It takes more than exercise!

There are so many qualities and attributes that I love about my dad's side of the family. They are fun, loving, hard workers, family-centric, followers of Jesus. But, no family is perfect.

One thing I have inherited from the Haisten side is my body. Although, I have learned to dress to cover a lot of imperfections and I lost my twin weight fairly quickly, I have still been carrying some extra weight from when I had Ely. 25 lbs to be exact.

In February I decided to take control of this and started back at boot camp. I love the group of women I meet with 3-5 times a week. I also, have loved the muscle I have built. BUT, I hadn't lost a single pound. Yes, I know that muscle weighs more than fat, yada, yada, yada. Back in March, on the family ski trip, Ashley started telling us she was going to try a new diet, Paleo diet. Over the next 4 weeks you could really tell a difference, just in looking at her face. So, I thought about this, but couldn't pull the trigger in Dallas by myself. So, when I landed in Birmingham, I knew that if I were ever going to do this, it had to happen on my trip. I quickly learned it isn't an easy diet-no carbs, no sugar, no dairy, no processed foods. Only protein, fruits and veggies. The first few weeks were pretty rough but results were fast. The best part of starting this thing in Alabama is that I had either Ashely or mom fixing every breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack I ate for 26 days. After 4 weeks I started to see the weight come off-I was 11 pounds lighter than when I started.

Since being home I have lost 17lbs. It is not as easy with more food to pick at and having to plan my own meals, but I do feel so much better. I am hoping to loose 9 more pounds for a total weight loss of 26lbs. It will be hard with a week-long cruise coming and many more temptations, but I am thankful to have Al's support and encouragement. I wish I could just exercise and eat whatever I want. But, that is not the case. I look forward to being able to maintain a weight by working out, eating well most of the time but allowing some indulgences!

Thank you, Ashley for the jump start and inspiration. May we enjoy the "maintenance" phase together soon!

Proud of myself for working out even in Florida - with Jane from Bootcamp!