Be. Less. Fat.

I might have mentioned a time or twelve that I will soon be hitting that quarter-century mark.  I keep joking that I'm getting old, though 25 makes me a fetus compared to the 102 year old woman I take care of each day.

The point is, this birthday is making me take a closer look at my life and the direction it is going.

I'm heading into 25 at my heaviest weight ever, a fact I am not proud of.  It is amazing just how quickly those pounds can pack on.  I probably weigh 55 pounds more than I did when I began dating my husband back in December 2003.  Our courtship took place largely during our college years, which involved pizza and South Park on Wednesday nights, as well as many late-night fast food runs after studying.  I managed to give up soda my freshman year, but still I gained weight.  

This photo was taken in January 2004, around the time Michael and I realized we'd been dating for a month and made it official.  It's one month before my 18th birthday.  Look at that skinny girl!  I thought I was heavy then.

The Roadrunners shirt?  Guess how old that is?  It's my softball shirt from the summer between 2nd and 3rd grade.  Clearly I was a fat child.  It was a little short on me at 17, but still fit.  I'd probably rip it if I tried it on now.

Here I am on Christmas of 2010.  I felt like a cow that day.  I'm obviously trying to look a bit less tubby here, but it's not working.  It may not be obvious from this picture, but there is a whole lot more of me these days than there was back in 2004.

So as I sit here sipping what is hopefully going to be my last Mt. Dew, I am printing out the hours for the gym and posting them on the fridge.  Stay tuned for what I am sure will be a fair amount of whining in the weeks to come.