Go4it

I am on cloud 9………I made it to 145, even after a cheat day and more than a few glasses of wine. I was so happy to get on that scale this morning and see 145!!!! I know it does not seem like a lot of weight but loosing six pounds has made me feel so much better. I never knew how hard it would be to try and loose a few pounds.

 I am proud of myself for reaching my 145 and I can’t believe I actually did it! I think I owe a lot of the credit to buddyslim…I have tried to read blogs every day and I’ve learned so much here and it has been such a great help to see what other people are going through and what they have accomplished…so once again, thanks to everyone here on buddyslim.

It doesn’t matter how much weight we have to loose…whether it is 30 pounds or 200 pounds….we are all trying to better ourselves because for some reason we are unhappy with the way we look or feel. I read a blog the other day and the blogger wrote that he/she did not want buddies who only needed to loose a few pounds…………………………………ok……….I had a moment of awkward silence……

I guess I understand but I think I know how it feels to be unhappy with my looks and how I feel so I would never cut off a person who just needed to loose a few pounds. Maybe those few pounds feel like a million pounds……It doesn’t matter how much weight there is to loose…we are all the same. We all need support and motivation to do this. We have all taken the first step towards making ourselves healthier and happier and there is nothing wrong with that no matter how much you weigh.

Okay let me get down from my soap box now…………..

What has helped me get rid of those six pounds?

• Calorie estimating…I do not go over my daily allowed calorie intake except on my “cheat day”.
• Water, water, water…I allow myself 3 cups of my addiction (Diet Coke) per day and after that I drink water, water, water. I hated water but I’ve actually almost required a taste for it and it’s not so bad.
• I’m now watching carbs and protein intake….fewer carbs and more protein. Lots of baked or boiled chicken, lean turkey. I measure out food portions for snacks and high carb foods to limit myself. “God bless sandwich bags!”
• Watch the sodium (it will bloat your @$$ up like a balloon).
• I read every label of everything food I eat and ask myself “do I really want this?”
• 4 - 5 small meals per day (usually 2 snacks and three small meals but this varies)
• Walking twice a week or doing some sort of physical activity…exercise DVD or whatever I’m in the mood for…..
• Always aware of what I’m doing, feeling, eating and never letting myself down.

 I’ve become some what of a “nutrition & fitness” apprentice on the internet. Lots of research and learning new things as much as possible. Some one once said “knowledge is power”.

Anyway…I’m glad to be here and I’m looking forward to my next Friday weigh in. My goal for next Friday is 143………….Hope everyone is having a good weekend!!!

IF I CAN DO THIS, ANYONE CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not much to talk about today….long day and raining out there. But anyway I did pretty good on calories today. I’m about to eat a  “Burger”…a fat hamburger with lots of protein and very few carbs. Found a bun that has only 100 calories so hey…I’m alright with that. I might get brave and add a slice of cheddar cheese (more protein). Hope everyone is having a good day and if not…it will be better in the morning And….I think mustard has zero calories……..Gotta go! I’ve earned that burger

It was around 8pm last night….I’m at home, minding my own business right……..That nasty group of cravings slipped up on me out of no where. Pizza cravings, chip cravings, cheeseburger cravings…..all of them. I was caught off guard so I felt weak, didn’t know what to do. My weight scale flashed before my eyes and I tried to fight back. I went to the fridge…..damn, so much fruit in there now….where is all the junk? I grabbed a bottle of water and thought about that 400 calorie portion of lasagna that I had eaten for dinner. I was so close to my daily calorie limit and it was so late…I didn’t need to put more food in my mouth today. And not to mention that I had done cardio for an hour today and sweat my @$$ off.

For over an hour these craving bullies tormented me. I had to fight with everything I had. They were big and ruthless…it was torture. But I did it….And one by one they went away…….calling my name and letting me know they would be back another day. Whew, that was a close one.

I was reading “somemansdream” blog about her super undertaking of a wonderful project…a weight loss challenge in her community. I love this idea and I felt so motivated by her ambition and self confidence! I was wondering……omg stand back, I’m thinking again……how hard would it be to host a “Fitness Walk” in my area. Anyone have any input? I know I could get participants, do flyers, etc…..but are there any legal obligations?

Maybe something simple like a two mile walk…..put out some flyers…..Charge a small entrance fee and provide each walker a t-shirt or water drinking bottle, free passes to a local gym or something. THIS IS HUGE!!!! The sky is the limit!

Somemansdream…thank you for motivating me. I am really thinking about planning this event. I’m open for any ideas. Maybe this could lead to a local fitness/weight loss support group in my area……………….stand back, I’m still thinking….

Gotta go do some research!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll keep you posted! Thanks again somemansdream!!!!

