Frustrated

So I waited a few days between weigh-ins (partially to try out hubby's advice)...and it sucks. I gained .04.

I realize that in reality, I probably didn't "gain" anything. I mean, .04 is nothing...less than a good morning pee. (LOL). But still, I'm a little bummed that my weight did nothing in the last 3 days. And now I will wonder...if I had weighed myself each night and saw that I was staying the same/gaining...would that have pushed me to work harder? Harder enough that I might have lost a little? Oh well...I will work hard this week to see another loss on the scale. And...

On February 17th (which also happens to be my older daughter's birthday...she will be 4 this year) my new treadmill will arrive!! Unfortunately I won't be around to use it right away, because on the 18th I'm heading out for a weekend of fun. But starting that Monday... my new wake up time is 4 am, at least 4 days a week, so that I can go run (or even just walk on my more tired or sore days). Plus I think a few days a week I will still do something (30DS, Wii Fit, Wii Biggest Loser, boxing...something) a few nights a week.

That is my plan. I am determined to get the weight off this time. This time is different than any other time. This time, I will not start then quit right away. I will not do it half-assed.

I will succeed.

"There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second".
- Logan Pearsall Smith

Weight and treadmill update

So you might notice I haven't updated my weight in a few days. It is because I simply haven't weighed myself...I think I will tonight though, and see what 3 1/2 days of not weighing myself did. If I am down a couple pounds, I might stick with weighing myself every few days. If I am the same, or went up, I will go back to weighing every day (because like I have said before, seeing a gain motivates me to work harder, even if I know the gain is small and likely just due to fluid or whatever). Anyhow..yah...I will update on the weight later.

Hubby and I went and looked at treadmills today, and found one we liked and agreed on. It isn't the one I posted before, but the same brand and slightly "nicer". I don't know if it would be considered like a "level up" or whatever...but it is just like the one I posted before only the incline goes to 15% instead of 12%, it has some cool shock cushioning system, pre-set workouts, and some other minor details. I also like the display better. I would have been fine with either one, but hubby routinely uses all the way up to 15% incline at the gym, so he really wanted that in a treadmill at home as long as it wasn't too much more expensive.

So here it is: The Nordic Track C900. It is out of stock but we are going this afternoon to order it, and it will be in around February 14th.

Opinions?

If this treadmill thing works out (and it sounds like it should - hubby even mentioned going to Sears this weekend to check some out and stand on some to see how they feel)...I am debating a change in routine.

Currently I am getting up at 4:30 am each day (due to overtime at work, which doesn't look to be dying down any time soon). I have always thought that exercising in the morning might work best for me, but there is just no time to go to a gym unless I want to get up at 3:15 am. I could work out doing my videos and such in the living room, but that time is prime time for the kids to wake up easily...even just from the sound of my steps doing jumping jacks or something. And so, I've been doing the next best thing (and only other possible thing) which is to work out after the kids go to bed and after I get all my cleaning done.

When we get our treadmill though, it will be in the basement. The kids will be 2 floors above there, and there is no worry of waking them up. I could change my alarm to 4 am each morning and get in a quick 30 or 40 minute workout on the treadmill some mornings, then continue on like normal with a shower/breakfast and what not. Maybe I would eat part of breakfast before the treadmill, like a piece of fruit or something just to get me going.

So what I want opinions on is: Do you think I should bite the bullet and start getting up at 4 am each day to work out? When all the overtime at work dies down, I start my work day at 7:30 so I won't have to get up *quite* so early to workout, anyways.
Do you ever get up early like that in order to fit in a workout?

And some days I could even still do a short workout in the evening...what a way this would be to ramp up my exercise routine!!

Seriously. It is pathetic how excited I am getting about this. OK...maybe not pathetic, (because I am making healthy lifestyle changes here, people!!)...but....surprising. To be honest I am surprised that things are going as well as they are. In the past when I have tried to start dieting and exercising, I do well for a couple of weeks and lose maybe 4 or 5 lbs...then I just fall off the wagon. This time, I've been going twice that long and feel no desire to let up.

It feels foreign, but nice.

Motivation

Last night I went out to eat with a friend, my husband and our kids. I ate...ok. Definitely could have chosen worse on a menu full of fried foods. I had grilled shrimp, which came over a bed of seasoned rice. I chose a salad and veggies for my side dishes. It was very good, and I had intentions of going home and trying to work some of it off. But when we got home, I was developing a serious headache. I took some ibuprofen, and the headache faded...but then so did I. I was asleep in the chair at, like, 7:45. And I don't often fall asleep if I'm not in bed intending to, so I must have really been tired.

I guess it's all good....I have to work some overtime from 6 am to 11 am today, so getting to bed early was fine. I just really need to DO something today, exercise wise. And I will weigh myself tonight.

Cross your fingers :-)

Confession

Today I went to the grocery store, and my daughter wanted a doughnut (one of the fresh, daily made bakery ones). I let her pick one out...and couldn't resist picking one out for myself. I chose a very unhealthy fried one with the glaze on it. No filling, so it could have been even worse...but who am I kidding myself, it was still no good for me.

That being said, I worked hard doing the 30 day shred and ate decently otherwise. After all was said and done today, I lost almost a whole pound more. I am now down 13 lbs! (Well, close enough to 13 lbs that I'm calling it 13).

I am starting to think I need to adjust my calorie intake a little...I'm almost wondering if part of my roadblock for awhile there, was that I was actually eating too little calories. I know that can stall a person just as much as eating too many. So my mission over the next couple of weeks, is to try to find a balance that works for me...a balance between not eating too much, and not eating too little. And making sure that what I do eat really counts (ie - fruits, veggies, whole grain, protein, fiber...lots of good stuff).

Anyhow I just finished doing my evening work out. Tonight I chose to do the boxing on Wii Sports. I forgot how much that can make you sweat, if you really put your all into it. My legs are mega-sore from the 30 day shred and all my running in place lately, so I thought boxing would be the perfect idea for tonight...give my legs a rest, but still get a workout in.

Hopefully tomorrow my daughter will be well enough to attend preschool again, so I can go back to work!

Lazy bones and a treadmill

I am once again home with my older daughter, so I took the opportunity for getting an extra workout, in addition to what I will do after the kids go to bed. I did the 30 Day Shred and my daughter was delighted to do it with me, just like yesterday. Talk about cute...an (almost) 4 year old blondie trying to do push-ups, or hip circles during the warm up.

Best of all is that she would give me my hand weights whenever the video called for them (I'm just using 3 lb weights right now), and say "Here are your bones, mommy".


I suppose they do look a little like "bones"....

Anyhow...we continue to toy with the idea of buying a treadmill. One that I have had my eye on is this one (Nordik Track T8.0):


Now that I know I have at least a handful of readers...
Does anybody have a Nordic Track?
Anybody buy from Sears?
Any other good treadmill- buying advice?

This particular treadmill is just what we would want/need...
- Smooth, quiet, and powerful 3.0 HP motor
- 0-12 MPH
- 0-12% incline
- Heart Rate Monitor
- 20 X 60 belt
- Nice but basic LED display screens
- Lifetime frame and motor warranties
- 3 year parts warranty and 1 year labor warranty
- Seems to go on sale for an awesome deal!!!

It has some bonus extras that we don't need, but could come in handy:
- Music port compatible with iPod
- Workout fan
- 18 Workout apps

So I guess time will tell...but I sure am excited about the prospect of getting a treadmill and kicking my fitness level up a notch or two or three. Or four.

Oh! And here is the part that corresponds to the "lazy" in my title:

Better day

Good news, I "lost" just about that whole pound. I did the 30 day shred this afternoon, and Wii Fit this evening. (I was home with a sick daughter, otherwise I can never work out twice in one day!). I ate good all day. Now I need to break the 12 lb loss mark. I can do it! I WILL do it!

My husband has lost almost 65 pounds in the last 6 months and is on track to lose a ton more. I am proud of him, and he is my inspiration.

Ugh...I have a case of the ickies.

This has been a rough start to the week. Tonight against my better judgment, I weighed myself. I gained a pound! Seriously! I know why. It wasn't my eating...I ate good today. I didn't have any snacks, I drank water. I had yogurt and granola for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a sub from the "fit" menu at Subway for dinner. Definitely in line with what I've been eating for the last 3 weeks. No...the problem is that I didn't exercise last night.

So tonight I kicked my ass. Seriously I tried as hard as I could to work up a sweat...although after using the treadmill, it seems to be a lot more difficult to get the amount of sweat I want to see, out of myself. I neeeeed a treadmill...anybody wanna donate? LOL But in all seriousness....I hate Hate HATE seeing a gain, so I worked hard to hopefully undo that gain, and plan on having a pretty strict (healthy strict, not crazy person strict) diet tomorrow.

Another problem is the sickness that has been floating around my family...daughter and husband had strep (well, daughter's test was negative, but she had the.exact.same.symptoms at the same time as hubby, and his came back positive. The doc said she was shocked that hers wasn't positive too). My throat has been sore, but I don't have any of the other symptoms so I am just waiting it out. But man it sucks to have a hard time talking/eating/swallowing! Then I went and forgot to take my vitamin D and multivitamin this morning. I must remember to do that tomorrow.

So that's my story. Not the greatest start to this week, but I hope that turns around tomorrow.

Oh and I don't care if it is cheating, I'm not changing my ticker tonight to reflect the l lb gain. If I gain again, or even simply don't lose the pound tomorrow night, I will change it. But for now, I am going to assume it will be gone tomorrow anyhow.

Slacker

So I didn't really exercise last night. I did weigh myself, and there wasn't a change (well, plus .04, which doesn't worry me because of day to day changes like water weight). I didn't exercise because I wasn't feeling 100%, and decided I need sleep right now to get better faster, so I can start exercising hard again. I still ate well yesterday, and have my menu planned out in my head for today too. Hopefully tonight I can get some sort of physical activity in. I want to hit that "15 lb" mark!!!

A new week

Yesterday was a good day....I ate decently, and for my exercise I finally tried "30 Day Shred" while the girls were napping. I liked it! Compared to Jillian's other video "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" there are many similarities and many differences. The 20 minute video is probably *slightly* more intense (but the BFBM is still pretty fricking hard!). I was breathing a little harder with 3DS. However with BFBM, you are doing it for a longer period of time, so your heart rate is staying elevated for a longer period of time, which is a positive thing. Since it is longer, it also seemed to have a bigger variety of exercises. I think both videos will be very useful to me....the 40 minute one for when I have a little more time, the 20 minute one for when I don't have as much time or just want to do something to get it over with.

I did not weigh myself last night. Normally I do after the girls go to bed, but I have a wicked sore throat, so I went to bed early. I think I was sleeping by 7:45, which is amazing because normally I can't tear myself away from all the chores that need to be, or could be done.

I will weigh myself tonight, and work out depending on how I'm feeling. I hope this sore throat goes away soon, and doesn't evolve into any nasty cold or something. I can't afford to get too sick, between working 55-60 hour work weeks and wanting to keep up on my exercise regimen. So cross your fingers for me!!

Sort of a "before" pic...

This pic is just a random one from Christmas, nothing that was posed or anything. Obviously I am in the middle of a sentence or something so it isn't flattering no matter what. But it is me at just about my starting weight.

I see London, I see France...

I see me wearing new pants!!!!

Today I am wearing a pair of pants that I really haven't worn for probably 4 years. And I think they were basically new and didn't get a lot of use out of them even back then...so they are like brand new to me now. They are just jeans....a pair I really like.

It's nice to have them back!

