making healthy choices

 Last month I finally started to put my good intentions into practice.  After Emmaline was born I was at my heaviest non-pregnant weight ever, and even though I kept saying I wanted to exercise and loose those pounds, I wasn't taking any real steps to make those things happen.  I was overwhelmed, not knowing where to start on the weight loss front and unable to do a lot of exercise because of knee pain I have been experiencing for about 2 years.  I had watched my sister transformed by joining Weight Watchers and finally, 6 weeks ago, after months of talking about it I joined too.  I've already lost 10 pounds.  Here are my "then" and "now" photos (sorry the first one is so blurry, it's a phone pic):

The benefits have stretched beyond the weight loss though- I am making healthier choices about what I put in my body, and finding myself more willing to try new things that I would have previously turned my nose up at.  And as I've seen the benefits of the good choices I've made already, it has made me want to make other positive/healthy changes in my life.  Two weeks ago I started physical therapy for my knees and also to strengthen my core (which has been stretched beyond measure by 6 full term pregnancies) and am already starting to feel a difference- now I am looking for other ways to fit more exercise into my days.  Ultimately I am hoping that these healthy changes I am making in my own life won't just effect me, but my whole family.
One blog I am loving right now for good healthy recipes is Skinnytaste.com.  I've already make a handful of her recipes for dinner and they have all been good.  This one has probably been our favorite so far.