The first of many

Well, here we go. I'm excited to start this journey with those of you who are interested. I have been asked by numerous friends how I was able to lose all the weight that was hanging around for longer than I care to remember.

First, I must say, it wasn't an overnight thing by any means. It has taken me years to get to where I am now and I'm still not quite where I want to be.

For a brief overview, I started my weight loss journey with Weight Watchers around 10 years ago. At that point I was in an unhappy marriage and weighed in at a whopping 278 lbs. - Yikers. And yes, I do have pictures to prove it for those of you who think "no way!" : )

At that time I was able to lose and keep off 60 lbs. But for some reason, I just stopped there even though the program was working well for me. For the next couple of years I simply maintained that weight.

After I met my current husband and had my first child, I decided to give WW another try and managed to lose another 20 lbs or so until I found out I was pregnant again - with twins! That was and continues to be an experience, wonderful most of the time but it sure has it's moments! It's true what they say that what one doesn't think of, the other one does.

I did continue with WW and managed to get down to around 206 lbs when I found out I was pregnant again. After I had my daughter, I was back up to 239 lbs. As I knew I was not having anymore children, I decided that it was time to get the weight off once and for all.

In 2007, I rejoined WW and proceeded to lose 65 lbs. Obviously I loved the results but still was not completely satisfied with the way my body looked. I came across Tosca Reno's column in "Oxygen Magazine" and picked up her book to give it a read. Everything made so much sense to me that I immediately began the Clean Eating lifestyle.

I was shocked at how quickly the fat simply seemed to melt off of my body especially around my mid section including my butt and hips which have always been my problem areas. My thighs, well they have always been my biggest struggle and still continue to be.

The sugar cravings while I can't say have completely left me, have certainly decreased in intensity (chocolate calls my name a bit too loudly for me to not answer it's call once and awhile!) For someone with a self admitted sweet tooth since childhood, this is quite an accomplishment. That is something I have never found before with ANY plan I have ever tried.

I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Tosca's book "The Eat Clean Diet" and give it a read. You will not be disappointed if you make the commitment to give it a go. I'm not saying it will be as easy as some make it out to be because I think anytime you make a lifestyle change, there will be growing pains. It's just the name of the game. But, if you give it a chance, you WILL see results.

I'm happy to say that I have (at least partially) converted two of my very best friends to at least try the Eat Clean way of eating. I'm hoping that they will be able to stick with it long enough to see what can truly happen to their bodies if they can just bare with it for a little while. I think that the transformation of their bodies will speak more loudly than all the preaching I do! LOL

I will be posting recipes for everyone to try and enjoy and hope to hear back from you all with your opinions and perhaps suggestions on how to make them better. I will try to post what I eat in a day on here as well, just to give you an idea. Hopefully that will help me stay on track too!

Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, ideas, challenges, etc. I look forward to helping those friends who feel they could benefit from reading and interacting on this blog. It would be great as well to make some new friends and to help new and old alike who are interested in changing their outlook on food, exercise and their own bodies.

Thanks for taking the time to read. Until next time, keep it clean ... eating that is!