Before & After

My life of "dieting" has been a series of before & afters.

Before I was a chubby kid.
After I grew out of it.

Before I had my son.
After I had my son.

Before I was married.
After I was married.


I used my befores & afters as excuses. You know..."it was so much easier to lose the weight before I turned 40" or "I'll start dieting after the holidays." That kind of stuff. While some of it was true, I still needed to adapt my choices along with the changes in life.

I think in terms of before & after now too. BBL and ABL (Before Biggest Loser & After Biggest Loser.)

BBL I was what I would now call a summer dieter. Summer the time I was good, summer the time I was bad. (-: But mostly, I kept losing & finding the same 5-10 pounds.

This wooden figure would pretty much sum it up. Believe it or not, a few months ago I found this in the middle of the street while walking my dog. I know God uses subtlety sometimes to give us a message we need...this was not one of those times. I actually looked up & laughed.

A "sign" indeed. I hung it next to my fridge.

ABL, I don't think in terms of "good" and "bad." I think in terms of health and the benefits it brings me to make good nutrition choices.

Can you change your life in a week? Yup. I believe I did.

I needed the "yes you can!" affirmation for myself. I had had a defeatest attitude. 35 pounds was a LOT to lose (for me. I realize that your mountain may be higher - but this is my mountain, and it's been a struggle for years). I remember crying when we were in the pet store when I realized the huge bag of dog food I was struggling to carry was the exact amount of weight I had to lose. So, I went home and had some ice cream. Cuz it was a summer diet.

I'd get really "gung ho" for a week and weigh & measure everything. Like, even my lettuce. Then I'd see a loss of a pound (or point 6) and get discouraged and give up. I would think, "If it's going to be so HARD just to lose OUNCES, why bother?" And have some ice cream.

I was unhappy that my clothes didn't fit and that I didn't feel good about myself, but I wasn't really willing to work for it to make it better.

I saw the opportunity to spend a week in Malibu as a way to force myself to focus on me and the things I needed to do to get my thinking straight. It was one of the greatest things I've ever done for myself. I've never gone clear across the country all alone for no other reason than to help myself. It was one of the best investments I've ever made. It made me realize my body is meant to do so much more than what I had been doing with it. It made me realize I could eat healthily & still be satisfied. It made me realize that I didn't have to eat from dinner to bedtime (and it successfully broke my nighttime eating habit.) I felt GREAT when I was there, great when I left, and I now KNOW I can do this. Who cares if it's slow? It's happening. Time is going to pass anyway (as a mother of a teenage son I am painfully aware of how quickly time can go) so it might as well pass while I'm doing something good for myself. This quote reflects my "after" attitude:

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it.  The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.  ~Earl Nightingale


After a week home, I've lost another one and a half pounds. I've chosen healthy foods and incorporated them into our family meals (allowing one night off for my boys to have pizza while I chomped on a delicious salad) and I've exercised four times this week. I have to say I am a "ZUMBA" addict and would go every night if I could. 400 calories in one hour! Love it. There is no price I can put on the knowledge and confidence I gained from Malibu, and I am forever grateful for everyone there who touched my life in a positive way. I don't want to undo all the good I did in California. And it's given me a drive to succeed like I never had before.

Life is busy and crazy and hectic BUT I can still make choices that are good for me - like planning out my meals (one day at a time!) and finding time for exercise. Because I am a better wife, mother, boss and friend when I am feeling better about myself.

So, I am after my before and before my next after picture, and that's just fine with me.

Excuse me while I take this exit (-: