Falling Off the Wagon

Falling off the wagon doesn't begin to describe it...it was more like jumping off the wagon. Slowly but surely I have gotten back into my old ways and got back into a slovenly rutt. Everytime I look into the mirror, or see pictures of myself I feel disgust. I want to shed this weight. I need to shed this weight. To many reasons to begin. My children. My husband. My future children. They need me, and it makes me feel pretty sad, thinking the things that I could miss out on if I don't lose this weight. I wish Matt would really join in the effort with me. It could make it so much more easier. I am worried that with the holidays fast approaching that I am really not going to be losing it, but gaining it all back, and then some. I don't know why, but some days I feel I have no self control. I could eat everything I see, or eat disgustingly unhealthy. I feel so worried about this, it is keeping me awake right now. This is me owning up to the fact that I haven't been exercising like I should, eating right like I should, and setting a good example to my children on a healthy lifestyle.

Month 2

My second month hasn't been going well. I have been faithfull to working out, and I am now down to 205 lbs. Only 45 more pounds to go! But wait....

This isn't going to last if I don't start to eat healthier. Way healthier. I have been really bad about skipping meals ( at least breakfast and lunch). I have been really bad with soda and sweets lately as well. I need to start trying to eat unprocessed foods and more veggies and fruits into my diet. I like the thought of "eating clean" as I like to think of it. One of my friends K. had been trying a no hydrogenated oils diet for herself and family, and that is also something I would like to try. I know that with fall, comes comfort foods. I need to reinvent comfort foods for myself and family. Like squash soup. Yum! Or some dehydrated apples. I love those. I have recently been on a banana kick lately too. I like that they are slightly sweet and really filling. I didn't think I would ever want another banana in my life if you asked me five months ago, but with WIC we get those fresh fruits and veggies, and nanners are usually cheap. Go figure.

With fall comes cooler weather, which I enjoy much more than summer. I have more energy. The air smells good, and with all the pretty colors on the trees ( up here in the great north woods, most of the leaves have fallen already) motivates me to get outside. Let us hope that, come winter, I will still get a walk in. At least I have a crazy four year old who will help me get out of the house in winter. Epic snowball fights! SO enough rambling.

I have found this lovely, wonderful website. I thought I would share it with you. You can thank my mother! www.e-mealz.com

Catching Up.

Sorry I haven't posted for so long! I know, I'm a bad blogger!

In the past three weeks though I have got down to 210lbs. I feel pretty happy that I have been keeping it off, and losing it. The fall weather is so nice, it's hard to be inside. I love going for long walks, and taking in the sights and smells of the fall. I still am working out the the Jillian Michaels DVDs but I would like to get into something a little better. Matt and I both decided to get each other Weight Watchers and P90X. Matt really wants to lose some weight too. Otherwise, nothing has been happening that is new. I really want to start swimming again. And I need to learn to cook alot healthier. It's a little hard, especially with fall. Let's hope I can keep on going the same path, and treking forward!

Days 8,9,10,&11

Sorry I haven't posted in so long! I worked three evenings in a row, and boy did it tire me out. I stayed with my diet, and I managed to exercise all three days. I think I like the Jillian Michaels Power Sculpt over the 30 Day Shred.

I have been eating alot more lean protein. I really like that it keeps me fuller longer, and that it doesn't make me feel so weighed down. Also I have been also trying to get more vegatables into my diet. I like to also eat what I like to call "clean". Eating more raw fruits and veggies makes me feel better through out the day. Not so many processed foods is starting to pay off I think.

Yesterday was National Dog Day, so I took the pets for a walk. It was wonderfull outside, hot and sunny, but with a light breeze coming off the lake.I find that I have so much energy and I have been in such a good mood. It's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders that I didn't even realize that was there. I have been sleeping better, and I think all around I am more pleasant to be around.

I started a new job, and I think that is helping me with my weight loss as well. I usually don't get to sit down from 4:30 p.m. until the time I leave at 11:00 p.m. That adds up to a lot of walking, bending, lifting, and twisting. Aerobics! All those lovely ladies tell me I'm beautiful as well, which makes me smile, and some of the things they say really makes me laugh!

