A Picture is Worth... 60 or 100 or 150 Pounds! - Wandtv.com, NewsCenter17, StormCenter17, Central Illinois News-

By Lisa Spodak (ResultsNotTypical@worldnow.com)
Provided by WorldNow

Week 33

This week:  +1.5 lbs.
Change overall:  -58 lbs.

When I got back from vacation in Las Vegas last week, I had gained 8 pounds.  8 pounds!  Over 5 days!!

All the good strategies I'd followed last time I went on vacation went out the window this time and I was admittedly a bit out of control.  The buffets were my downfall -- I wasn't sticking to the healthy choices like I had last time and indulged a little too much a little too often.

I knew I had to get my act in gear before my "official" weigh-in on Tuesday.

I also knew that as bad as I'd been, there was more at work here than simply bad choices.  I was pretty confident that the weight gain was from a combination of things -- questionable food choices, irregular eating times and it being that time of the month.  (Remarkably, lack of exercise was not one of the factors -- I had managed to go to the gym three times while I was away!)

I just needed the right motivation to get back on track and fired up again.

Luckily, that motivation came this past weekend at The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

I've been walking in the Avon Walk since 2002 and this was my 15th walk.  Each event is a 2-day, 39.3 mile walk -- we do a marathon (26.2 miles) on Saturday and then a half-marathon (13.1 miles) on Sunday.

I've been spending so much time at the gym that my actual training for the walk was woefully behind.  I was honestly worried about whether or not I would be able to make it through the marathon -- especially since the furthest I'd gone during training was 17 miles.

But this was, by far, the best physical experience that I've had on one of these Walks!  I could tell I was in better shape than ever before and every step was that much easier now that I have lost 60 pounds.  It was an amazing feeling and I know it will only get better as I lose more weight.

At the Closing Ceremony, I got another kick in the pants to get me back on track.

Back in March, I'd been asked to be part of the video used during the Closing Ceremony of the Walk.  I went to a downtown studio where I got my hair and makeup done and was interviewed on camera.  I was only on the big screen for a few seconds, but, seeing myself on that huge screen was shocking -- the "old" me didn't look familiar anymore and certainly looked nothing like the pictures I'd taken recently on vacation.

Scroll down a bit to see some before/during/after pictures of me, Danny and Laura!  And as much as you may not like it right now, start taking those pictures!  When you need some motivation down the road, they'll be just what you need!