HERE THEY ARE!

AAAHHHH!!!! These are so scary, but here they are in all their not so shiny glory!

Ok so here are my starting stats as of the day these pics were taken which was Monday, November 24, 2008:
Weight: 246 lbs.
Height: 5' 7"
Waist: 48 inches
Hips: 50 inches
Bicep: 13 inches
Upper Thigh: 26 inches
Neck: 14.5 inches
Chest (under breasts): 42 inches
Overarm: 57 inches


Ok, So I am sure for many of you, there is some overwhelming feelings of yuckiness in your throat right now! AND BY ALL MEANS YOU SHOULD BE GROSSED OUT!

These pics are nasty and this is why I want to change my lifestyle! I AM NOT ON A DIET! I AM CHANGING MY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD AND WITH EXERCISE!! This is a very important thing to keep in mind. Carl told us that the word "diet" is off limits for us to say and I totally agree!

We need to remember that this is a change I want to make on a long term level. I mean I have committed the next 12 months MINIMUM to making this change and losing the weight. This is a true commitment on my part because I want to have more for my family and I by being healthy enough to not have to depend on caffeine for my energy.

I want to be able to go hiking with my kids, running and playing paintball with my kids, swimming with my kids! Do you know that I have not been to a public swimming pool in a bathing suit in over 10 years! No, I am not lying! And the reason why is
because I am so embarrassed about how I look and feel and my kids are getting old enough that they are picking up on my dislike of my own body.

This makes me think about the messages I am sending out to my kids. I make sure I keep my children VERY active in a lot of activities because I do not want them to develop the lazy habits that I have taken up. I want them to stay healthy and not increase their chance of heart disease and diabetes which runs in my family already! I want our family to develop a heritage of choosing to stay healthy and fit and not just luck into it. Most people who are thin are that way by choice.

You know it is more then just thin, it is healthy! I don't care if they are thin per say as long as they are healthy! I am not healthy at this point. Oh, I may have great cholesterol and blood pressure FOR NOW, but what about next year, or in 5 years, or in 10 years? What about then? With my weight like it is now, I am a ticking time bomb for any number of things to go wrong!

Sorry, not trying to preach! Everyone has their own reason for doing what they do and for me, FOOD was my comfort! I ate because I felt that this was all I was able to control in my life at times! I am beginning more then just a weight loss routine, I am on a journey of self discovery and for me that is the most important part! Oh, do not mistake, I still have issues with food and why I choose to eat the amounts that I do, BUT at least I am taking those steps to work it out AND CARL PARKER IS A HUGE PART OF THAT!!! Just like my nutrionist Joyce, and my doctor, Dr. Shaun Shertluff!!

I WANT TO BE THE BEST MOM AND WIFE I CAN POSSIBLY BE!!! And this is what will help me to do that! I look forward to sharing more with you all and PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS!! But please keep them positive ok! This was and is really hard for me to do...putting the pictures out that is! It is really scary and I know that I am not the fittest person you have ever seen which is why I am doing this and I can only hope that I am able to inspire some of you to live a more healthy lifestyle too!


Michelle 11-30-2008