My Journey to a Healthier Life

Its time for a change!!!

2008-11-04T19:13:00.003-05:00

Well in an effort to start posting more, here I am.
I don't know about any weight loss this past week because I did not have time to go weigh in. I did try extra hard last week to eat well, however the exercise really lacked due to my crazy school schedule. This weekend was Halloween......had a lot of fun with my friends, however after seeing the pictures I realize how far I have yet to come....and I really want to get there. I know I'm only two days into this week, but its a new week!

I have exercised for an hour for both of the past two days and have eaten relatively well, I am really trying to just take one day at a time, make the healthy choices on choice at a time, hopefully this mindset will work better for me so I'm not so overwhelmed. This weekend, I am already planning, I have a sorority semi-formal on Saturday night so that means Saturday will be my only bad meal, and the rest of the weekend I WILL stay on track!

I must admit I am going to make some homemade popcorn tonight and stay up and watch all of the election coverage. I AM SOOO EXCITED/NERVOUS! I hope everyone went out to vote today, such an important election. I am not normally a very political person (my family is however) but I think this election is so important, and so many things will be affecting my future and my career!

On that note, I really hope that tomorrow morning I can say that this man will be the next president of the United States!

Hips Don't Lie

2008-10-27T20:30:00.002-04:00

Well.....since I promised I would start writing here more in an effort to continue weight loss, so here I am.

I weighed in this past week and I was down 1.4lb's from the last time I weighed in, I guess you could call it progress, however I had not eaten in like 24 hours because I was feeling sick and I was probably dehydrated, so who knows.

I was a menace this weekend, ate everything in sight and then some. I don't know why I do it to myself, I feel horrible after doing it and I look at pictures of myself and I hate seeing myself, I do not want to be that way. I want to be happy to see pictures of myself, I want to be a strong woman, however every weekend I seem to be nothing but weak.

I met with the psychologist at the weight control center this past week and she suggested that I try start by limiting my off eating to only one day per weekend, instead of being a disaster all weekend. Totally doable right?....It should be however I was clearly not able to follow it this weekend. She also suggested that I start making small goals for myself instead of saying (I WANT TO LOSE ANOTHER 50LB'S!!!!!!) Because honestly I know how hard it was to get the almost 50lb's I've taken off of this body, and another 50 is looking like a pretty huge mountain.
It ends up seeming much easier to feel "normal" and go out with my friends instead of "oh, I'm gonna lose another 50lb's here)

So here's my current weight loss motivation...as small as it may seem. Before Christmas I will lose at least 10lb's. This gives me about 2 months (with room for a small slip up at thanksgiving) I know that I can do this and more if I set my mind to it and find that inner strong girl that all of my friends and family see.

*Oh yea, and about the "Hips Don't Lie" thing. My jeans that were big on me all summer...starting to fit again. NOT a proud moment. must.get.this.weight.off.now!

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

2008-10-14T21:13:00.005-04:00

Hi All,

Well this is a hard post to write...obviously, it took me about 3 months to finally get the nerve to come on here and write. Well after re-reading my last post, it sounded great, but I totally did not follow my eating plan at all....and I'm up about 10 pounds since this spring, and that is really hard to admit.

I miss the me that I was in Jan, Feb, March, and April. Where is that girl? Oh how I wish I could get her back. See that girl didn't give into temptation, that girl made eating right her number one priority, that girl weighed in every week to see results and keep herself accountable, that girl was able to say no to her friends when they gave her bad temptations, That girl never let herself have an excuse to not workout, even on the weekends, and most of all that girl was HAPPY and losing unwanted pounds.

Although the past couple of months I thought I was "happy" being more "normal" and going out to eat with my friends, I really am not. This is not where I wanted to be when I started this whole journey back in January, I wanted to be close to my goal by now. I do understand that everyone has screw-ups and fall-backs, however mine has gone on too long.

So what have I been doing you might ask? Well since school started right after Labor day I have been working out about 5 days a week (good) 1-2 of which is with my personal trainer. And I have been eating really well during the week. However the weekends are another story. Pretty much Thursday through Sunday I have been eating whatever, and going out all the time. So although I have been putting the work in during the week...I completely sabotage all of my efforts on the weekends.

I saw a picture today of myself that was taken this weekend, and I HATE it...I look fat and I have not come as far as I led myself to believe. I am not negating the fact that I have come a long way, but I need to come A LOT further!

So I guess the point of this post is that I am in search of that girl I was earlier in the year, I NEED her! As of yesterday I started tracking everything I eat again, so hopefully that will help, and I plan on being very careful this weekend with everything that I eat. And most of all, I am going to write on here weekly to start keeping myself accountable again, and hopefully start to report loss again!

If anybody has any words of motivation, PLEASE!...I can use all I can get!

Here is the picture from this weekend that made me realize how much further I have to go. I am second from the left.

God only knows how long its been

2008-07-15T16:13:00.002-04:00

Well its been ages.......

It has been ages mostly for the fact that I am scared to face the world and show my failures.
Back in January I would have never thought I would reach this point, I was strong, empowered, and had a will stronger then I have ever had!

But now its July....Celebrated the 4th of July, had my 22nd birthday, and went on vacation.....and in the last two weeks according to my scale I have put on a whopping 9lbs. Yes I know what happened, in the past 2 weeks I have worked out....ooh 3 times, ate whatever the hell I felt like, and had no motivation. My excuse was for the holiday and my birthday, but you know what? I gave myself the worst birthday present ever stepping on that scale today and seeing all of the excess weight I have to lose AGAIN. I feel it too....I can tell in my clothes, hmm perhaps that is why I am wearing stretchy pants and a big t-shirt today.....the clothes that always give. AHHHH!

I somewhere thought that the summer would be easier for me, I would just be able to focus on work and working out....without having to think about school. BOY WAS I WRONG! But honestly this summer is SOOO HARD! my schedule is not regimented like it is when I am in school so I lack the structure and discipline that I had so well when I was in school.

I joined a gym in June to try to start switching up my workout, which worked for about two weeks. But my eating has not been great. As many of you know I started out this journey in January doing 4 protien shakes and day and one meal. Well i'm now at the point where I don't think I could ever stomach more then 1 shake a day, even though it was great for my weight loss in the beginning. I am trying to work with my trainer and dietician to figure out an all food plan for me, but honestly food scares me, it leaves me with so much room for rationalization of something being "good for me" or having a larger portion. I know I have to face it, I do but it doesn't take away from the fact that it terrifies me.

My birthday present to myself this year (yes, I am that vain) was 24 sessions with a personal trainer. I had my first one 2 weeks ago before my 4thofjulybirthdayvacationextravagaza and she kicked my butt and made me hurt, and I loved it!.......except for the days following when I was dying from the pain. Anyways I have my 2nd appointment with her tomorrow and I am scared to face her and let her know the hellish two weeks I have had of donuts, pizza, fried crap.ect... you get the point.

Well this me pledging to get back on track, I am sick of letting myself fail and I have come to far to let myself do this. I will train with my trainer, workout at least 3 other days a week (I workout with her 2) and I will stick to the healthy food plan that has been layed out for me.

Above all else I will find the strength within like I did back in January to remain strong, disciplined, and find the inner skinny me. I will not fail, its just not an option I will keep myself accountable and rely on others to do the same.

I am strong! (say it till you believe it, right?)

Will blog much sooner then the last time I promise!

19 and 20

2008-06-09T22:13:00.002-04:00

So week 19 and 20 were tough.

I ate like crap in Toronto for our vacation (I really suck on vacations) and I was too scared to face the scale that week so I waited until last Thursday to go weigh on. In two weeks I lost 1.2lb's and I was upset.

Now I'm sure sure what to attribute that to. Maybe it was the few days of eating like crap, or the other option is last week I joined a gym near by. I was excited, my workout routine has gotten very boring and I could feel myself giving up and I didn't want to do that, so I did the next best thing, switched it up! I spent the money on a year membership and I am excited. I want to work on a lot more toning and different area's of my body besides strictly cardio.

Well I was working out with a personal trainer for a few days and doing lots of weight training this past week, so that could be attributed to the difference in weight loss. My trainer did warn me that weight might start coming off in different ways (i.e. inches instead of pounds) for a while, but actually seeing it on the scale made me a little sad.

Week 18

2008-05-22T20:25:00.003-04:00

Hey, I went and weighed in this evening and I honestly did not expect much since my crazy work hours have my body all messed up and I feel super bloated right now but I am down another 3.2lb's! Very exciting! If all goes well this coming week and I lose at least 2lb's I will be at 50lb's lost since January, this is very exciting!

It should be an interesting weekend with going away to Toronto with my exercise and eating, but will try my hardest to stay sensible and get lots of walking in!!!

I'll post pictures after we are back!

weeks 14, 15, 16, 17......ummmm yikes????

