Fit Bride, Amber // Progress Pictures

Hi guys. Amber here.
You’ve been an amazing audience during this journey, so patient with my long-winded posts that were sometimes without a single photo!

Well today, I’m excited to finally reveal some of the REAL changes I’m beginning to see in my body.

I recently weighted in less than 200 lbs, a huge milestone for me! In the pictures I think you can definitely see a big difference in my face, especially — not only is it a lot smaller, I have a bigger smile than ever before. Below I share journal entries at 30 lbs and 35 lbs lost. Now I’m past 40!

30 pounds down

I haven’t been under 200 lbs since I was a freshman in college! In fact, I don’t remember the last time I saw a one on the scale! (I entered college in 2002!) That means I haven’t been this small in over 10 years. That’s a HUGE accomplishment!

The thing that is the most interesting is that while writing this I know for a fact that I should be completely proud of the weight I have lost. 32 pounds is a LOT! Especially in the time frame I have lost it and the fact that I have not faltered from my plan. I have not just said “fuck it” (something I used to do all the time) so all in all not only is this the most weight that I have lost, but this is the longest I have stayed focused! Sure, I’ve had a few cheats, but I haven’t had a whole “fuck it” day. I haven’t just said “I am sick of the diet” and cheated! If anything I feel as if I am not really on a diet. I am just trying to make better decisions constantly. I think previously I was trying to make better decisions occasionally.

The main difference is that I almost always eat clean.

If I know that I am going to cheat (Brandon LOVES cheese pizza) I will have an extra workout or just not eat that much! I have even had macaroni and cheese, but I counted the carbs and had less carbs all day to allow for it. It’s amazing that it really is all about balance and making sure to stay within your calorie budget or in my case, the carb budget.

I have been trying to stay away from my family and friends because I wanted them to see me at my goal weight and just be in shock about my weight loss; however my mom recently got sick so I had to see them earlier then expected. The interesting this is that they seemed as if they could barely tell I have been losing weight! (Though they did notice *something* was different!) And here my clothes are falling off of me! My face looks completely different to me. But, instead of being upset that people aren’t noticing and using that as an excuse to cheat or to give up, it’s actually fueling me to lose even more.

2015 is my year! 

Being down 35 pounds honestly makes me feel really proud and grateful to God that I am even in this situation. I mean He is just blessing me left and right and it’s so humbling! My brother always said this about his drinking and for me it’s just seeing how all these things are lining up for me to have the victory. I am on my way to being down 40 pounds! (Insert proud face!) And the best part is, I feel great. I feel really, really good. I have so much energy. I want to work out all the time. There isn’t a day that I don’t want to work out. It’s just like, addicting and since I am losing weight I just want to lose more weight! I am no longer worried with drinking (probably 60% of my weight problem), I look forward to my alone time so I can workout. My life revolves around it and that feels good. (Well, work, too but my free time is now spent working out, not at happy hour!)  I honestly can’t say why it’s all clicked now (I don’t know why I didn’t figure any of this out 10 years ago), but I’m just so happy it did!

2015 is my year! It’s the year that my life changed on so many levels. I remember when I first starting writing these journal entries I used to feel like shit! I used to beat up on myself all the time. And in just 3 months so much has changed. I have lost 35 pounds. My clothes are BAGGY. I’m just so damn happy! Can you tell?

Ta da!

Have you ever hit a milestone recently? How did it make you feel? 

When you’ve lost weight, did it just click? 

JUST JOINING US?

AMBER IS MY SISTER-IN-LAW AND BLOGGING HER WAY TO THE WEDDING. CHECK OUT HER INTRODUCTION, CHECK OUT HER COLUMN, AND FOLLOW HER ON INSTAGRAM!