Recap: Posting Week 1

So I think in the interest of saving time, I'm going to recap once a week, give or take, unless there's something really significant I need to blog about. 

Last week ended a little bumpy, and this one started off that way.  My weigh days are Thursdays for whatever random reason, and although the past few weeks have been fine for me through the weekend, this one was not so much.  We ate out a lot, and I didn't even pretend to try and be healthy about it.  The scale put me back up a bit, but my weight fluctuates A LOT in between official weigh-ins.  It always has. 

So my plan for this week: 

#1)  I'm cancelling my gym membership.  I have belonged to this gym for almost 2 years, and I hate it there.  It's probably 30 years old, and all 30 years of smelly sweat and nasty old guys still stink up the place.  It's cramped and crowded and I don't enjoy going there.  Plus, really gals, do we have to stand around BUTT NAKED in the locker room and talk about whatever there could be to talk about?  I'm over it.  I have an elliptical at home.  I have a basement we don't use where there's a t.v.  I can put my Wii down there and get a Wii Fit or Zumba Dance or something that will keep me moving. 

#2)  Really try and be very strict about logging everything that goes into my mouth.  Even if it causes me to go over my calorie allowance for the day.  I need to log it. 

#3)  I am going to make an effort to get more fruits & veggies into my diet this week, because I've noticed that I'm slinking away from that habit.  I almost didn't even serve a veggie with dinner last night!  

#4)  DRINK MORE!!!  I suck so badly at this.  I can go so long without drinking.  I always say I think I was born without a thirsty mechanism in my brain.  Then I'm like "Huh, that's odd... why's my pee orange?" 

#5) Sleep more.  I say this not taking myself very seriously because sleep is one of those frivolous things I learned to give up years and years ago. 

I'll be back on Thursday to recap my week. 

Have a good one!

H

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

My name is Heather.  I'm 30 years old and I live in Northern Colorado with my husband, daughter, 3 dogs and one crazy cat.  I work full time and I help my husband run his business when I can.  We bought our house 2 years ago after having leased it for a year and a half.  To say it is "Under Construction" is an understatement, but we'll get there. Fortunately the housing market has completely tanked in our area, causing our 5 year plan to quickly morph into a 10 year one.  Now we have lots of time.  :) 

You know those things about me.  What you don't know is that 9 years ago, I was "thin."  I have no idea what I used to weigh because I refused to step on a scale, but I know that I was confident in my body.  I was strict about my diet and I used to work out religiously.  Cut to 9 years and about 100 pounds or so later, and things have changed drastically.  After I had my daughter, my body turned into - well, I don't feel like it's my own body I'm stuck inside of, but someone elses entirely.  I cry when I look in the mirror.  When you look at me, you see a pudgy girl "with a pretty face."  You don't see that I love my family intensely.  You don't know that my husband & I were high school sweethearts, and that he is my best friend.  You don't see that I love road trips and camping and concerts.  You don't see a girl who wants more than anything to run a 5K, or to be able to climb the steps at Red Rocks without needing an inhaler to do so.  You don't know that I'm artistic or that I love to write.  You don't know that I love, love, love to dance even though I'm probably terrible at it.  You don't know that I have a great job that brings a lot of opportunities.  You don't know that I love to go on cruises and that my husband and I want to travel together when we retire.  You don't know that I have a soft spot for big oafy labs, or that I am Auntie to 7 nephews and one niece.  You don't know any of those things, because you see a fat girl, and that's it. 

In turning 30, I realized that I spent a lot of years trying to pretend that I was confident in who I was no matter what shape or size that version of me was presented in.  But it's not true.  I do care.  And I don't want this shell to be mine anymore.  I want to wear a sundress and not have my thighs rub together.  I don't want my shoe size to be a 9 because my body weight is flattening my feet.  I don't want there to be any X's in the tags on my clothing.  I want to be able to run and play with my daughter.  I want to be able to cross my legs comfortably and not feel like I'm going to barf when I tie my shoes each time because my gut is squishing the air out of me.  I want to not have ripped off belt loops on my jeans because I couldn't quite wiggle into them this time.  I need the change.  I crave the change.  I have to make it happen.

There's a big prize being dangled in front of my face, too if I want it bad enough.  And oh do I want it.  My husband has made me a promise to buy me something I've wanted for the better part of 15 years. The prize is mine for the taking, but I won't share what it is until it's more within reach. 

I invite you to read along as I chronicle this weight loss journey for myself.  I'm going to blog it for a couple of reasons.  Writing it down allows me to go back and review good and bad parts.  It also creates a requirement for accountability.  I have made my promise now, to you Dear Reader to log my progress, my hiccups, my achievements and prove that I can find that girl who's somewhere deep down inside of me, swimming in a vat of liquid cheese! 

I started my challenge a couple of weeks ago, so the starting details below are technically a little skewed, but we don't have to worry about that.  It's the end result that counts! 

Thanks for the support!

H

Starting Weight:  254 LBS
Starting Pant Size:  18
Starting Shirt Size XL - XXL
Starting Bra Size - 38D
Starting Shoe Size - 9

Tools Used:  One Gym Membership
                    (Goal for now:  4 days/30 min. a day.)
                  One weight loss tracker app on my phone that allows me to track calories consumed and earned. 

GOAL:  180LBS
Time frame:  April 2012 - 2lbs/week