2008-05-20T19:02:00.005-04:00

SO its been ages since I have posted. I was busy finishing up school then I was gone on my trip to Cancun for a week (AMAZING!)....and then back to working midnights which has messed up my schedule completely!

Week 14.....the week before I left for Mexico. I lost 2.6lb's at my weigh in and I was very happy because it was during my finals week and I was not able to exercise as much as I had hoped.....and thats about all I remember from that week.

Week 15. CANCUN! such a fun trip with three other amazing girls! I in no way was able to stick to my workout and eating regimen however I tried to walk as much as possible, especially on the beach, and well I kind of ate like crap....to be expected I suppose.

Week 16 began one day after getting back from Cancun but I did not go weigh in because I knew I needed to spend some time getting back into the gym and drinking lots of water before I made myself cry on the scale. It is really hard to get back into eating healthy and exercising in the gym after a week of not doing it.....I really hate that feeling and I had a tough, tough week!

Week 17 (last week) I went and weighed in and I was down 1.6lb's from my weight before I left for Cancun and I was pleased. I was able to get off whatever water weight I had gained from all of those lovely drinks in Mexico, and an extra 1.6'lbs.

Although I am still losing small amounts I have to admit I am struggling. I don't really "cheat" but I think about it all the time and I feel my motivation getting less and less by the day. Its really hard, I thought summer would be easier but its not. My schedule is even more messed up with work and finding time to eat and work out has proven to be a huge challenge. I want my initial motivation back! I still have so much farther that I need to go! I look at my pictures from Cancun and I cannot stand the way my body looks still, oh boy do I still have a lot of work left!

I weigh in again on Thursday and hopefully there will be a loss! I just got back from a 1 hour workout at the gym where I burned 875 calories!....I need to get the motivation to do that everyday again like I did before! I will report back on Thursday!.....This weekend my boyfriend and I are going to Toronto for a Memorial day weekend getaway....exciting! but also brings more challenges for eating and fitting in exercise!

I will leave you with a few pictures from my amazing trip!

with two of my friends who I went on the trip with...i'm in the middle

Picture before dinner...in the middle again

one of our many lovely pools at the resort

early morning breakfast picture.....I'm on the right

Its week 13....

2008-04-17T18:45:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone,

I'm actually posting on my weigh-in day, thats pretty much unheard of around here :-) I guess it is more then likely just a good distraction for me so I don't have to start studying for my finals week next week.

I lost 2.4 pounds this week and considering the weekend I had of being out and having two pieces of cake I am pretty happy. Next week should be a big milestone for me, but I'll wait to share that news next week.

I am loving this warm weather we have been having and have been doing 95 % of my workout's outside this week which has been a great change. I easily get sick of being stuck in the gym for an hour a day.

Well nothing much left to say except that I will have to get another picture taken this week since I have been doing them every 20lb's I lose and now I'm up to over 40lb's lost! YAY!

Weeks 11 and 12

2008-04-13T10:41:00.002-04:00

Hello all

Well weeks 11 and 12 have come and gone very quickly, they were seriously two of the busiest weeks of my life. Anyways week 11 I got horribly sick from this nasty virus that was going around everyone here and I felt like complete crap the whole week. I didn't stay on my program for the week because I was so sick and only felt like having soup and crackers. I also did no working out that week for the first time in 12 weeks....I felt horrible. On Thursday of that week when I normally weigh in I was still feeling quite sick so I didn't go to weigh in.

Week 12...this past week I was feeling better and got right back on track drinking shakes, eating right, and working out. Might I add that I never want to skip working out for that long ever again because it SUCKED getting back into it. On Thursday this past week I went to weigh in with no great expectations and I lost 5lb's!!!!!! I was so excited and that leaves me with only 1.6lb's to get to my Cancun goal loss of 40lb's with 2.5 weeks to do it I KNOW I will get there!

2 weeks left of school for the summer then I will be working, working out, and enjoying my last semi-free summer before I am a full-time working adult.

write more later....

Week 9 and 10

2008-03-27T19:19:00.003-04:00

Well, I have no excuses for not writing in the past two weeks except that I am done with school for the semester in a month, I have been working more, and trying to do this whole healthy living thing......it keeps me pretty darn busy!!!!!!

Anyways last week was week 9 of my program and I had to weigh-in a day early and I lost 1.8lb's

I weighed in today and I lost 4.6lb's this week. I am beyond excited and I haven't seen numbers like that since my 2nd week of the program! I thought Easter did me in, but apparently I did alright since I lost a fabulous amount.

