The beginning Month 1

Ever since I was a little girl I had poor eating habits. My family was very poor growing up and so therefore anything and everything we could afford as far as food was seen as a blessing. I still see things this way and therefore it is very hard for me to spend a lot of money on groceries. But the "food is a blessing, eat what you've got" frame thought didn't do my body well growing up. I love food, I love good food and I love to eat it. Also, I love my body and so I sometimes see through rose colored glasses when looking at myself and so I don't recognize the weight and body changes until I step on the scale or try to button my jeans. My Mommy always told me how beautiful I was and I carried that with me through my whole life. It wasn't until AFTER high school when I started to realize that I was larger than I thought because women who were insecure with their own selves would make comments that would make me think twice about myself and my size. 
When I was a teenager I was as small as my body could get and I proudly wore my size 4 jeans. I also loved to work out and lived on white rice, coffee and (sadly) cigarettes. Its funny how when you are so young you can live on a diet like that and your body doesn't pay the consequence until you are older. Ugh. 
Before I had my son when I was 20 years old I was at my smallest weight. 121 lbs. size 4 pants. After I had him I went down to a small weight again pretty fast, but in my pregnancy I gained 50 lbs and was just about at the 200 lb mark when I had him.  I started smoking again afterwards and I also followed the Atkins Diet and so my weight went down pretty quickly. I was at about 140 but looked healthy and felt good. 
I finally quit smoking and then I had my daughter about 5.5 years later and gained another 50lbs with her, just pushing 200 lbs again when I gave birth. My daughter was 10 lbs 12 oz.! and so my body was stretched to its limit! Ever since that time I have struggled with my weight up and down. I have never gone under 170 lbs since that time and I have worked out SO hard, did different types of diets and all I could lose was about 10 lbs max, but always putting it back on very easily and very quickly. 

Now in my mid 30's I am still struggling with this weight that I have let hang on for so long. My daughter is now 8 and so I am no longer trying to get rid of my "baby weight", this weight is obviously baby weight plus 5 lbs packed on every year since I had my daughter. Sadly at one point I was 188 lbs. Maybe higher. 
So Ive prayed and I started learning about what is healthy and what is unhealthy for my body. I started to really realize what harm crappy food can do to my body and now I am on a new journey to health. I am not calling my new journey a "diet" because it is not, It is creating a healthier life for myself. 
Ive started Shaklee's 180 protein shakes. and I want to track my journey here. I have such belief in this product because it has changed so many peoples lives not only weight wise, but health wise. I know that what I am putting into my body every day is not only helping with my weight loss, but it is also so healthy for me and helping everything else in my body! I have never felt so confident that I would maybe one day wear a bikini again AND be down to a healthy weight. 1 month in and 7 lbs down. Im praying hard, trusting God for wisdom and discernment and doing my best not to give up.

So here it goes! 
I started the health plan of Shaklees shakes with 1 a day in February 2014. 
I started Shaklees health plan of two shakes a day and healthier eating on April 7th 2014. 
Starting weight : 183
Lowest weight: 175.6 on Shaklee
Loss: 7.4 lbs

current inches (May 7th 2014) (can't find my original measurements) 
Thigh: 21.5
Calf: 14.5
Hips: 42
Waist: 38
Chest: 39.5
Neck: 14.5
Arms: 13

July 2013

Current (May 2014)