So it has been a while since I posted last.  I've now been lifting weights consistently for the last 2 years.  It has been a great experience for me.  I have learned so much and I really feel that I look and feel 10 times better than I ever have. I had always struggled growing up with self confidence in myself and my appearance.  I never loved the way I looked and I was always shy and scared of being the person I truly was.  Now I can honestly say I no longer feel that way.  I feel beautiful!  I love the way I look and I'm very proud of what I have accomplished!  I feel so much more satisfied with myself in my own skin!  I have never been able to say that before.  I owe it all to eating healthy and lifting weights :-)

Something that a lot of people don't realize is that the models in the magazines don't always look they way they when the photo was taken.  Being extremely lean is not something that is sustainable on a daily basis.  Getting ready for a photo shoot takes special preparations.  In order to look your absolute best, there is a process that helps the muscles swell and sheds all the water under the skin.  We thought it would be fun to get ourselves into "photo ready condition."

This last two weeks has been a new adventure!!  I have found that it's awesome to have something to work towards or to have some kind of a goal.  I found that if there was never a goal in mind I would start to fall short.  I would start to not care how I looked or how I ate.  So for me having something to look forward to gave me that extra push to keep on track and stick with my diet and lifting.

Dan and I have really wanted to take some pictures together.  We workout together 6 days a week and I LOVE IT!!  I love being able to have someone to go through this journey to a healthier me with!  I love that we push each other, and we motivate each other to keep going.  So since we wanted to take pictures we decided to try the T-Nation Shredded in 6 days.  This shred was definitely brutal and not for the faint of heart!  If you want to look at it here is the linkhttps://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/shredded-in-6-days

This was one of the hardest things I've had to do, but I actually stayed on top of it the whole time!!  I was amazing with myself.  I didn't even sneak a small piece of candy!  Which I tend to do quite often, I won't lie.  But having this to look forward to really made everything more worth while.

Before I post show the pictures I wanted to show a few progress photos.  Having muscles at being fit is a lot of hard work.  My workouts usually last anywhere from an hour to 2 hours 6 days a week.  The progress at first comes so quickly, but then you hit a point where progress begins to slow down.  At that point it's a lot harder to make gains and lose weight.  Before doing this shred I had been stuck a little.  My weight was always the same and I just felt like nothing was really happening.  I was able to lose a good 7 pounds with it!  Plus shed some fat and the water weight to help my muscles show just a little better.  I know I still have a long way to go!  This is a lifestyle change not just a quick fix.  I'm really hoping that I can give someone hope and inspiration!  If me a mom of 3, each born by c-section, can do it then you can too!  Now I can embrace my tiger stripes, instead of hating what pregnancy did to my body.  I continue looking forward to getting to know my body more and having fun looking and feeling good :-)

This was me exactly 2 years ago.  This was when we first decided to make a lifestyle change.  I had just had my 3rd baby by c-section.

 The left picture is me now, the right one was of me exactly 1 year ago.  The difference here is some fat loss, and much more muscle definition throughout my legs back and shoulders!

The left one here was of me 1 year ago from the front, the one on the right is me now.  The main differences are in the definition of the muscle now.  Much less fat than 1 year ago.

This one was of me right about a month before we decided to do the 6 day shred.  I wanted to compare the two just to show how much manipulating your carbs, protein, sodium, and water can truly make a difference :-)

I just love being able to compare these photos right next to each other.  This is also a huge help for me in keeping me going.  I actually didn't realize until posting these exactly how much progress I have made!  I love it :-)

Here are the rest of the pictures that the hubby and I had taken together.

400 lbs for Dan!

I LOVE THIS ONE!!

 Here I am lifting 260 pounds!  You cannot have muscle definition like this without lifting heavy!