Hanging on to my 146 but I’m working hard to get that 145 on my scale this week. Just one pound down, that’s all I’m asking for. Starting sunday…next week is my power week. Excercise everyday at least 45 minutes to include cardio and some weight training. I’m going kick that 146 straight out the damn door and come in weighing 145 or less by next weekend!

Small goal but hey…it gets me motivated. 145 here I come! I’m ready! Got up this morning feeling like a zombie but forced myself to do the Biggest Loser bootcamp DVD and hey…I’m a new woman. 145 here I come and nothing is going to stop me!!!! It’s been a year since I’ve been below 150…If I can do this, anyone can.

Still at 147 but damn I feel like I’ve lost 50 pounds already…I feel good. Yesterday I walked over a mile with my daughter for our cardio and today I am trying some Tae Bo…that should be interesting I’m watching portions and calories. Last night was hard. I ate dinner around 6pm and around 9pm I felt myself wanting to raid the fridge. I drank water and fought the urge. I wasn’t hungry, just bored I guess but it was hard to say no to a late night snack. I feel proud this morning that I did not give in.

I keep telling myself that I can do this. I’ve just done the Biggest Loser Boot Camp, level one, this afternoon and I can’t believe how much I sweat doing that! Excellant DVD…I loved it. It was easy to follow. I also did about 20 minutes of Tae Bo and it kicked my butt!

It’s raining this afternoon so I wasn’t able to go out walking but the DVD was great! I am trying so hard to keep focused…this is hard but I am constantly reminding myself that it is going to be okay and that I can do this. I can loose 25 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I’ve gotta hang on……I can do this…….I can not fail this time……gotta hang on.

As a newbie I’m still a little lost with some of the calorie counting issues but I’m working on it. I know this sounds like a really simple idea but I thought is was wonderful. I’m was one of those people who would snack a lot during the day….1/2 bag of chips here, candy bar there, a few sandwiches through out the day and so on. So anyway…i had a light bulb moment, you know one of those moments where you get a really bright idea and a light bulb pops up over your head and you feel like Einstein for a few minutes I’m sure there are a lot of others out there who are trying to deal with the calorie counting drama so I wanted to share my idea.

My daughter and I purchased a few measuring cups and some sandwich bags along with a few of our favorite snacks. We are not dieting…we are doing a “life style change” so we are not going to deprive ourselves of our “treats”. We measure out less than 200 calories of our favorite snack and put in into a sandwich bag. We do this with the whole box or bag of whatever the treat is so that we have a bunch of little treat bags, each bag containing less than 200 or even less than 150 calories. When we need that little snack between meals we just grab a treat bag. It prevents us from eating a whole box of cookies or a whole bag of chips. I know that sounds simple but hey…it works for us and we love doing it. It has motivated us to look for healthier and more more interesting treats. We allow ourselves two treat bags per day depending on our other food intake that day. I love it! It is also great for taking a treat bag in the car and nibbling on it when your hungry and do not need to intake fast food calories that day.

Yesterday afternoon my daughter Britt and I made up some treat bags together and we had  lot of fun doing something together. We have our treat and we know exactly how many calories we are getting! In doing this it has also helped us start learning to read lables and keep a check on the calorie intake. COOL!

THE YOGA QUEEN AND PRINCESS…OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

45 minutes of cardio yesterday and 45 minutes of Yoga…..I feel great. I finally took a full front pic of myself for this blog. I always avoided the camera so this was a big step for me. I guess you could say I finally went face-to-face with the camera. My daughter came over to join me in the cardio / walking and Yoga and we had so much fun! We are meeting up today to go out and look for another DVD to add to our collection. I’m still waiting for my Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD…can’t wait! I weighed in at 147 this morning but hey, I feel great!

Pic of me at 150 pounds….

One of life’s OMG moments…A few months ago I ran into Kroger (grocery store) to get a few things. At the check out counter the clerk asked me “When is your baby due?” I froze…my mind drifting to the four children I have, the youngest being ten years old. I felt a wave of embarrassment creep through my body and then replied  “My baby was born ten years ago.” The silence was odd as she rang up my items. I don’t know who was more uncomfortable…me or her. I felt so hurt that I wanted to cry. I was crushed.

I left the store…a 40 year old woman realizing that some how I had let myself go and had gained weight over the last couple of years. It was yet another wake up call. My first instinct was “I’ll show them!” so on my next visit to Kroger I pulled my car into the designated “Expectant Mothers” reserved parking space and strutted across the parking lot with my big belly sticking out. My apologies to any expecting mom who had to miss out on that parking space because of me but I had no choice. It just seemed like the thing to do at that moment.

I still shop at that Kroger and now I park as far away from the store as possible…the walk across the parking lot is a constant reminder of what I need to do. Funny how something that seemed so horrible turned out to be such a good thing.