also started to take a multivitamin everyday. My body did miss the constant sweets that I was used to. I ate a lot of fat free jello to counter that craving for sweets and we worked 100 free calories into my menu. I think what helped me the most in the beginning too was that I saw results right away. Lisa told me I should lose 1-2 pounds/week and it worked. It was pretty exciting.  I also committed to walk on the treadmill 30 minutes a day.
It has been just over three months and I weighed in at 152 yesterday. I am so excited as I am getting a lot closer to my goal. I have lost all of my Cooper weight, my Piper weight and most of my Hudson weight.
In addition to adjusting my diet, Lisa provided accountability. Two times a week I text my current weight to her. I love it. It sooooo works for me. I have really taken to healthier eating, and I do not crave junk food at all anymore. Each night I have a bag of 100 cal popcorn and it is my"snack" that I can look forward to in the evenings.  I have loved doing the treadmill, and have noticed such a difference in stamina. In the beginning I could barely walk for 30 minutes, and now I run for 45 minutes and include 3 lb weights and other exercises. It is addicting.
I guess the main point of this post is that if I can do it anyone can do it! For real. In my case Lisa has helped me soooo much, but all of the info can be found on the internet and literally I have learned that it is not that hard to lose weight. Food prep is important, and knowing healthy alternatives is helpful too .If you sit down at the computer there are tones of resources.
I have learned a lot from livestrong.com.
and sparkpeople.com
I have also read a couple of other bloggers who I have found especially inspiring. First is a girl I know from church before I got married,
 Kamry Low: http://jklow.blogspot.ca/2012/04/biggest-loser-challenge.html
 and another lady from Utah who has an adorable blog
Shelley Smith, :http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/2012/01/weight-loss-journey-from-beginning.html. Both of these reads I found very helpful!
So there it is down 18 pounds in three months and just a few more to go. I figure I will still have a crinkly stretched out  flabby round stomach but hopefully people will now quit asking me if I am pregnant!
Also one more thing to mention. I was not a horrid eater prior to meeting with Lisa, but I just had no idea about dieting at all. I loved to snack on candies and mostly just ate cold cereal. This past week when we were on vacation, I was somewhat careful, but definitely had to eat fast food and ate my fair share of snacks. I can not believe how gross it all made me feel. I sooooo prefer the way I feel eating healthier. I thought people were so full of it when they used to tell me that. Now I know they were not lieing-hahah. I also feel that part of my success is that I still drink Diet Pepsi(I know a lot of people will groan if they read this, but it has helped me).
I still have a ways to go and need to work on toning up and stamina, but I need to remind myself that I have come along way and that there is SCIENCE to losing weight and that ANYONE can do it.

So here is where I was.. A bit depressing looking at the stomach I will never have again, and the pregnant stomach I hope to never know again, but this will show you what 75 lbs looks like(this was actually 5 weeks before Cooper was born-my body aches just looking at this picture)
Now here is what my stomach currently looks like:)

(a pic off the internet...I didn't have the "guts" to show my own-hahahaha but pretty much this is EXACTLY what my tummy looks like) BTW, this chick is a size 3 and weighs 125lbs-crazy hey? If you want to read her hilarious "vain" blog about getting a tummy tuck her link is http://www.lifeinabluezoo.com/2011/06/gettin-skinny-friday-1-year-since-my.html)

 Now I just need a proper pic of me now, but I never seem to be in front of the camera. Soon....maybe...
So there you have it. I am pretty determined to lose the rest of the weight I have packed on and establish a healthier lifestyle. I hear stories from Shane everyday about really sick elderly people who can not take care of themselves and it really does make me want to take better care of myself now to make sure that doesn't happen in the future!