Going strong!

It's been so hard to get on here and write as much as I would like to. This week was especially hard because work was insanely stressful due something called the Quality Review. Even with all the stress piled on my shoulders, I was still able to lose 1.4 pounds, bringing me down to 209.6 and losing a total of 7.4 pounds.

I decided after that weigh-in that I really wanted to buy a scale of my own. I love getting weighed in every week at work, but I won't lie, I was completely disappointed when I saw that the number hadn't changed much.

Friday I went out and bought the same scale that I get weighed on at work. I immediately weighed myself to see if the numbers were relatively the same from the day before (obviously taking into consideration that I was wearing a different outfit and it was also at night rather than in the morning). I was pleased to see that the numbers matched nicely.

Now each morning, prior to eating anything or doing any physical activity, I weigh myself. This way, I'm getting a more accurate reading and can keep track of my daily progress.

I am pleased to say that as of this morning, I have lost a total of 8.8 pounds :) Not too shabby for 2 weeks 2 days! I'm currently 208.2 lbs. I'm 1.2 pounds away from my February 1st goal... I won't be losing that by tomorrow morning HAHA. It's not February 1st, but I'm going to make a new goal based on today's reading:

By February 13th, my goal is weigh 204 lbs. I'm making my goals smaller because I won't be losing big numbers like I did my first week. But again, if I reach that goal prior to February 13th, I will make a new goal. I cannot wait to get out of the 200s! It's going to feel SO good!

So, I purchased The Biggest Loser game for Wii and I must say - I LOVE IT! I get a schedule of workouts, I keep track of additional activity that I do, participate in challenges, weekly weigh-ins, track my daily calories...

I'm also obsessed with WW cookbooks! I am going out today to buy a few more. I'm living off of weight watchers recipes.

Well, time to get myself ready for the gym!!

See you later, followers!

Been busy!

It's been a few days since I last wrote. Between work, errands, cooking, cleaning, etc. I have had no time to write.

On Thursday I joined Weight Watchers at my school. It's $10 to join and there are no actual "meetings" like WW, but I get weighed in every Thursday, along with other teachers that joined, and if I gain any weight, I have to pay $3.00 a pound! So, if there was a chance I could slip before, it's gone now! I literally cannot afford to gain weight!

At my first weigh-in, I weighed 211 pounds. I lost 6 pounds the first week. What's great now is that I will have a weigh-in at the same time every week on the same scale every week. This should help my weigh-ins be consistent.

What's even better is that because of what I'm doing, several people have told me that I have inspired them to start losing weight. I definitely cannot fail or else I will be letting those people down. Worst of all - I'd let myself down.

I didn't get to work out on Wednesday or Thursday... but I did work out Monday which made up for Thursday. I went to the gym yesterday and it felt INCREDIBLE! I only did 1 hr of cardio due to time constraints, but I worked hard! I'll be heading back at some point today, and definitely going back tomorrow! *Mental note: need to charge my ipod*

I know the second week is going to be a hard week. With 6 pounds gone... I know I won't see high numbers like that again. I have to remember that slower is better. I have 61 more pounds I want to lose... I anticipate it is going to take me almost a year to reach that goal. I just have to keep reminding myself: Do NOT give up.

I hope people still read this LOL . Feel free to leave comments! I like hearing what you have to say, or questions you have, or just hearing whatever you have to say! :)

I'll write soon! :)

Weighed in!

The Wii is off by a few pounds (unfortunately), but I have lost 5 pounds since Wednesday. Not bad! So I'm down to 212...

New goal!

By February 1st I would like to weigh in at 207... another 5 pounds.

I will try to weigh in (somewhere - since oddly enough my gym doesn't have a scale) sometime next week to see what I'm at. If I hit 207 prior to February 1st, I will set a new goal :)

Well, I don't have much time to write b/c it's late and I have to go to work tomorrow...

So quickly: I worked out today at NYSC while Adam watched Joshua. I did 45 minutes of cardio and 20 of weights... I burned over 500 calories doing cardio and was sweating pretty nicely! Tomorrow I will hit the gym after work for an hour of cardio and no weight lifting. I'll resume weights on Thursday (give my muscles a bit of a rest).

Well then! Until tomorrow!!

A great two days

I have to say - I feel good! I know it's only the third day, but it's amazing what eating right and working out can do in such a short time!

Yesterday went a little different than I had expected - turned out my good friend from Maryland came to visit, so I spent some time with her instead of working out. I went food shopping for a ton of yummy, healthy food: peaches, bananas, apples, low-fat yogurt, sliced almonds, strawberries, veggies, chicken... gooooood stuff!

