NOTE: This post is long, photo heavy and contains before and after type weight loss pictures. Consider yourself forewarned! 
The photo shoot is in the books and I think it went very well! I’ll post more about that experience when I actually have the pictures to post this weekend. I can’t wait to see them all perfected. I saw a few shots on the camera and couldn’t believe that was me.
Anyway, I titled this “final” results because these results are only “final” to my year with the Lean Eating program. I will continue to follow the guidelines and do things I learned in the program. My weight loss journey is not done and my body is still very much a work in progress. I’m still actively trying to lose fat. I’ll take about that in another post too.
I’m posting these pictures because I want to show what a year of real weight loss has looked like for me. If one person reads this who is in the position I was in a year ago and decides to do something to change their lives as a result, I will be ecstatic.
Before Pregnancy, At My "Best"
As a reference, I wasn’t a “skinny girl” before I had the baby. Never have been, never will be, not my goal. My smallest weight in recent memory was 137 in this picture. I’ve never really defined myself by a weight because I tend carry a lot of muscle. I was athletic though and happy with the way I looked in my clothing. I consistently wore size small or XS and stayed in the size 4-6 range at all stores. My body fat was about 23% as measured by BodPod. I wanted to get that down to 20% but I was generally satisfied with the way I looked. I realize 137 is not a low weight for some people – especially those who are 5’3, but for me it worked.
I lost my ever-loving mind during pregnancy and the end result can be seen here. These are my initial progress shots from Lean Eating. I was 4 months postpartum here and weighed 199lbs. I weighed 235 at delivery and 217lbs six weeks later when I went back to work. That was it for the easy effortless post-pregnancy weight loss. Nothing “just fell off” me after having a baby – even with nursing. I pretty much got right back on the diet/exercise horse 6 weeks after having Lewis. I lost 15 lbs by the time I started Lean Eating putting me at the pictured 199lbs.
Not pretty huh? I remember smiling when I took the front shot because I hate how everyone always looks so freaking depressed in their before and after shots. Taking these pictures was the first time I really looked at myself and my new body. I wasn’t smiling anymore when I saw the playback on my camera. Who was that?!? The back fat offended me the most. I mean the stomach was bad but I had recently had a baby. The back fat was just a reminder of how out of control I let the whole pregnancy thing get.
So I did Lean Eating for six months with good results. I wasn’t always focused but I learned a lot. I hit weight loss plateaus, I had “I’m tired of working this hard” weeks. In the end though, I lost about 22 pounds (final weight of 177lbs) but a good amount of inches (17 inches) and body fat. That’s not earth shattering weight loss over 6 months, but it is pretty reflective of how I like to lose weight. I choose not to go the starve yourself route. I’d rather exercise intensly, build muscle and eat in such a way that I maintain a moderate caloric deficit. I also feel like you look better when all is said and done when you focus on weight training while you lose weight instead of doing only cardio.
My first round of Lean Eating ended in mid-July and I decided to do the program again. I lost about 4 more pounds in the month before round 2 even though I wasn’t putting in 100% effort. I knew I would want to come out guns blazing again when the program restarted so I took my chance to be a bit more moderate with weight loss. I never ever ever let up on exercise, but I did allow more treats and carby foods to creep into my diet. The shots below were my new baseline Lean Eating pictures at the start of the program in August.
I attacked this second round of Lean Eating with great fervor. I set a 6×6 goal for myself to lose 6 pounds every month for 6 months. I was quite successful with that goal at the beginning but ran into a few snags as the holidays came up. Overall though, I was much more compliant to the program the second time around.
I feel like things really clicked and my nutrition habits improved a great deal. I did better with eating clean whole foods and vegetables at every meal (yes – even breakfast!). I figured out my fullness cues and stopped eating so much at each meal. I realized 5-6 meals a day wasn’t necessary for me so I cut that down to 4 meals a day. I didn’t change my exercise routine at all this 6 months (running 3x a week, CrossFit 3x a week). I did start training for half marathons so my running mileage increased some. I averaged maybe 15 miles a week.
