With just three weigh-ins remaining, Mommy Makeover participant Christina Artrip is quite aware of where she is at and where she wants to be.

“I’m still losing weight, so that is good,” she said. “It really hasn’t been drastic. Next week I’m going to start watching my diet and be more strict again.”

Artrip said it’s still been difficult to eat entirely healthy, since the family is still on the go and has been for four weeks.

“I’ve been eating what I have been fixing my children, instead of fixing something separate for myself,” she admitted.

She has decided to give up drinking pop, eating snack foods and the other food she once cut out again.

Despite not sticking entirely to her diet, Artrip said she has been doing well with her weight loss.

“I’m surprised I’m still losing weight,” she said. “I must be more aware of what I am eating and must be more active. The combination must be helping lose weight.”

Last week, the mommy makeover participant lost two pounds. She only has eight more pounds to lose to meet her original goal set for the end of the 13-week challenge.

She hopes the combination of following her strict diet and ramping up the workout routine will help her shed those last few pounds.

“Getting down is the hard part,” she said. “Staying down is the easy part.”

Artrip also said it will be important to ramp up on eating more fruits and vegetables.

For the first time, Artrip and her family planted their own garden this garden. She had some previous experience with helping her father garden.

She planted peppers, tomatoes, corn, broccoli, cucumbers, squash and pumpkins. The peppers are done for the year and the corn produced about one dozen ears. The tomatoes are quickly ripening, but the broccoli didn’t make it due to worms.

The squash and pumpkins are blossoming. She even pickled some cucumbers and is excited to give them a try.

“Next year, we want to make the garden 10 times bigger,” she said.

Within the last year, Artrip has been focusing on cooking with fresher items. She also likes to make sure to serve a broad range of food groups for dinner.

With Mommy Makeover, Artrip has learned more about food and healthy eating.

“I received more info that made me want to stick to a lifestyle of healthy eating, rather than just doing it to diet,” she said. “I want to be more extreme about it, instead of changing this or that, I want to change everything.”

The Mommy Makeover participants also had the opportunity to visit a grocery store for a tour with Logansport Memorial Hospital staff.

“I liked it because I didn’t have my children with me,” she said. “I never go to look at products, I usually go in, get what I need and get out. It was nice to go in and read a box.”

The moms were also allowed to choose one recipe to prepare for their families and the ingredients were purchased for them.

Artrip decided to prepare salmon, since she’s recently started liking it, and her family enjoyed the meal.

“It was a little bit harder to make the first time,” she said. “I’ve been trying all kinds of new recipes, so it takes almost an hour to make dinner at night.”

For now, Artrip is looking forward to when her youngest son turns 6 months, so she can take all three of her children to the Cass County Family Y for baby-sitting.

“Then I can go as often as I want,” she said.

Artrip also pulled out all of her old clothes and tried them on. While she couldn’t fit into her “skinny” jeans, she was pleasantly surprised to fit in the jeans she used to wear after her second child.

“I feel great about my progress, but I’m a perfectionist,” she said. “I’m definitely not where I want to be. I know I want to kick it in high

gear. I don’t want to stick where I am now and know I can do more. I want to be where I want to be because I know I can reach that goal.”

Artrip is feeling confident with the last portion of Mommy Makeover.

She initially set out a goal she knew she would be able to achieve. She said it will be her own fault if she doesn’t meet that goal.

Artrip offers words of advice to other moms and even those who are looking to lose weight.

“I want to encourage all the moms and even those who are not moms — anyone with a low self esteem or ashamed of their weight — just get up and start walking,” she said. “ Go to the classes and meet others. Don’t be embarrassed. You have to start somewhere.”

• Denise Massie is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5151 or denise.massie@pharostribune.com