I made up for missing my workout yesterday. Today I went hard on the elliptical for 30 minutes and then immediately went to the treadmill for an additional 30 minutes, burning a total of 500 calories. I then worked out with weights for another 30 minutes. Tonight I did some Wii Fit Plus for 30 minutes. All that plus cooking breakfast, dinner, and making fruit and yogurt parfaits (soooo good) - I was very active today.

The Wii told me that I weigh 208 lbs - but I don't think that it is accurate. I weighed myself Wednesday around the same time and weighed in at 217.... I highly doubt I lost 9 pounds since Wednesday. Tomorrow I am going to NYSC to work out (Adam's location). I'll weigh myself there (oddly enough Planet Fitness doesn't have any scales!!) and let you all know. To be honest, I don't think that I lost any weight. At least not yet.

Not gonna lie - as good as I feel...I'm tired lol.

I want to thank you ladies for following me and offering up your support. If I had to do this alone, I probably wouldn't do it. Just knowing you are reading this is truly you keeping me accountable. That's exactly what I need.

With that - I need to shower and rest for the night!

Keep ya posted!

Day 1

The first day went well. Fiber one bar for breakfast, 3 oz of chicken and a cup and a half of green beans, plus a low fat yogurt for lunch, a fiber one bar after school (since my lunch is more like a breakfast) and grilled chicken salad for dinner... plus 72 oz of water.

Knowing I had to go out last night, and having spent all day at work and away from my son, I didn't work out for as long as I would have liked to. I was on the elliptical for 20 minutes and the treadmill for 20.

My plan for today is to go to the gym as soon as Adam gets home from work - do at least 45 minutes of cardio and 30 of weight lifting.

Ironically, yesterday I got something in the mail from this baby thing that has cards with advice for new moms... the first card I looked at said, "Make time for yourself.. go to the gym..." I thought that was pretty on target for me to read at that moment because it was a reminder that I needed to do just that... the hard part is sticking to it.

Anywho - I started today off right. I had a cup of Special K for breakfast with 3/4 cup of 1% milk. I need to remember that it feels good to eat right and work out... so much better than being lazy and feeling gross from food.

Well, gotta start my day!!

The big day!

Okay folks! Here I go!!

I went to LA Fitness on Wednesday, decided to weigh myself. Honestly, I expected it to be MUCH worse than it actually is. Now the number I present to you might sound unbelieveably obese (and I'm definitely not too far from that category), but my body doesn't have the potential to be any lower than 145 lbs...

My current weight is....

Drumroll please!

217 lbs.

I anticipated much worse - like 230 lbs, at least. The last time I got weighed was two months ago (mid- November) when I went to the ob/gyn. She weighed me in at exactly the same thing. So the fact that I haven't gained any weight in 2 months is good! But now it's time to see a smaller number.

I joined Planet Fitness last night and will start going this afternoon as soon as I get home from work. My plan is to go to the gym Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Yes...five days a week. Not to weight lift each time, but definitely to do some cardio. If I find this is too much< I will probably cut out Saturdays. But, we shall see!!

Here is my short-term goal:

By February 1st, I would like to lose 7 lbs. It seems pretty doable!

As for my long-term goal, I will not post a date on that.. I have to see how the short-term goals go...

...I would like to ultimately lose 57 lbs, bringing me down to 160 lbs. From there... I will aim for an additional 17 lbs (depending on what the outcome is at 160 lbs)

I have to leave for work in 3 minutes!!!

Okay so for breakfast I have a small orange juice, yogurt and a fiber one bar (one of which I'll probably end up having with my lunch or after lunch before the gym), and for lunch I have a 3 oz piece of chicken and a cup and a half of green beans. Plus I have a 72 oz bottle of water with me.

HERE I GO!!!!!!!

The reasons

Besides the obvious - I need to lose weight and I want to feel good about myself - I have compiled a list of the reasons I need to lose weight (and stick to this):

- I feel uncomfortable in all the clothes I wear - no exceptions
- I am tired of hiding behind people in pictures due to my discomfort with myself
- I am tired (plain and simple)
- My pants feel tight, even my BIG sizes. After a day of wearing them... they burn my stomach
- I get winded doing simple tasks
- My wedding band doesn't fit me
- I want to shop at any clothing store I want
- I want to be able to comfortably cross my legs
- I want to go out with my husband/family/friends and feel confident
- I don't want to use my jacket/bag as a stomach cover-up
- I'm tired of watching DietTribe and other weightloss shows and thinking, "WHY NOT ME!?" (it's not me because I've never LET it be me)
- I will love myself better, thus improving all of the relationships in my life
- All of my really cute clothes don't fit
- Not only do I want to be able to shop anywhere, I want to be able to wear anything I want
- I've never worn a bathing suit without a t-shirt and/or shorts

I plan on posting some of these reasons around places that I often find myself - my car, my computer, the refrigerator, the pantry, etc. I need a constant reminder that I cannot give up or give in. I need to stay strong. I've done it before, I can do it again.... I don't have a choice anymore.

Getting started

Today will be a stepping stone for me. I am going to LAFitness with my friend to see what membership will cost. This is a big deal for me. I've only been a member at a gym twice. The first time was for years through a family membership with my parents at the YMCA. I rarely utlitized it in the four+ years that I had that membership. There was only that time of depression that I went through that I was there consistantly four-five times a week for many weeks.

The other gym was several months prior to getting married. I paid 100 bucks for six months, and only went about 2 dozen times (if that). Looking back, several contributing factors to that:

a) I was going with a friend, and if something came up that my friend didn't want to go or couldn't go, I didn't go.
b) No parking. I could drive around for a while before finding a spot... and it could be a good distance from the gym.
c) Not conveniently located. It is somewhat near my job... but not really. I had to go out of my way to get there. It wasn't near my house.

This is why I think LAFitness will be good for me. I'm starting off with the mindset that I am going to do this alone. If my friend can come with me - that's fantastic and I'm so excited to work out with her. However, if she can't, I will not let that be the deciding factor to whether I go or not. Also, there is ample parking (from what I am aware of... I'll find out tonight). I may not get super close to the gym... but I won't have to pay for parking or go around for fifteen minutes trying to find a spot.. AND the walking WILL be good for me :)
Not only that, but it is convenient. It's not too far from my house (five minute drive), if I have to go food shopping, I can go to the gym first and then hit up the supermarket. Or when I'm done... when my clothes get big, I can go shopping at NY&Co. (and maybe even the Gap one day if I ever fit into their clothes properly!)

I'm really looking forward to tonight. I want to do cardio and lift weights and sweat and swim. I just need to keep this mindset!!!

So for Thursday - I will weigh in (probably on my Wii since I don't have an actual scale in this house). I will post my weight, my interim goal, my long-term goal, plans, etc.

Again, I appreciate the support. Feel free to get on my case if I'm not posting or sharing good news. That's what you are here for - to make sure I stay on track!

See you THURSDAY!!

Beginning with my FB note

This Friday I intend to begin to change my life. I have always struggled with my weight.

For almost my entire life I have been overweight. Never severly obese, to the point that I can't do things for myself, but overweight enough that I have been depressed, angry at the world/myself, self conscience, and socially unacceptable. This struggle has prevented me from making friends, maintaining successful relationships (outside of my marriage/family), attending social events, and feeling good about myself.

The one time that I felt good about myself was due to a depression that caused me to lose a large amount of weight in a very short time. Although this was not the way to go, it proved to me that I DO have the potential to feel beautiful and be fit.

I know exactly WHY I have gained weight:

- I overeat

- I am lazy and do no physical activity

- I lack dedication

After having Joshua, I felt incredible. I was immediately 30 lbs lighter than what I was before getting pregnant. It did not take long for me to pack that weight back on. I went from feeling amazing - able to sit down with people without a bag/jacket over my lap, to feeling gross, insecure, and sad.

I do not like how I am. I do not feel beautiful, pretty, attractive, or anything positive. Every morning I get dressed and think, "I look terrible!" I gave up putting on makeup or doing my hair nice because I figure, "What's the point??"

So why am I writing this and tagging you in this? Because, as my introductory line said, this Friday I am going to begin changing my life. I will be joining a gym and starting to eat healthier. The reason for Friday is because that is when I will be able to afford the gym membership. This week will be spent researching recipes for foods that I can make simply/quickly that are healthy.

In order for me to be successful, I feel that I need to make this public. I need to have support, outside of just my husband/immediate family. I need to know that people are keeping track of me. If I have people keeping me accountable, I will be encouraged to keep with this. I know I want this badly. I know that my desire for this is immense. I also know that I am not the type of person that can do this alone. I tagged YOU because I knew that you were someone that I could trust.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'm looking forward to being a healthier, happier me.