Wednesday, January 26, 2011

You said what?

Today as I entered the gym, before I swiped my card, the nice young lady greeted me by name.  That’s right I am officially regular at the gym.  I know that is relatively a small victory but I am in to celebrating small victories.  I have to acknowledge Amanda who is a regular reader of my blog and recognized me at the gym.  I felt pretty darn special when she told me she had been reading from day one. 
I recently received an e-mail asking me how much I weigh.  I have avoided this question like a plague my entire life. I used to give an estimate at the DMV when they asked my weight. So I think it is quite funny that I talk about it weekly in blog posts.  So for those of you who have sent me e-mails inquiring? I am 14 pounds away from my next goal of 180.  Yeah I know, I can’t just come out and say it but I am excited to be where I am today.
Breaking the 200 pound mark was a huge accomplishment for me. I mean what woman wants to weigh over 200 lbs. Honestly, I had no idea that I even weighed that much because I used to shy away from the scale.   Not to mention people lie to you and tell you that you don’t look like you weigh that much.  Leaving that weight behind for me was a testament to hard work and dedication.  I will say it out loud because I am not ashamed of where I used to be and I will never see 200 on the scale again!
I know that I was not alone in the 200 club because 6 out of every 10 Americans are obese or over weight.  Some of them don’t know which category they fall in because they have not been on a scale in 6 months or longer.  So if you fall into the category get your butt to the doctors and have a physical done.  You will not only learn your weight but find out some important information about your health.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Pictures of me as I progress

Before I started
September 2009
September 2010

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011
 Current

Friday, January 14, 2011

Birthday Madness!!!

I am stuck in the middle of cake madness at my house.  My son’s birthday was on the 13th so I had to get cupcakes for his class. Then I had to bake a cake for our family celebration and I also ordered a cake for his party on Saturday. I am a sugaraholic and it is really hard for me to avoid sweet stuff when it is right in my face.  I had a bad dream last night where I was being chased by a large slice of chocolate cake.
I am planning to have a piece of cake at his party Saturday but I can’t stand having it in the house.  I came up with a nifty solution for the party. I found these nice little cake boxes for the party. So along with grab bags I am sending every kid home with an extra piece of cake.  I am sure the their parents will be cursing me on the way home.
If you have been reading you are aware that I have not weighed in since the week before Christmas. The big day is Wednesday January 19.  I am both mortified and excited about this weigh in because I have no idea what my progress has been. It has been sobering not to face the scale every week.  I will however be returning to weekly weigh in until March 14th. I am also starting a morning gym routine next week. I will be hitting the gym before work in the morning.   I am not really looking forward to the first few weeks. I am sure as soon as I get into a routine I will be OK.
So, are any of you doing anything new this week?

Thursday, January 6, 2011

New Goals


I revisit my goal about every three months, so that they stay fresh in my mind. I did however want to make some long term goals for the year.  I am taking into consideration that my goal day is July 20,2011 so these really are goals up until that point.
1.   Cardio 5 time a week, to improve cardiovascular fitness.  I want to feel better when I am walking for long periods of time so  I think 5 days of cardio a week will help me with that.
2.   Make sure to add more vegetable to my meals, I eat veggies but I am sure that I can add more to meals for added vitamins. I would prefer to eat my vitamins  instead of using supplements.
3.   Stop buying gadgets!!!!!
4.   Stop being so preoccupied with the scale, the problem with some weight loss programs is that you must weigh in every week. I still weigh in but I only want to receive my loss total monthly.
I stopped at four because in March I am going to revisit these goals and see if I need to continue or change them.  
I decided to remove the scale form my bathroom because it started to become a habit for me to weigh myself.  I would brush my teeth then get on the scale, and then I would get discouraged by the number. Regardless of the fact that I feel great and know that I have accomplished a lot so far.  To give myself a weekly tally I will calculate the minutes of cardio I do a week.  I have also entered the world of Wii, I wish I would have  done it sooner. It is fun but also a workout!!!  I love the dance games and I find myself dancing in the living room with my husband and son for hours.  All of the games require you to move and I realize that we watch less television now. 
I have also implemented no technology Monday in my house.  Monday after 2pm, there is no television, Internet or phone use in my home. We are reading, playing board games or outside.  I had the most relaxing Monday this week and got to read a complete book. My son played with all his toys and joined me in the living room reading.

So I have some simple goals and instituted simple changes!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Back to Basics!

After reassessing my goals for the New Year, I decided  it was time to return to basics.  When I  began this journey I  had  a plan to keep things simple. I think that after 6 months I started to add more gadgets to my routine.  I had this realization yesterday , when I dedicated to go for a run outside. I pulled on my under armour,  slipped the chip into my NIKE, slapped on my heart rate monitor, strapped on my IPOD and turned on my IRunner. I did all this before I even got to the front door.

I realized at that moment that I missed the days when I used to, throw on sweats and hit the door. I would just run until I got tired and then push my self to run some more. All I would do is look at the clock when I left and then again when I returned. I realized that I am making things more complicated than they need to be.  I don't really  need to know how fast or far I run. All I need is some great music to keep me going during those rough spots.

So I am returning to basics because I want to remember this journey as a labor of love! Have you added some unnecessary gadgets along the way?
Check back tomorrow because I will be posting my goals for 2011