While I Was Away...

So, You may remember that I started Weight Watchers in March. You can read that post here: Diary of a Fat Chick. Since then I have had numerous ups and downs. There were times that the weight just seemed to fall off and other times that it seemed no matter what I tried the scale wouldn't budge. I wasn't always perfect. I will never be. I still have a ton of food issues.
I like food. It is delicious. That's why I like WW so much. I can still eat the food I like. I just track it. I think people are surprised by how much I can still eat.
Weight Watchers is teaching me HOW to eat. I am kinda getting a handle on portion control. I would not do well cutting out carbs or fat or chocolate completely. I know I sound like an ad for Weight Watchers but, to be honest, it is working for me. Since March I am down 34.4lbs. ALMOST 35 pounds... Soooo close. I am super excited and, to be honest, a bit shocked. I still have quite a ways to go but I am much closer now than I was in March.
I have stuck with it... Mostly. I have had times where I haven't tracked. I had a change in leadership at my original meeting time. That sort of set me back. I loved my original leader. The new one was super nice and had done her time in the program but she just wasn't what I needed as a motivator.
I was fortunate enough to find another leader whom I LOOOVE. She's funny and energetic. Her vibe works for me and, with one threat of viewing my food log, got me back on track.

Here is a shot of me from March as well as one of me from today. 

My jeans are 2 sizes smaller and my shirts are definitely getting looser. I've learned a lot about myself during this process. First of all, I had NO idea what body type I am. I took a test and was WAY off when I guessed as opposed to putting in my measurements.I thought I was an oval when, in fact, I am a straight body type. My husband was the one who encouraged me to put my numbers in. He knew my type, even if I didn't. You can find yours here at Shop Your Shape. It's kinda fun and shows you what you should wear for your type. I recommend putting in your measurements.
Another thing I learned was that I have more self-control than I thought. I think writing it down really helps with that. It's easy to fool yourself when you don't see it in black and white. I know it's corny but I find myself saying "This doesn't taste as good as skinny feels".
I have also learned that, for me, this whole thing would be almost impossible if I didn't have the support of my friends. I've met an incredible group of ladies at Weight Watchers. I also belong to 2 different weight-loss groups on Facebook. The encouragement I get from all of these places is amazingly helpful. They let me vent when I'm down and cheer me on when I'm doing well. They say it takes a village to raise a child. I feel the same way about losing weight.
If you have been thinking it's time for you to lose weight but are scared, don't be. What's the worst that can happen? You try and only lose 5lbs? Well, then you are 5 lbs less than when you started. There will be ups and downs. If you keep trying you will find your rhythm. Give it a shot. If I can pull this off you can too.

Good luck and thanks for listening.

More of 'What I Did on My Summer Vacation'

I was so excited to get to do a photo shoot with my friend Willow and her daughter. They were so funny and so much fun to work with. It was a great day. Starting with my shoot with Darcie and continuing with Willow. I hadn't seen either in years but we quickly picked up where we had left off. It was easy to remember why we had been friends to begin with.

Do you have a favorite? Which one? I would love to hear. I am constantly learning and one way for me to improve is to hear YOUR opinions. Feel free to share. Just try not to make me cry... ;)

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I spent a couple of months summering in IL. Sounds fancier than it is... Trust me. While there I had the opportunity to go visit the family in OH and did a couple of photo shoots for some old friends.
The first couple I did was Darcie and her hubby Ben. They are newlyweds and so freakin' cute together. We had a great time. Here are some favorites of mine from that day.

Edits: Day 2

Here are some more edits I've done. This time it's kiddos in the park. The edits are fun but, sometimes, I think that just a basic crop is all you need. I will have more photos to post this weekend.

Oh, and these photos were sort of an 'assignment' I gave to myself. I had my lens zoomed out all the way and had to keep it that way only editing and cropping after the fact. It was kind of fun and a reminder to, as one of my professors used to say 'Move in closer'.

As always, opinions are welcome.

Edits: Day One

I have been taking pictures for many years. I started way back when you used actual film... Some of you may have to look that up. When I went to school for photography at Ohio State we learned editing in the camera. We didn't have all of these cool tools. If I had a black and white image and wanted to add color to it I had to actually COLOR it. It was fun but time consuming.
I am trying to start doing some editing on the computer. I am not, as of yet, venturing into Photoshop. It is sort of my nemesis. I was a printer in pro labs for a quite a few years. I know color. I figured how hard could Photoshop be? I am fairly certain my kids picked up a few choice words while i was trying to learn it. I am going to try again this summer with the help of a friend but in the meantime I am going to be playing around with the tools I have available to me through different editing sites such as Picassa. Over the next few days I will post some images I took that have been done with some standard edits and then done with some fancier stuff.
Let me know what you think and what it is you look for in a portrait.

Graduation Time at UNC

A recent Cap and Gown Shoot at the Old Well on UNC's campus.

Don't forget to check out the other entries at Wordless Wednesday!

Recent Photo Shoot

The other day I did a photo shoot with an aspiring actress headed to LA. I had a great time and these are a few of my favorite photos from that shoot. I will be playing with the editing on a few of them and will share some when I see what I come up with.
So what do you think of this recent batch? If you know some one in the Durham area who would like photos taken please contact me!

Welcome to all of you visiting from the Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop!