Okay, for the life of me, I can’t remember the last time I confessed.

Naughty!

Let’s see… this week:

• I baked. A lot. In the name of taking goodies to my sister-in-law, who just had a baby last week, and because my son keeps begging me for ‘birthday cake’. Birthday cake, to him, is anything in a muffin/cupcake shape. So, of course I had to taste. The good news is, all my baking subbed yogurt for a lot of the oil and eggs, and I hid pumpkin, cauliflower and carrot puree in my cupcakes. The bad news is, I made mini muffins and cupcakes, so of course I had that excuse in my mind that they didn’t count for as much. Um, yeah. I wish!
• After my race on Sunday, my girlfriends and I went to brunch. And what did I order? Corned beef hash. I have a rule – if there’s CBH on the menu, I’m ordering it. Period. I kind of obsessed. I ate CBH on the morn of my wedding – probably not the smartest choice with nerves and all, but I HAD TO.  The  CBH on Sunday wasn’t a great CBH, thankfully, so I only ate about 1/2 of it.  Oh, and the Bloody Mary…that’s a serving of vegetables, right?
• My attitude on exercise this week sucked. I was hurting quite a bit. Then, on Saturday, I went and was properly fitted for shoes and I magically feel better. I guess my old Pumas weren’t so great for running after all. I thought the salesguy was going to beat me over the head with them when I confessed I’d been training for months in my ‘cute’ running shoes. Take note: cute running shoes are usually not functional. Good to know.

So, that’s me for this week…not too bad. How’d you do this week? Spill. Now. I command you (please).

One year ago I weighed 157 pounds. My daughter had just turned 1, and I realized I needed to restart my weight loss journey before I had a reply of what happened after my son was born. You see, when I got pregnant with my son (who is 6 now) I was already overweight. After I had him, I thankfully lost all the baby weight and then some while I was breastfeeding. When he turned 1 and I stopped exclusively breastfeeding, I didn’t adjust my intake and my weight slowly started to climb. I ended up gaining almost 30 pounds and tipped the scales at 193 pounds. I joined Weight Watchers in January of 2006 and over course of 9 months lost 45 pounds. Then I took a break, got pregnant, and had my daughter. After she was born, I managed to lose all of my baby weight (and then some) rapidly, but after she hit the one year mark, and my breastfeeding was tapering, the weight started to creep back on. I knew if I didn’t get control, I would spiral.

Last November, Beth, Donya and I were all feeling like our jeans were too tight. We knew we could lose the weight with a support system in place, so the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans was born. We knew right away that we wanted Melissa to join us, and after many late night online brainstorming sessions, we were ready to launch, and come hell or high water, we were going to lose the weight.

Flash forward to today. It’s been exactly one year. An amazing year. A journey. The Sisterhood is so much more than I ever thought it would be. I’ve forged bonds with ladies (and men) that can never be broken. I’ve learned so much, I’ve been shrinking, and it’s been SO MUCH FUN!

Today, I weigh 141 pounds. WOW! That’s 16 pounds less than I did a year ago. Now, 16 pounds over the course of a year doesn’t sound like much, but it is. I could have been PLUS 30 pounds or more if I hadn’t taken control. Not only have I lost 16 pounds, but I’m so much healthier. I am fit, I am strong, and I am HAPPY with myself. My confidence is through the roof, and dare I say I feel HOT? Well, I do.

The crazy thing is that’s it’s not just about you and me. It’s about all the wonderfully amazing women (and men) who have joined us along the way. So many pounds have been lost. So many people have changed their lives for the better, and made the commitment to live a healthier life. We’ve had Sisters hit huge weight loss goals, run for the first time in their live, complete 5Ks AND 1/2 marathons, and we’ve donated countless pounds of food to our local food pantries and now we’re trotting the globe and becoming Active for Life. We’ve made this journey together. We’ve celebrated victories, we’ve supported each other through hard times, we’ve lifted each other up, and kicked each other in the ass when it was needed. Each and every one of us is an important part of the Sisterhood!

All of that makes me so stinkin’ proud. Seriously, I am so PROUD of each and every one of you, and I cannot wait to see what the next year brings for the Sisterhood. I know it’s going to be big. And I know that TOGETHER WE CAN DO ANYTHING!

Today is a very special day for our very own April!! It’s her 31st birthday. HOOORAY for getting older, right? Actually, April is very excited about a brand new year, and really so am I. I met April in January while we were hanging out on Twitter and we’ve been fast friends ever since. Heck, she likes me so much, she’s flying to Chicago in July, so we can hug in person! Seriously folks, I’m that cool. HA!

Of course, I’m kidding. April’s the really cool one. So be sure to stop by her blog today and wish her well on her birthday.

You’re the best :)

Our very own Crooked Eyebrow is celebrating her 30th birthday today!!! Let’s all give her some birthday love and wishes for a wonderful, fabulous year! We love you, girl!

I have been working my butt off on our Sisterhood post… and am not done yet. So I am opening it up for those of you who still want to get in on it and will aim to have it done by Monday!!

Also, my email inbox is a disaster at this moment… I know there are a lot of you who are waiting to be put on the blogroll -please leave a comment below with your name and blog, then just make sure you grab one of our fancy buttons and smack it on your sidebar, and I will get that done in the next few days!

I’m about to head out of town for some good ole’ fashioned branding. ;o) Have a wonderful, safe weekend!

Get your party hat on! It’s Lisa’s birthday!!

Sneak on over to her place to show her some love and read about her life lessons!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LISA!!

We love you and hope this year brings you wonderful opportunities and memories!