I have been working out for 12 weeks now (I started working out in anticipation of my diet) well this week I think all of the working out I have been doing has finally caught up to me because I have felt like my body is falling apart. My knee has been swollen, my back hurts, and pretty much anything else you can think of....I feel like an old woman!!!!!!! I try to use ice, take motrin, and keep pushing onward though because it is way too hard for me to stop and then try to get back into it, so I can't stop!

My original goal for weight loss before Cancun was 35lb's....but since I'm so close I'm gonna push myself a little farther with about a month left I am making my new goal 40lb's before cancun.
I am so motivated and I am loving my new life!

week 8 post....a little late..woops

2008-03-16T16:55:00.002-04:00

SO I weighed in on Thursday and I found out I lost 3.6 pounds this past week. I was very excited, when I stepped on the scale and saw the weight loss I let out a big "THANK GOD, FINALLY!" I am really happy with anything over 3lb's in a week, and since it doesn't happen very often It felt amazing.

I worked out hard!.....1 hour everyday and it kicks my butt, but I feel so accomplished and strong when I am done.

This next week is going to be a challenge with the reuban and beer I had yesterday (In my defense of those food and beverage choices, I knew like a month ago I was going to have one for St. Paddy's day, its a tradition and I'm like 90 percent Irish, so why not eh?).......and Easter that is coming this weekend......why can't it just be easy to make all of the healthy choices??? It has been getting easier however I really know I'll struggle with holidays.

I will post later on in the week. I have to weigh-in a day early this week because I work on Thursday

Its week 7!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-07T21:40:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone

so I didn't get to writing in my blog this week like I was hoping since I have been on spring break from school. Truth be told I have been busy working out and working on homework all week, no fun but I am going on a delayed spring break to Cancun after we get out of school in about 6 weeks.

I weighed in yesterday and I had a 2lb loss. Its the worst I've had so far so I was a tad bit disappointed but I keep telling myself a loss is a loss!!!

This week since I have been on spring break I had set a goal for myself to work out for an hour everyday and I am happy to report that I have done that!!!! I have worked out every day for 1 hour burning usually around 875 calories. Its tiring and I'm not to the point where I feel amazing after I exercise but I do feel strong, and very proud. I would have never thought 10 weeks ago that I would be exercising an hour a day or eating this healthy.

My eating has been pretty much on track with small detours here. I am supposed to be on 4 meal replacements a day and one sensible meal at about 500 calories. I have usually been supplementing my 4th meal replacement during the day with 100 calories of something else, and I am on occasion getting about 100 more calories at my meal then I am supposed to. Its a little off, but still VERY on for me and I am continuing to lose so I am happy.

My goal is to be at 35lb's lost by April 29th So I have about a month and a 1/2 to lose 12 more pounds. On April 29th I leave for Cancun, Mexico for one week with three of my very best friends, I am soooo excited!!!!

I will try to write again soon but these last 6 weeks of school are going to be heavy. Best of luck to all!

week 6 weigh in

2008-02-27T23:34:00.003-05:00

Today was my week 6 weigh-in and I lost 3lb's bringing my 6 week total up to 21.5 and I couldn't be happier. I am just beginning this long journey but I am sticking with it and seeing results that I love!

This week I officially went down a jean size I was able to pull my 22's that were just hanging on me off without even unzipping or unbuttoning them and I got out my 20's from 2 years ago I believe. It is by no means even close to my goal but I am incredibly happy to be down a size.

I have still been working out 6 days a week for about 45 minutes each day and burning about 600 calories on average. As of last week I started to add in weight training and I love it! I just love feeling the burn....ok I'm weird, its ok :-)

Anyways hopefully next week I will have time to write more creative posts since I will be on SPRING BREAK! thank god!!!

It's been a while

2008-02-20T19:10:00.002-05:00

Well, I have been incredibly busy in the past couple weeks but I just wanted to update on the past two weeks.

Last week I lost 2.8 pounds

Today I had to weigh in a day early since I work tomorrow night and tonight I lost 2.5 pounds.

It has slowed down a bit and I knew this would happen but it is slowly but steadily coming off.

I am really enjoying the weight loss and starting to feel a little better. I have a ton of exams this week but hopefully I will get a chance to post this weekend!!

I hope everyone is doing well and seeing some results!

Wow...its been a week!