I would say the results this time around were a lot better. Saturday was my final weigh-in and I weighed in at 138.5lbs for a total loss of 34.5lbs. I lost just shy of 20 inches overall. To be fair, my actual weight today is probably around 142 but all the trickery with water, sodium and carbohydrates from last week had the desired effect of removing all water weight from the equation. As a result, I looked my best and weighed my lowest on Saturday when these pictures were taken.
| 01/16/2010 | 08/07/2010 | 01/22/2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 199 | 173 | 138.5 |
| Neck | 14 | 13.1 | 12.8 |
| Shoulder | 45.2 | 44.3 | 41.3 |
| Chest | 40.2 | 37 | 35.6 |
| Upper Arm | 13.4 | 12.2 | 11.5 |
| Waist | 37.2 | 32.9 | 28 |
| Hip | 46.3 | 42 | 37 |
| Thigh | 26.3 | 24.4 | 21.5 |
| Calf | 17 | 15.9 | 14.5 |
So that’s what can happen in a year. Pretty amazing huh? I know it isn’t easy and I know it can seem like it takes forever. It isn’t easy to look at 1lb/week weight loss (my average for this year) and feel great about it. What you can feel great about is losing 55lbs in a year when most people gain some weight every year. Lasting results don’t usually come quickly but if you consistently exercise and practice good nutrition habits great things can happen over time.
YOU LOOK GREAT!!! Thanks for being so transparent with your journey. When I saw your current back picture, all I could say was “WOW!”
I *loathed* that back fat. Good riddance to that and hello to fitted shirts again!
Kia u look awesome! And either u have those undies in 3 sizes or those are awesome undies! Lol. Keep up the good work!
Chasing my baby around and us dancing every day has been a good work out for us. I’ve lost 20lbs in the past few weeks and I’m sure I can attribute it to that.
Thanks! Nah, I just wore sleep shorts in the first set. The bikini bottoms in the next two sets are actually the same Size L pair I picked up from Old Navy. They are just way too big now!
OMG, you look AWESOME!!!! I’m blown away by how different the back of your thighs look. Congratualations on all your hard work paying off!!
I know right? I have big legs and I’ve always had some cellulite but the smaller I get the less noticeable it is.
Kia this absolutely incredibly awesome! I am so proud of you, encouraged by you, and a tiny bit envious of your journey
. You look great and I am thankful for your post as I sit here 6 weeks post pregnancy attempting to figure out my plan of attack. This post should win some sort of award, thanks for sharing and MOTIVATING! That one person you mentioned above, yeah that would be ME!
Thanks Fergie! That really means a lot. Never beat yourself up because having a baby is hard on your body. You are still recovering and healing and you’re exhausted on top of that. Do what you can when you can and don’t beat yourself up! Just remember that it isn’t wrong to take some time for you and don’t sit around eating ice cream and Cheetos!
That’s so inspiring! Thank you for sharing the photos. You look fantastic!
Excuse me Miss Thang! You look incredible, amazing, terrific, awesome. My jaw dropped when I saw the last set of photos. you did a complete 180. You look like a bodybuilder! Seeing is believing. I am inspired. You have given me the confidence to post my before pics.
Thanks lady! Post ‘em up. Let’s show them what the mommies can do when we put our minds to it!
So, so INSPIRING! Thanks for sharing. You’re journey is motivating me even more to complete mine.
Fabulous!
Oh, congrats on the RLAM feature, too!
Winks & Smiles,
Wifey
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Thanks for sharing your story and your success with us!
All I can say is “GIIIIIIRRRRRRRLLLLLLLLLL!!!!” That transformation is just….amazing. Even your face looks different! You are awesome, and so inspiring!
You look great! You have made some wonderful progress and you should definitely be proud of yourself.
Wow! You look great. Congratulations.
I am new to this site but came across it at the right time. Your weightloss journey is so inspiring! I am at a point where I am so disgusted by the way I let my body get out of control. I had 3 babies back to back and just didn’t put in the work to keep it tight. I don’t weigh a lot so I consider myself to be a skinny fat girl because the fat has collected in noticeable areas. Anyway, thank you so much for this post. Lemme get off my butt and get it going.
