The picture to the upper left is from 2000 the other two are dated 2011.
I have not always been over-weight. With my last baby I gained 75 pounds. After the birth did not lose all of the weight, in fact through the years I put more on. I was embarrassed about my weight so, I stayed away from people, stayed inside and ate more. The final straw was my sister celebrated her 40th birthday and I did not go for fear of old friends seeing me. Whether they would or would not have recognized me was not the issue. Either way I would have been equally humiliated. I am normally out-going and fun. I had turned into someone I didn't know. I had 90 pounds to lose. How did I let this happen? What I did know is I was sick and tired of feeling the way I did. Sick and tired of looking the way I did. Deep down I knew I was avoiding feelings and issues. I didn't know how to deal with many of them or if I even wanted to. Sometimes I didn't even realized I was troubled about something.But I found myself running to the refrigerator or cabinet and sought out temporary comfort with food. I was (am) a emotional eater. The day had come...I was ready to deal with it ALL. I was now in control of my life. This is where it all changes.

Here's how I've done it: The old fashioned way, diet and exercise. No surgery, no pills.I need to say that the very first thing you need to do before you can successfully loose weight is to think better about yourself. It's very important no matter what to accept yourself as you are. I didn't say you had to be happy with your appearance but accept it...as temporary. After all YOU ARE MORE THEN YOUR WEIGHT. Understand? You are much more than that.

My motivation has been the desire to look sexy once again, to wear cute clothes. It was the hardest (to stick to proper eating and exercising) in the beginning. Remember it takes the average person 21 days to form a new habit. Again, it isn't always what you WANT to do, but it is what you MUST do. Only you can do this, no one else has the power. Be strong and make your self a priority too. I know you probably have a busy life but You MUST find time for YOU!

Here's what I did initially. After this diet stopped working, I changed to low carb. Be accepting and loving of yourself as a whole, as you are today. This is the hardest lesson for so many of us. Celebrate every accomplishment regardless of how trivial you might think they are. Whether it is a 1/2 pound or a 10 pound loss be equally as happy, because that weight is now gone...forever! If you fall short one day, or two do not beat yourself up for it. Give yourself the same margin for error you would others. Changing a lifestyle is not easy but it is possible. Find and surround yourself with support.

I count my fat grams not calories.No more then 20 grams of fat per day. READ THOSE LABELS! Some low fat foods taste really yucky, so find a way to give them flavor. I used spices and since I really like salsa I used a lot of that. You have to drink 64 ounces of water per day. I have water bottle set up in the refrigerator just for me to drink. I set the bottle out where I can see it, on the table all day... After you are done with all that water, and it may take you all day to drink it, there is no room or desire for soda or anything else. I added no salt. .I used Mrs. Dash. I NEVER FRY . I used PAM cooking spray. I eat very lean beef, maybe once a month otherwise it is boneless, skinless chicken, turkey, and fish.

Here is an example of what I ate:
BREAKFAST: A grapefruit ( the red ones) and apiece of toast with peanut butter OR Half a bagel (flavored bagels) with lite cream cheese and coffee. (I used sweet and low) OR One scrambled egg.or hard boiled and coffee OR A bowl or oatmeal or cream of wheat and coffee OR Yoplait "Lite" yogurt, a piece of toast and coffee ( I can't believe its not butter Lite) YOPLAIT is lowest in fat and calories and doesn't taste bad at all LUNCH: Maybe the other half of the morning bagel OR A dish of fruit OR A salad ( I use Wishbones Just 2 Good Ranch dressing topped with Tapatio. Tapatio is a bottled picante sauce) OR Sometimes I'll cook a can of green beans and carrots and eat them. Or maybe imitation crabmeat as a small side dish luch meal. DINNER: I eat NO later then 4:30 P.M. 5:00 at the latest!! A vegatable dish with a salad or sometime fruit. Once in awhile a rice or noodle dish..Not too much and look at the labels get the ones with less fat and the cooking instructions sometimes call for adding butter or margarine. DON'T Baked chicken, sometimes I'd marinade it first OR Baked fish. Either broil it in your broiler wrapped in foil with sliced onion and lemon on it or cook it on the stove using Old Bay Seasoning. You can find it in any market in the seafood section. OR Ground turkey burgers or burritos (use Reduced fat tortillas). **FORGET SODA'S AND FAST FOOD FOR AWHILE!**

SNACKS IF YOU MUST!!! BUT WATCH OUT NOT TO OVER-DO IT!!! Healthy Choice Ice Creams, Quaker Crispy Mini's Apple Cinn. Are my favorite.( NOT RICE CAKES THEY BITE!), Orville Redenbacher's "SMART POP" pop-corn, FRUIT!!!!!, Jenny Craig Lemon Meringue Bars. I LOVE THESE

EXERCISE!! I started and I could only do 7 minutes on the Health-Rider. I did it everyday! Slowly increase the time \.. Listen to your body. Don't over do it but challenge yourself. Now my choice for exercise is primarily Tae-Bo, the advanced tape and 14 minutes on the Ab Slide. Since your body will get used to the same workout day after day, which in turn might cause the weight loss to slow down, switch your workout around. When that happens to me, I just switch from Advanced to Basic TaeBo for a couple days. I was lifting weights at home but I injured my knee doing squats so I decided to wait for the gym to open so I can be supervised. If the weather is good and I really need a change, I will bike ride. I work out at least five days a week.

Any kind of exercise is better then nothing. Even walking is good and you can walk in place right in front of your t.v. Just find something that you enjoy doing or you won't want to continue doing it.