2008-02-08T14:31:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe its been a week since my last post. This past week was week three and the most challenging yet. I have been fighting a nasty sinus infection all week which made is super hard to find the energy to go workout. I ended up only missing one day this week which isn't too bad, but I didn't stick to my program as well as I should have. Oh well, can't kick yourself too bad, Onward for me!

Anyways last night was my weigh in and I am done another 3.5 pounds! I am happy, not as happy as I was with 5 pounds, but I know 3 will probably start being my norms so I need to learn to be happy with any loss.

This weekend I have soo much homework to do, working midnight again :-( (soooo not good for the sleep I need with this sinus infection) and hopefully working out a lot.

My goals this week are to increase my water intake, work out everyday, and try my best to stick as closely as possible to my shake regimen .

Maybe I will get a chance to post again this week..if not, have a great week!

Second Weigh-In

2008-01-31T21:40:00.000-05:00

Tonight was my second weigh-in and group therapy meeting.....AND.....I lost another 5 POUNDS!!
I beyond excited! I also had my doctors check in today, since this is a medically monitored program and she was very happy at my progress in the last two weeks. I have been able to lower my blood pressure since the last time they checked it (never was super high or anything, but its nice to have it lower), my resting heart rate has lowered, and I am just starting to feel like a new person. All of the good news and support I had tonight is definitely motivation enough to get through another week of this program, its really not even that hard anymore, boring? YES! but doable, and totally worth losing weight.

A week or so ago I saw a post on someones blog about their reasons for losing weight. I thought that would be a fun post to do because I have so many motivating factors and reasons for wanting to lose this extra baggage....so here it goes, lets see how many things I can think of this evening

1. To be healthy! (Biggest reason for sure, especially as a nursing student knowing about all of the bad things that can happen to people as they stay obese)
2. To enjoy seeing pictures of myself instead of cringing every time I see pictures
3. To know that I am strong and that I can take charge of my body.
4. To be able to run......1 mile, one thing I have never thought I could do (you best believe I will do it before 2008 is over!)
5.To go back to an amusement park and enjoy the coasters without worrying if my seat-belt will fit on each ride.
6. To be told I have more then "a really pretty face".....Its a wonderful compliment, it really is but when thats all you get your whole life I would love to have a compliment on something else
7. To look hot when My Mr. right proposes (which I'm told could very well be happening sometime during 2008) and maybe even lose some weight in my chubby fingers (is that even possible??? I have no idea!)
8. To get married without being in a plus-size dress
9. So that eventually......when I am ready, I can have babies!!!!!
10. To feel comfortable in my own skin
11. To buy a new wardrobe
12. To shop wherever the hell I feel like shopping.
13. I want to be able to feel comfortable doing group workouts such as yoga or kick boxing
14. I want to develop a healthy relationship with food so that I am able to maintain the weight I lose....its all about my lifestyle changes.
15. I want to go backpacking in Europe and not be that fat American girl everyone points at.
......and many more. I'm sure eventually I will think of another batch and post them. Now its time to go off and study!

Best of luck to everyone remember persevere and you will win the prize!!!!!

Another battle won......sooo many more to come

2008-01-30T20:10:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was one of the busiest days of my life!!!! I was gone from 6am-11pm, only being home for two hours the whole day which was just enough time to workout and eat dinner.. (orange roughy, baked potato, and salad)

Yesterday I was faced with a battle, and I won it!...here's the story. For my clinical rotation we spent 4 weeks at a head start center helping with health promotion activities for the children, well yesterday was our last day and the staff decided to buy everyone lunch. They bought like 6 pizza's, chicken wings, pop, brownies, cupcakes........you get the picture. I have never prided myself in having very good self control so frankly this situation scared me. I think thats part of the reason why I have gotten so heavy, I have not learned how to say no to foods that are horribly toxic for my body. Anyways I went into the conference room, enjoyed talking to everyone over lunch, and did not eat an ounce of that food! It was really huge for me and I am so happy and proud it just helps me realize how strong I can be and how much I really want this. I know there will be many more battles to win in the future and I won't pretend I will never mess up, I'm sure I will plenty but I plan on taking one day at a time, one decision at a time and hopefully making my best choices possible.

I work midnights tonight......hopefully work will be slow I will be able to get a lot of studying done since I can't be curled up in my bed tonight.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in day I will be sure to post about that, I just know I won't have another 5lb loss like last week so I'm nervous and just hoping I lost something, but then I get to thinking, if I don't lose anything, why the hell not???? I have worked out everyday this week, and its been harder then I have ever pushed myself before! I have eaten pretty dang healthy....and I will be incredibly sad if I don't have a loss....anyways I need to stop sulking cause I have no idea what tomorrow will bring.

