Day 8: Weigh Day

Just got back from my first walk of my second week. Waited until tonight and went with Corey 'cause it was hot and humid out today. Not sure if it's even really a "work-out" for Corey...I've got to take so many more steps than him. No fair!

As promised, today I weighed myself. :( I am so fat. The only time I weighed more was when I was 9 months pregnant and about to deliver and even at that I only weighed 4 more pounds. So here it is people, on February 28th, 2011 I weighed in at 244 lbs. I'm hoping by this time next year I will have at least met my 50 lbs weight loss goal and then some. Maybe I wont have to consider myself fat by then.

I started my "official-official" lo-carb diet today. Here's what I ate.

BREAKFAST:
-1 apple
-lo-carb strawberry yogurt

LUNCH:
-salami & Swiss on lo-carb wrap w/mayo & mustard
-S.f. cherry pomegranate drink

DINNER:
-taco salad made with ground turkey & black beans

P.S. I should note I am also drinking plenty of water throughout the day. I just don't bother writing it down unless it is mixed with something.

Day 7: One week down!

I can't believe it...I made it one whole week! Woohoo! I am proud of myself. :) I'm still finding 2 miles/40 minutes to be difficult. I think it might take more than 2 weeks before it becomes easy for me. The weather has been nice for walking. I'm a little worried about the summer if we're already at 83 degrees in February. I might be switching over to the treadmill sooner than I thought. So tomorrow was the official start to eating better/lowering carb intake but I did so well today I might as well start recording it today.

BREAKFAST:
-Raisin Bran cereal
-skim milk

LUNCH:
-salad with chicken, apples, pecans & pomegranate dressing
-s.f. raspberry lemonade

DINNER:
-shrimp scampi
-small amount of brown rice
-asparagus
-corn

Tomorrow will also be weigh-in day. WAH! I guess if I want to be totally honest with myself I'm going to need to put my exact starting weight here on my blog. Maybe it will help keep me in check knowing that potentially some total stranger (and maybe family and friends) may start checking my blog to see my progress. Not that it should really matter what other people think, but I at least want to make it look like I'm making some progress. Hopefully they wont think, "Whoa, what a fat ass." but rather "Wow, look at her; she's really making an effort to get healthy." Who knows, maybe I'll even inspire someone!

P.S. Speaking of inspiring people, I need to thank my best friend Aimee for being my inspiration. Last time I checked she has lost 120 lbs in about a year. If she can do it, so can I. So proud of you girl! :)

Day 4 & 5

Didn't get around to posting yesterday but it wasn't because I didn't go for my walk. I did! And I went again today. I've done 5 days already, woohoo! Today, my feet actually hurt a little less. Guess that's a good sign. I've started counting things that Emelia and I see on our walk to make it a little more interesting for her. Yesterday, we counted flags...there were 17. Today we counted squirrels...there were 19. Maybe we'll do birds next. Think we're going to get some groceries some time this weekend so my lo-carb diet will be starting shortly. I think Monday I need to do an official weigh-in to see where I'm at. Maybe every Monday morning I'll do that and keep track of my progress. Not sure if I want to post it online. I'm embarrassed by how fat I am. :( But then again, maybe it will help. I'll have to think on it.

Day 3

I made it past hump day! YAY ME! Corey went on a walk with me tonight since I didn't get a chance earlier today. It was nice to spend some time with just him. :) It was so nice out...I didn't sweat as much as I did with the sun beating down on me. I was out of breath by the end of the walk. And my feet hurt (but not as bad in my new shoes), and my hips and my back. Yikes, I am SO out of shape. I wonder how long it's gonna take before that walk isn't such a workout for me. Forgot to add that on Monday we drove my route and it was just right at 2 miles. I think that's a fair amount for a newbie. As soon as it's not such a stretch I'll bump it up to 2.5 miles. I'm thinking it will take at least to weeks to get to that point. We shall see. For now, it's time to put my feet up, drink some water and catch an episode of Top Chef.

Day 2

So here I am at day 2. So far so good. I went walking for another 40 minutes today. I decided that Converse All Stars weren't going to cut it for walking everyday so I had to get me some new kicks. Got some New Balance runners in silver and turquoise. They seem comfy. Hopefully no more blisters on my toe. Now all I have to worry about is the pain in my hips. It hurt so bad at one point I thought my leg was going to give out. Hope the Glucosamine & Chondroitin starts working soon! I guess I'm in worse shape than I thought. :(

Forgot to mention that before I even began exercising I started drinking only water. Well, water mixed with the occasional sugar free lemonade packet, but that's it. No more sodas, not even diet. The caffeine just messes with me. So, I have taken 2 steps in the right direction so far. Now, all I have to do is start dieting. That might be the hardest part. :S Next time we get groceries, which will probably be pretty soon, is when I will start. I think I will go low-carb. Not like crazy Atkins style, more like South Beach I think. I want to stay away from white food; potatoes, rice, bread, sugar, flour, etc. I think once I start dieting I will include what I have eaten in my daily post. I've kept record of it before and I think it really helps keep you accountable for what you eat. Guess I've got a couple of more "Mini Goals".

Mini Goal #2: Lower carb intake.
Mini Goal #3: Keep track of what I am eating by writing it down.

I think I need another name for the "Mini Goals" since they are goals in themselves but they ultimately lead to my main goal of losing weight. Hmm, I need to think on this. "Sub Goal"??? I don't know. I'll keep working on it.

Day 1

So they say the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. I guess the same holds true when you're on a journey to improve your life. It's all gotta start somewhere so I guess today is as good a say as any. I suppose I better begin by writing out what I hope to achieve on this journey. First and foremost I need to lose weight. I'm fat. Yep, I said it. I need to lose the weight so that I can be healthier. Maybe my back won't hurt, maybe my foot won't hurt, maybe I won't be so tired all the time, maybe my hormones won't be all out of whack, maybe (hopefully) I'll just feel better as a whole. I need to be a better Mom to my daughter. It's hard keeping up with an 18 month old and it's hard to do the things I'd like to do with her. She deserves a better Mommy. That being said, I need to lose the weight if I want to have another baby. Can't imagine getting pregnant now...I'd be HUGE! So I guess I'll start with the weight loss. It's as good a place as any to begin. I want to start with 50 pounds. I need to lose more than that but it's a start. OK, so here it is:


GOAL #1: LOSE 50 POUNDS


The title of this post is "Day 1", so what in the heck did I do today to reach my goal, you ask. I took my daughter on a walk for 40 minutes. I'm pretty proud of myself too. I could have just sat on the couch as usual but I decided to get up and go. They say it takes 21 days for a new habit to set in, so I guess the first mini goal on this weight loss journey should be:

Mini Goal #1: Walk at least 30 minutes a day (either outside with Emelia or inside on the treadmill), for 21 days until it becomes a habit.

I can do that. Helps make me a better Mommy too! Two for one!

So I've already taken the first step on this journey. It's probably going to be baby steps but at least I've started. I'm proud of me. I can do this. Gonna try and post every day so one day I can look back and see where the journey started and how far I've come. :)