I’ve always wished I had a chance to experience the “skinny” part of that at one time in my life LOL. But anyone can relate to not being happy with your body. I can only imagine it is harder to come to terms with things if you’ve always been thin and never had to work on your weight throughout your life.
Thank you for sharing! Wow…
Keyalus ~
You look amazing. And I am going to stop procrastinating with my workouts and step it up. Thanks for the inspiration!
That is an inspiring story. You are motivating me to keep pushing to get to my own weight loss/fitness goals! You look amazing and I so appreciate you sharing everything – back fat and all!
Enjoy your new healthier physique and the amazing photos I know you took. Thanks again!
Oh I see you on Twitter lady! You are doing it! I feel a little slack compared to your 2-3 workouts every day.
Wow, you look amazing ad I love the fact that it is a lifestyle for you. Before and after picts are both beautiful , how ever you look healthy and fit and that is real beauty. So proud of you. Finally got around to posting some before and now picts myself. I am now working on my after. I lost about 55lbs last year too, now I am trying to reduce body fat, can use your help with taking measurements.
Thanks! I’ll send you some info about the measurement standards I use!
Thanks so much for posting this, it has really inspired me to jump start my fitness plan. Glad I found your blog through RLAM
Keep up the good work!!
Thanks and good luck!
Wow, such an awesome post, so happy to have found you through RLAM. Looking forward to following your journey in 2011.
Thanks for being so inspiring
I’m so dancing a jig for you right now!!! I know how you felt.. when you mentioned the program before I bookmarked it and signed up for their newsletter..
Congrats on your journey.. You look amazing..
You look fantastic! I guess now it’s about time for baby #2
I wish I could afford a surrogate. I have a feeling it is going to be a while. I want no parts of pregnancy right now. I’m feeling extra selfish and want my whole body to myself.
I just started reading your blog, and I’m so glad I have! I am on a weight loss journey too, I gained too much weight during my first pregnancy, and as soon as I lost it all, got pregnant again. I am now your exact height/weight, and am doing weight watchers and running long distances and lifting weights. I am almost to my goal, and looking at your pictures made me realize that I might look as good as you do right now! Thanks for the boost.
Good for you! Were you able to not gain as much weight the second time around? I have no intention of getting pregnant anytime soon but it will be a different ballgame if I do. It is just way to hard to lose a lot of weight!
I definitely didn’t gain as much weight the second time. Only 22 pounds! I didn’t do many things differently, except I was taking care of a toddler, and I was in better shape when I got pregnant. I was also obviously a lot more aware of what I was eating, since the repercussions of the first pregnancy were really difficult. It was SO much easier to lose the weight the second time!
Been lurking since the Blogger Secret Santa put you on my radar, but I had to come out for this post.
Wow ! You look amazing. The fact that you did this in just a year while being a new mother, wife and working too just makes it that more impressive ! Thanks for having the courage to post pics in a swimsuit no less. You can read abouts pounds lost and measurements all day long, but that just doesn’t have the same impact. This is very motivating to me, because I know what I look like naked and I am not pleased. LOL!
I need to get in gear. I know what it takes, but this post makes it seem more attainable. Congratulations Lady ! I can’t wait to see the professional pics.
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Catching up on your blog and just now seeing this post. Congratulations! What an incredible journey you’ve been on and I can only imagine the inspiration you’ve given to others. Way to go!
YOU.ARE.MY.INSPIRATION.
i swear your story is such an inspiration..i had a baby in january and have lost most of the weight, but for my height 5’2 i’m still a bit on the heavy side (196)… can you share more about the lean eating program? i am just having a hard time staying motivated and disciplined.. it’s so frustrating.
Thanks. I know how it is – believe me. I’ll send you an email about the program!
Browsing your site and saw this post. Amazing! Congrats to you for sticking to it. You are truly an inspiration.
Congratulations on your weight loss! you look amazing!