Weddingbee boards

Hello, Ladies! So figure I'd better clarify right away that I am a REAL person, not some advertiser.. After becoming engaged, I immediately wanted to start wedding dress shopping. As a 5'6 and 215 lbs 21 year old.. it was not pretty. I decided I wanted to change this, and started slow at first. I began walking for at least 30 minutes a day, switched to whole grain and low fat, eliminated as much sugar as possible and ate more fruits and vegetables. I also started using our Bowflex and attending Jazzercise classes 2 or 3 times a week. Counting calories also kept me aware of just how much I was putting into my body. I'm proud to say that my journey from this May to now, 8 months later, I have lost 60lbs and now weigh a healthy 155 lbs! :) I've never felt better. I'm no expert, but I'm happy to answer anyone's questions and pass on a little information and motivation.

Thank you all for your congratulations.. I'm so much happier now! I would like to lost another 10-20lbs before my October wedding, so I'm still on my journey, but am proud of how far I've come. As for before and after photos, I did not take any "official" ones, but I'm sure I can put a couple together for the sake of the thread :). Noritake22, I did try out the shape-up shoes hoping they would help tone my lower body and burn a few more calories; unfortunately, they were very uncomfortable and made my toes fall asleep after only having them on for a couple minutes. I would like to try the ones by reebok, and will post a thread if I do and whether I would recommend them. Thanks again everyone! Any of you hoping to lose weight, I just want you to know you CAN do it, and if you believe you can too you WILL! :)

So I thought I'd post a few easy things I incorporate into my lifestyle to promote healthy weightloss.. First of all, excercise is important. It doesn't need to be an extreme plan, even just going for a walk or jog is great! I love Jazzercise because I like to dance and I like that it also involves strength training (and no one there judges you! ) As for food.. I just ate half a brownie. :) Haha, I'm telling you this because I want you to know that I do allow myself to eat sweets, BUT I eat them way differently now. Smaller portions, try to pick the "healthiest" alternative, and eat them as a treat.. not a snack. If you eat something that tastes so darn good when your hungry and need a snack, you'll eat way more than you need/want to. It's easier not to dig into that pan of brownies when I know after dinner I will get to eat a half a brownie. Food basics: sweet potatoes (instead of white potatoes), whole wheat pasta, whole wheat breads, lean meats (chicken, steak, venison, fish), skim milk, light sour cream/cheese/cottage cheese (skim dairy to me tastes GROSS, milk i can tolerate though since I only use it on cereal), original shredded wheat cereal which I add 1/4 tsp cinnamon and one packet splenda, apples, bananas, broccoli, smuckers natural peanut butter (must be stirred and refridgerated, but delicioius), raw almonds (sometimes I drizzle some honey on them and eat them as a sweet and healthy snack). Basic guidelines are go whole grain/wheat, cut the fat, nix as much sugar as possible, fiber is GOOD, more veggies and fruit. I use a lot of my same recipes but use sauces with less sugar, sodium, and fat. Any other questions about what I eat on a daily basis or brands i reccomend, feel free to ask. :)

""""""So here are a few pictures.. I had gone through the computer and deleted almost every picture of me from when I was heavier because I hated the way I looked, so I only have a couple of pictures. The last is of me at Halloween at about 175lbs. My most recent pictures are at my fiance's graduation and Christmas, and my fmil has them, so I will post them once I get a hold of her. UGH!!!!! I hate this pictures so you ladies better appreciate them! lol""""""

I tried to post some pictures but they were denied because of size.. anyone know how I can fix it?