a story -

there once was a girl who wanted to live a healthy lifestyle.

so, on October 11, 2010, she began her weight loss journey. she knew it was going to be a long process, but she was determined. she began eating better and exercising more.

sometimes, it was a bit overwhelming. but, with the love and support of her amazing husband and family and friends, she continued. yes, sometimes she gave in to her temptations. she didn't have it all figured out. she still struggled, but at least she was trying.

sometimes it was very hard. the girl kept going, though. one day at a time. one decision at a time. and she celebrated the little victories.

after awhile, she started to notice a few things. her clothes were fitting a bit looser. the number on the scale was getting smaller. even her face was beginning to change.

one month after this journey began, she went to the doctor. the nurse called her back and asked her to step on the scale. the girl prayed it would say what she had hoped it would say. she waited for the number to flash onto the screen.

the number that came on the screen told the girl she had lost 13 pounds in 1 month! she couldn't help but smile. all her hard work was paying off. she was actually doing it.

her husband was so proud of her, that he promised that after she lost another 10 pounds, she would get a new winter coat. hello, motivation.

month two was a bit harder. she got sick one weekend, which prevented her from working out. also, the excitement of starting this journey was waning. the newness of it all, the excitement of starting a new journey was fading fast. and then there was this little thing we all like to call, Thanksgiving. but she did her best to make good decisions. she lost some more weight, gained some back, and maintained the weight she was at. she was feeling a bit discouraged, but was determine to keep losing.

on december 11, 2010, exactly two months after she started her weight loss journey, she stepped on the scale again. to her excitement, she saw she had lost a total of 22 pounds since she had started. she was so excited. the second digit of the number on the scale hadn't been that small in a long time. in fact, she couldn't remember the last time it had been that small. since she had started, she had seen 4 different numbers in that second spot of that 3-digit number, and this was the lowest one yet.

ok, yes, this girl is me. when i started, i had set a goal to lose 30 pounds by my friend, Paige's, wedding - that's about 10 pounds a month. i have less than a month to lose 8 pounds in order to reach my goal. and i am 1.5 pounds away from getting my coat.

setting these small goals has been very helpful. i have a goal every month: 10 pounds. i have a 3 month goal: 30 pounds by the wedding and looking good in my bridesmaid dress. :D and i have smaller goals, with rewards: 10 pounds = a new coat. after the wedding, my next goal will be my brother's wedding in may, as well as setting smaller goals with rewards along the way. setting these goals for myself keeps me motivated and the rewards give me something to work towards. losing weight and getting healthy are definitely rewards in and of themselves. but since i have a lot of weight to lose, it can feel overwhelming and like it's going to take me forever to get my "reward." so the little rewards along the way (that don't involve food) are very helpful.

so, that is my story so far. there is still much more to be written.

i still have struggles.

i still have a long ways to go to get to my goal weight - but i am about 1/5 of the way there - that's HUGE (no pun intended. ha)!

i still have fears.

i still don't have this all figured out - i am still learning, growing, researching, trying new things, and trying to figure out what a healthy lifestyle means and looks like for me and my family.

thanks for reading my story and celebrating with me.

love,

lauren