I think everyday, not only should people make it a point to do something for a half hour , weather it be walking, running, or weight lifting, they should also make it a point to laugh and smile, especially about the little things in life. I work with people with Alzheimer's and Dementia, and one of the best things to fight off diseases such as these is to challenge your brain, be spontaneous, and exercise. Well, I'm hoping that I can continue with my challenge, time for a good night rest though :) Sleep well all!

Day 7

Today went so well! I am so happy, I have lost four pounds!

I really didn't want to be losing the weight as quick, I thought maybe 2 lbs/week, but as long as it is staying off, I'm happy. All this exercising has made me in a really good mood, and today I played with Grover outside. I'm sure the neighbors thought he was mauling me, but it was all OK. I did The Biggest Loser Power Sculpt workout, 45 crunches on the exercise ball, and a brisk walk. I realize that the Power Sculpt workout is much easier for me to do than the 30 Day Shred Jillian Michael's DVD. I think I will switch it up and do one every other day, and the other on the off days.

It's been really hot out lately, and it makes me think of when I use to swim for exercise. It is suppose to be the hardest on your cardiovascular system, so I don't do it as much. If I had a sitter today, I would have definetly been in the water. I feel pretty tired out though, and the babe is calling!

Day 6

Today went o.k. I Didn't go over my calorie intake, but I didn't manage to get any exrecise in. I worked from 9:30-2:30, then had to run home to nurse Henry, then work from 3p-9:30p. All I wanted to do today was cuddle up with my boys. I miss them so much when I am away from them, that all I can do is think about them. I love my jobs, but some days, when I miss them like that, it just makes me miserable, and I rush through work.

Otherwise, I have the day off tomorrow. I want to go for a long walk with Henry, and maybe Grover. Chester doesn't walk so well, and doesn't really need a walk as bad as the Grove-Monster. I need to also make out a grocery list. Matt did the meal planning with an amazing cook book we got from the WIC office. It's full of healthy recipes from things oy ucan get from WIC. The salmon burgers are really good so far.

Let's hope I can do what I set out to do for tomorrow. Goodnight All! :D

Day 5

Today went so well! I am so proud of myself. I took a client to McDonald's, and didn't get a thing! :D I managed to exercise today, even though I worked twelve hours, and I managed to stay under 1800 calories. I know I have only been at this for four days, but already I think I'm feeling improvements to my mind and body. After working for eight hours at one job, where I only ever get to sit down once, my back hardly hurts at all. All that ab work is starting to pay off! Also I think my arms look slimmer, but it's probably just my mind playing tricks on me...but a little self confidence is good too.This morning when I weighed myself, I had dropped a pound, but I know not to count on it to much, it might be water weight, or the clothing or something.*shrugs* I feel happier, and more focused. Everyday I'm waking up excited to get cracking on the day.

Let's just hope I can keep on trucking on this long road to health!

I think that every month, I will take new measurments to see if I have improved at all, and then posting my measurments here.

Also I want to make a point about how, eating, exercising, and sleeping, all go in this circle. If you eat well, you sleep well, if you exercise like you should be, you will sleep well. I don't know about the rest of the population, but I enjoy sleep. Did you know that, in the first year of parenthood, a parent looses on average 400-750 hours of sleep? So those without children reading this, please sleep for those of us that are losing it! Goodnight!

Day 4

Day 4 so far has gone very well. I worked out for an hour, and really stuck to my diet. If anyone really wants to get a bang for their buck type workout I would recommend the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. i also have The Biggest Loser Power Sculpt dvd and that works very well too. I still need to sign up for weight watchers, which will really make the watching-what-I-eat part of this to be really easy. Not saying that staying away from all those yummy but high calorie things is easy, but not having to check all those labels so often would be easier. My dear husband said he would join me on this little scheme of mine, so this should make the challnge easier.

I really hope to take away from this experience not only weight loss and a better self image, but away of life that embraces healthy habits. Like eating a well balanced diet and regular exercising. I want my family to be active and healthy, and I want my kids to see us doing that, and hopefully they will copy us.

I weighed in yesterday at 226 lbs. I was wearing my heavy shoes, but none-the-less, they don't weigh that much! I need to actually lose 76 lbs, to reach my goal of 150. If I really did lose 100 lbs, I think I would look rather sickly. I want to be athletic, like I was in high school. I want to be able to chase my kids and have them get tired before I do. I want to live a long and healthy life. That won't be happening if I don't get out and exercise regularly, or eat healthy.

