What a difference a year makes

and the 17 Day Diet!!

Kent and I started a weight loss journey February 4, 2011.  (He actually started a week before me).  We both were at a point in our life where we were just FAT!  We needed to change and changed we did!  We have both changed so much in our lives and we feel GREAT! The 17 day diet isn't so  much a diet as a LIFE change.  You have to change the way you eat, the things you eat and you MUST exercise to get thin and stay thin.  There is NO easy fix!  So we set out to change the food we eat and continue that for a life time.  So if anyone is interested in a great book to motivate you and get the weight off, I highly recommend the 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno.  However, you have to want it!  Its not easy to change the way you eat.  We live in a fast food nation.  You can pick up almost anything on every corner on every street.  You have to change the way you look at food and what you want to put in your body.  We are now eating to live instead of living to eat.  We both are big eaters and we love food, GOOD food.  We ate BIG portions and comfort type food.  Now we eat healthy choices and small portions.  I still cook some of those comfort foods but I change up the directions to use a better choice of ingredients.  We eat a lot of fish and veggies and less red meat and carbs.  Are plan is to live a long healthy life and watch our children grown and hopefully be around to see our grandchildren. 

 The first picture of me is from the first of January 2011.  I should have taken a picture of me the day I started my diet, but I hated pictures of me and I usually cropped every picture to more of a head shot.  So this is what you get.  Anyway, I was at 222.4 lb  when I started 2/4/11, and 1 year later I range from 160.0-163.0 lbs.  I am not done yet, I still have another 20-25 lbs to go.  I am still a work in progress.  During the last year I participated in the Mach 1 5k mud run and the 10k Santa Run.  I have NEVER been a runner and probably will never have the runner high.  However, I will say I felt Great after each of those accomplishments.  I think my next goal is the Disney 1/2 marathon next January 2013. Its amazing what a little determination will do for you.  

Now look at this guy, would ya?  H-O-T!!!  Yep, he looks better now then the day we married.  I am so proud of him.  He was 260.0 lbs in February 2011 and now is 172.0-174.0 lbs.  Amazing!  He will be doing the Mach 1 5k Mud Run with me this year and I am so excited to do this together! He has some personal goals this year as well.  Some of which are to really start exercising and building muscle. and tightening.  He has reached his goal weight and now is on to maintaining and strengthening. 

Wow, what a difference a year makes!