This is NOT the man I married...

Wow. What a long time since the last post.  There is good reason, I assure you. 

September 27th, 2011

Ethan and I were sitting on the couch, watching Biggest Loser as we do on Tuesday nights. There was a segment where a 27 year old male had to meet with the shows doctor and was told that he was diabetic.  The 27 year old was roughly Ethan's height, roughly Ethan's weight, and was carrying on the same lifestyle.  Ethan sat there quietly, saying nothing about what he was thinking and feeling.

The next day at work, Ethan messaged me asking about the website that I had started using just days earlier that tracks your calories/exercise/weight loss.  From that point on, we haven't looked back.

Our journey is only successful because we are doing this together.  If I had to count calories or measure out my portions without Ethan, I would have failed by now.  He says the same for me (I always blush).  It has brought us together in ways I could not imagine.

Weeks had gone by and we had committed to not telling anyone what we were doing.  We wanted to surprise them when they saw us next.  The first opportunity we had for this was when Ethan's parents came up in October to go to Lambeau Field.  It was a modest weight loss at that time, but the difference in pictures from August to October show pretty well that we were on the right road.

August sometime - 1st Trip to Lambeau Field

October 29, 2011 - Exactly 1 month into it.

After our Lambeau outing, it was time to get back to our daily grind.  I worked out in the morning before work, Ethan went after work.  Day in and day out.  Saturdays we started going to the gym and would spend our time there trying to get as many calories out as possible since we didn't have a time constraint.  The changes kept coming and the weight kept coming off.

I remember one Sunday morning I had to work the Nursery.  Sundays are usually our days off from working out and allow us to recharge for the week.  After church, Ethan and I were sitting down for lunch and he told me that he had gone for a jog that morning while I was gone.  I sat there.  Dumbfounded.  This was NOT the man I had married.  I didn't marry some one who looked forward to getting up early just to workout.  I didn't marry some one who actively counted and measured what they were eating not because they needed to make it last longer but because they knew that it would lead to a better life for us.  And while I did not marry this man, I am so so SOOOO happy that I have him in my life now. 

These past two weekends we were blessed to be able to spend it with our families.  We were able to share with them the joy and excitement we have found in working out, seeing the changes, eating responsibly and being able to say we are here for the long haul of life.  Our journey does not have a finish line.  This is the lifestyle we have and want and need.  So I'll leave you with a little fun fact.  1 pound = 4 sticks of butter.  That means that Ethan has lost a total of 248 sticks of butter and I have lost a total of 140 sticks of butter.  Gross - but it feels GREAT!

BEFORE

January 2012