Day 2 & Day 3

I didn't post a Day 2 on here yesterday because I got home from work at 11 p.m. and had to be up by 4:30 a.m. SO! Here it is! Day 2 was a little harder for me, but I still managed to do 50 crunches on the exercise ball, low resistance stretches, and 25 squats with 8 lb. weights. I did manage to stay with my diet, and resisted the temptation of Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. (My ultimate kryptonite!)

Day 3 so far has gone o.k. I had to go to the cities for a cardiology appointment, but I ran by him my challenge, and I think he might have been a little shocked. He told me fifty pounds in one year sounds just as good as one hundred, and recommended using weight watchers. He said it comes much easier to do, rather than trying to count good calories and bad calories. This means that I haven't got any exercise in today yet, so I must get this out of the way. I want to go for a walk tonight though, since it's cool out. Still need to do those crunches on the exercise ball, and the squats. My cardiologist also said that, even though I may be a mother, my self-image cannot be put onto the back burner. With the heart disease and my tendency to get rather frazzled, exercise will help me feel better about myself, and make me much more sound with the heart disease.

I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who is becoming my driving steam for this. I have gotten so many encouraging words, that it would be impossible to fail. Even if I do not make my goal, I know that all the effort I put into it will be that much better, than if I hadn't tried at all. I know it may be premature to say this, but knowing so many people are thinking of me, and of this challenge, and hopefully doing this challenge themselves, makes me feel that I need to put my darnedest into it!

Day 1

I'm really glad I thought of doing this in the morning, because otherwise I wouldn't have done it. I stayed away from alot of bad things I normally would have scarfed down with out a care, and I did manage to work out a little. It took my a whole 25 minutes to find my 8 lbs hand weights. Jillian Michaels still managed to get my butt moving. Also, with this blog, I hope to put funny and inspirational things for the other people who aren't fat, but "jolly" as I like to refer to myself.
I wanted to post this information this morning, but couldn't find my measuring tape. I found it upstairs in a dusty old box. Please don't laugh but...
Waist 39 in.
Bust 43 in. ( I'm nursing my second child, so I don't care so much about this one."
Hips 46 in.
L Thigh 27.5 in
R Thigh 26.25 in.

There, now that that is up there, I want to talk about how great water is.
Ice cold, clear glass, sweating in the heat. The clink of the ice cubes. I love how there is no after taste to leave you thirstier than when you left off. I just love how, when I'm super hot, all I love to do is chug down a great glass. Sixty percent of the human body is made up of water, and yet most of America is chronically dehydrated.The Institute of Medicine recommends that men drink roughly 3 Liters and women sahould drink around 2.2 liters. Where does it all go, you may ask? You sweat about four cups a day, and urine output is about 6.3 cups. Crazy isn't it?

Calories consumed today : 1555
Exercise Completed : 45 min. moderate exercise

100 Pounds in 1 Year

This morning, before I really did anything, I read about a woman who lost 100 lbs. in a year. I thought to myself " Now, I could do that!"

After having two children, I have gained alot of weight...and, to be up front and honest, not only with myself, but with others as well, I had gained 60lbs in each pregnancy. I have lost some of the weight, but I haven't been trying to loose it. I know that it isn't good for me (obviously), but I think I just didn't care. Well, today is the day I start caring! And everyday for the rest of this year,I'm hoping to write on here about my triumphs and my falls, but hopefully, what I really hope to take away from this experience is discipline, and a healthier lifestyle!

Here are the stats: ( and boy, they ain't pretty!)

Height: 5'9

Weight: 223.2 lbs.

I guess I don't really need to loos one hundred pounds, least I look emaciated, but hey, one hundred sounds better I think.

Reasons:

1.) I have two children, and I want to be there for them...like really be there for them! I want to play, and chase, and wrestle around with them.

2.)Who doesn't want to be a hot mama?

3.) Myself. Those of who know me, know that I have a serious heart disease that cannot be cured, only managed. I need to start taking care of myself better if I hope to be around the next 80 years!

4.) My husband. While walking in the grocery store, I want to be able to turn heads, but most of all, when I walk in the door, I hope the head that turns the quickest, is my husbands.

Anytime I start to loose faith in this project, I just need to remember these people:

I will post on here tonight, and I'm hoping every night to let everyone know how each day goes. I'm hoping that by making this as public as possible, I try harder and harder, and not loose sight of what is important to get accomplished!