And now that we've met...

So you read my whole little story.  That was the past.  I'm living in the present and have a million goals for the future!

Last week, I started strength training.  I've had a few people to look up to, on this journey.  I have a friend, named Lindsey.  I met her when I was doing HCG.  She is fierce!  She's lost a ton of weight, and now she's a personal trainer!  She's who I mirror my steps after, though I'm not sure I'll follow her entire journey.  (She's currently training to compete in lifting competitions.  Yea, I don't think that's my passion.)

I met with a trainer a week ago, and he laid out a plan of attack for me.  3 days of weight training combined with 30 minutes of cardio, and then 2 days of 60 minutes of cardio.  2 days off.  Every week.  I waited until I'd done an entire week before really talking about it.  My second arm day is tomorrow.  I feel like a fighter when I do my training.  Like I'm rocky or something!  : )

I really enjoy my walks with the puppies though.  The girls and I usually do 3 miles and it's nice to just spend the time with them.  They need the exercise too.  I have a couple of chunky little girls.  : ) Today was walk day.  We did exactly 3 miles.  It was invigorating and nice.  I love the feeling of a good sweat.  When we got home, I gave the girls each a rawhide and I got my cup of coffee (and breakfast).  Now they're resting and I'm about to go shopping!  My absolutely favorite past time!  :)  I do believe shopping is one of the best benefits of losing weight.  I can say oh, this doesn't fit any more.  I need another dress, or some new shoes... etc.  YAY!

Introductions are necessary. Mom taught me to be polite.

Hi there!  I'm Amy.  You found me. I'm 31 and I live in Texas.  This blog will be an outlet for me.  I've been on a weightloss journey for the past 8 years. It started at 420 lbs.  I've worked super hard and I've come a LONG way.  This is for what happens now.

But first, Let me tell you how I got here.

I was always overweight.  I remember being 85 lbs in kindergarten.  We did the President's fitness challenge.  When it was time to be weighed in I saw that I was twice the weight of other any of the other kids.  It was the first time I realized I was overweight.  I remember crying to my mom.  I remember diets, I remember exercise DVDs (Working out with Mickey Mouse, Richard Simmons, and some others).  I remember sneaking food late at night.  I remember finding chocolate in the medicine cabinet.  Guess what, that wasn't chocolate, and I paid DEARLY for it!  LOL!!!  I remember it all.  I remember the clothes that didn't fit, wearing sizes bigger than my parents, and then my grandparents.  I remember the tears, the mean way kids can be, the fact that I became the biggest nerd and band geek.  I met a man and he was the first to show any interest.  He cheated several times and I married him anyways.  I had an extremely low self esteem and thought I could do no better.  When we got engaged, I acted differently than most brides would.  Instead of trying to make my waistline smaller, I ate EVERYTHING in sight.  On my wedding day, I was 420 lbs.  When we were on our honeymoon I decided it was time to change things.  When we got back, I started looking into Lap band and gastric bypass.

After several long months, it was decided that I'd have gastric bypass.  I jumped through all the hoops, all the doctors visits and set the date.  March 27, 2006.  I wanted to wait until after my birthday, incase I died on the table.  (Yea, I'm serious.  I was terrified of that!)  Surgery was rough.  Recovery was rougher.  Slowly the weight was melting off.  I hated admitting that I had taken "the easy way out" but I was proud that it was working.  At some point, I stopped being ashamed of it and realized that it wasn't the easy way out.  I realized that I was working my tail off anyways.  I was down 160 lbs too!

We moved to Texas from Florida in January of 2007.  Less than a year after my surgery.  By June, my husband was up to his cheating ways again.  Then stupid me, I tried to forgive him again, and we bought a house in August!  Stupid Stupid me...  By March of 2008, I was done.  We were fighting constantly and I was so tired.  We separated in September.  I ate (and drank) everything in sight.  I drank coffee to fuel my days, and alcohol to numb my nights.  I didn't want things to turn out that way, but I couldn't stay any more.  I packed on the weight.  By the time my divorce was settled in January of 2009, I was up to 320 lbs.  I had gained 80 back.  I felt like more of a failure.  I was dating someone new and I really shouldn't have been.  It wasn't a healthy relationship and it wasn't good for me.  We only lasted about a year and my aunt passed away, unexpectedly.  Her death made me realize that I had 1 life to live and if I didn't wake up, it'd be over and I'd have wasted it on people that didn't love me.  I left a week later.

I lived with a lady I worked with for a few months, while I figured out my next step.  I remember sitting in her living room with a bottle of water, wrapped in a blanket and just sighing.  For the first time, in years, I was completely alone.  No man in my life.  I was ok with that too!  It was peaceful.  I worked a lot of hours and took some trips to clear my head.  I got my own apartment in March of 2010.  The first night in my own place was the happiest and scariest in my life.  I lived in Houston and didn't know that many people.  I continued to work alot and wasn't really focusing on my health.  I mean, I wasn't gaining anything, I had mostly stopped drinking, but I wasn't trying to reduce my weight.  I was also smoking 2 packs a day.  Picture of health, right?!

In May of 2010, I met Elvis.  I was ready to see what might be out there, but I was very clear.  Lie or cheat and you're history.  I wasn't putting myself through that again.  He and I clicked right away.  Our first date lasted 4 days.  And itbwas only really interrupted because he had plans that couldn't be changed.  We were inseparable and so happy.  I wasn't as stressed and the relationship was so easy.  About 2 months in, I quit smoking.  I didn't feel the need to do it any more.  His support was incredible, even when.I was so mean. 

In December, his Dad made a comment that I was gaining too much weight.  He said it in spanishs though, so I didn't find out about it until later.  I decided to start a low carb diet on January 1, 2011.  I weighed in at 310 lbs.  Over.the course of the year, i'd stick to it for a while and then stop, over and over.  I lost 40 lbs that year.  Late in 2011, I tore my miniscus.  It's a part of your knee.  I had surgery on January 4th, 2012.  It took over a month to recover and I gained about 10 lbs in the process. 

Elvis proposed on May 13, 2012.  I now had a HUGE GOAL of getting into a wedding dress, again.  I wanted to be in one that looked good, not that just fit.  In June, I herniated a disc in my back.  I was numb from the waist down.  It was less than a milimeter from needing surgery.  My doctor was sure that wirh steroids, he could help repair it.  I went on steroids for 2 months.  Right before I did, I bought.my wedding dress.  In a size 16.  Never mind that I was currently a size 20.  I had a mission. 

At the end of the steroids, my back was fixed, but I was as big as a whale!  I had retained so much water that my face looked like it had been stung.  All the while - I was still trying to follow the low carb lifestyle. 

I was on a lot of facebook groups for weight loss and low carb.  One girl kept posting her success on the HCG diet.  After about a month, I decided to give it a try. 

On my first round, I lost over 30 lbs.  On my second I lost almost as much.  I had started at 256.  My first round was 42 days and finished the week of Thanksgiving.  My second round was also 42 days, and started on Christmas day.  My goal was to be 199 on my wedding day in April.  I succeeded.  Infact, my size 16 dress had to be taken in, quite a bit. 

After the honeymoon, I did another round.  My weight loss has slowed dramatically at this point and I'm at 175 today.