Back tomorrow!

Oh Monday.....

2008-01-28T17:12:00.000-05:00

Well another weekend has come and gone, unfortunately. I worked midnights at the hospital this weekend and although I was able to get a decent amount of studying done while at the hospital, it messes with my sleep schedule and I have been exhausted these past few days. I swear if Adam wouldn't have been with me in the gym yesterday I would have fallen off the treadmill because I would have gone to sleep haha.

Anyways I worked out Saturday for about 45 minutes- around 480 calories burned
Sunday I worked out and burned around 450, and about the same today when I went and worked out with my friend Brit... I really enjoy having people to go to the gym with, such a nice motivation and when I go with a friend we end up gabbing the whole time so the time goes by fast...its really all about the mind tricks for me.

By the way...I am sooooo happy I started this blog, I find myself reading a lot of other people's blogs about weight loss and it is so incredibly inspiring to see so many people with a common goal of getting healthy, so much support out there!

Tonight for dinner I am making baked chicken with stewed Italian tomatoes and some other seasonings, then I am trying whole wheat pasta for the first time, and I will have some leftover salad from last night....looking forward to it. I have really learned to enjoy eating my meals since I only have one real one a day

I hope everyone is staying motivated and know you are such a motivation to me!

hard workout and a guilty conscious

2008-01-25T18:23:00.000-05:00

Today has been a decent day........however very tiring.

I had class all morning and when I got home I soooooooo did not want to work out.
Thankfully Adam (my boyfriend) helped encourage me to go and I actually ended up having one of my hardest workouts yet. I was able to burn 385 calories in 30 minutes on 3.8 on the treadmill. I was so tired when I was done, but of course happy I actually made myself go still.

My one meal today is a little less impressive :-( For the first time since being on my plan I am going over 500 calories and I feel super guilty. I am having Wendy's....a side salad with reduced fat salad dressing, small chili, and a jr. bacon cheeseburger. 630 calories according to their website. I couldn't be more excited to eat it, but I am feeling soo bad like if I don't lose as much weight next week its gonna be because of that..anyone else ever feel like that? I figure this is the one time this week I will let myself do this and the rest of the week will be spent below 500 cal's. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself because I know eventually I will need to learn how to make these hard choices all the time...I can't isolate myself forever.

Anyways, I'm working midnights this weekend at the hospital, so I hope I figure out how to fit my protein shakes in...and say no to all of the temptations those midnighters eat!!!!

First Weigh-in!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-24T19:44:00.000-05:00

Hey all,

Tonight I went for my first group meeting and weigh-in....and *drum roll please*

I lost 5 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!! I am beyond excited. That is 5 pounds in the last 6 days on the plan. I know that this will keep me motivated to stick with it and continue to work-out everyday.

For my meal today I made the weight watchers chicken taco salad type thing....sooooo yummy!!!!! especially the corn tortillas in the oven, so good!

I worked out for about 40 minutes today, 330 calories. I am slowly beginning to increase my pace on the treadmill.

I will try to check back in periodically during the week to update on my progress.

First blog....taking chances

2008-01-23T20:55:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone (or myself, not sure if anyone will ever read this)

This is my first blog quite exciting, eh?

Well I have just begun the journey of a lifetime and I am on the road to a healthier me. I have finally realized that I am once and for all going to do something about my weight problem, and get control over it while I am still young and able. Last Friday 01-18-08 I began the Beaumont diet. This diet is a medically monitored weight control program. For me it consists of 4 protein shakes a day accompanied by one 500 calorie meal and unlimited low-starch vegetables.

It has been a really tough week....I have thought about cheating at least 20 times a day, have had several ups and downs, and been completely sore and tired from the working out I have added to my repertoire.

I fully believe that things will begin to get easier as I continue on the program and I am sooo proud of myself for not giving into temptation at all this week and working out everyday! That is huge for me! This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done before in my life, but I KNOW it will be completely worth it.

Tomorrow is my first weigh in and I will be sure to check back to give the results. Hopefully my hard work paid off.

I will end this with my infamous BEFORE shot, of course everyone has to have one. I absolutely HATE this picture but hopefully it will continue to be my motivation even when I am tired and feel like giving up.

Close up