Photos of my progress

This is continued from We’re all naked under our clothes…

For real…you’ve been warned.  Again, I will not be held responsible for nightmares or visual impairment problems that result from viewing these photos.

Ready?

So, here is my before photo:

Kidding!  That was my WAY BEFORE photo.  That was taken a week before I gave birth.  Yes, I made my husband take photos of me in that exact pose every week.  He was thrilled! 

Anyway, that’s just to get you warmed up.  See all that skin on my belly?  That’s what I had to deal with.  I carried Claire nearly completely in front.  I know some women aren’t so lucky when it comes to pregnancy, but that’s how it was for me.  When I turned to the side, I would startle complete strangers who were walking behind me and hadn’t noticed that I waddled.

And, here’s a little more info about how far I’ve really come:

I was a size 2/4 before getting pregnant with Claire.  (When I was in Weight Watchers, I went from a size 20+ to a size 2/4…so that gives you some idea of the work that has already taken place.  I lost 40 lbs and kept it off for over 2 years before getting pregnant with Claire.)  After I had Claire in November 2005, I snapped back pretty quickly to a size 8.  And, I stayed there.  My hips physically moved after that whole process, so I never thought I’d be in anything smaller than an 8, and I was okay with that.

I got my weight back down to where I wanted it be, and I was okay with that.

But, that’s when I decided I wanted to tone.

Enter the 30 Day Shred.

Now, after a month of the Shred, I’m back into my size 6’s and some of them are feeling loose.

Maybe there’s a size 4 in my future after all?

Okay…I’ve thought long and hard about posting these photos.  I mean, I feel like I’m a work in progress, and out of context, they’re still not where I want to be.  BUT, I am SO HAPPY with the results so far!

So, without further ado, here they are.  Be gentle.  The thought of raising my shirt in public makes me queasy, so let’s make this quick.

Here are the results:

Quite a change, huh? These are not photoshopped in any way, as you can see by the sunburn I got yesterday!!

I’m not signing up to model any swimsuits, but I can’t stress enough how impressed I am with the 30 Day Shred.  And, anyone who has done it or is in the middle of it will tell you that the 30 Day Shred is just part of the story.  I made the effort to do it every day.  I summoned my Inner Yoda.  I’m going to try not to hurt myself patting myself on the back. 

So, what’s next?  I’m going to keep on going!  I am starting the 30 Day Shred over!  I can’t wait to see if I can keep up with Natalie all through Level 1 now.  I haven’t decided if I’ll do a couple days at each level, or if I will just mix it up a bit, but I will definitely keep doing this, and my goal is to do 20-minutes a day.

After all, tomorrow is Day 31 of the 30 Day Shred…

And, maybe after a while, this will be my new “before” photo:

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