The verdict of my first weekend away

So I realize I have been blogging a lot. Maybe some people would be like "geez, shut up about it already!" But first...nobody is forced to read the blog. The only people who will, are people who want to because the are interested in one of a few things...My progress, my struggles, or my brilliant writing (hahaha). Secondly, it may make me seem like a nerd to be keeping this blog SO updated, but I don't give an owl's hoot, because it is just one more thing that is motivating me.

Anyways, this weekend was fun. I made pretty good choices. I had a chicken onion teriyaki sub for supper on Thursday and for lunch today. I had Light N' Fit yogurt and a little granola for breakfasts. Lunch on Friday was a salad from Chipotle (I LOVE their chips and salsa, but I didn't break down!) For supper Friday night I had "naked wings" from Buffalo Wild Wings, and the sauce comes on the side. Normally I would have had the regular wings, which have all the fried breading or whatever on the outside. I also did minimal snacking. I did have a few drinks Friday night, at around 180 calories apiece. I knew it was a sacrifice, but I also knew I had eaten well otherwise.

Best yet, I knew I had worked hard on the treadmill. They have a very nice treadmill which I really pushed myself hard on. Some people would have laughed at what "hard" was to me, but it will only get better. And what is most important is that I felt GOOD after I was done. My legs are sore now....but I feel good and like I said in a previous post, I am really really hoping to get a treadmill of our own some time soon. Thank you to my sister-in-law for letting me use hers while we were visiting!! I really think it did a lot of good!

Then today, my niece developed a fever so we decided it best for us to leave early (we were supposed to stay until tomorrow late morning/early afternoon). As we packed up, my sister in law took her to the doc and it turned out she has strep, so we made the right decision. So anyhow, that meant my official Wii weigh-in was tonight instead of tomorrow night. And the verdict was......

I LOST(!!!!) 2.6 more pounds!!

Holy shit! (Excuse my language, but really!) I cannot believe that I actually avoided gaining weight during a weekend away, and even managed to LOSE weight. It really IS possible to go out to eat (every meal other than breakfasts was food technically "fast food") and make good choices. Paired with my awesome treadmill works outs, I was able to break the 10lbs that I felt "stuck" at!! I think technically I am at a weight right now that I have not been at since during my pregnancy with my first daughter. To get to where I was when I started the pregnancy, I need to lose 25 more. To get where I was when I got married in 2004, I need to lose 45 more. And to get to where my first big initial goal is (at which point I will re-evaluate)...I have 65 more to go.

It is a lot...but 65 sounds more manageable than 77.....and it will only get better from here.

Success?

So I think this weekend has went well so far. The real test will be when I weigh in tomorrow night, but I feel I have made decent choices compared to what I would have in the past. Breakfast has been Dannon Light N' Fit yogurt with a little granola (btw the light and fit is only 80 calories, and very good!) lunches and dinners have been salads (even from chipotle!) and healthier options from other favorite places to eat, like "naked wings" from Buffalo Wild Wings. The only bad thing I've had is a few drinks last night.

In the mornings I have done 30 minutes on their treadmill. I alternate jogging and walking... From 3.5 to 5.5 mph. I tell ya... I sure did sweat buckets, and LOVED it! I want a treadmill of my own. Bad. I see myself as being someone who would become a regular user, not one who would let it gather dust. I am starting to crave the exercise and the feeling of working hard and sweating hard. Andy and I will have to talk about it... See what we want, what our budget may be, how to fit it in, etc. But I think it would be a huge benefit to both of us, health wise. If we do get a treadmill, I also need new and decent shoes for it because using my normal old sneakers just 2 days had lead to a blister already. Proof I worked hard and proof that my shoes suck :-)

So we will head home tomorrow and I will work out then weigh myself tomorrow night after the girls go to bed. Then I'll upate here... Hopefully an update for my ticker too! And not in a backwards direction. LOL!

Oh, boy

Last night my weight was the same (again, exactly the same) as it had been the night before. Then I made sure to make myself really sweat during my work out. And now this brings me to tonight...and how I will do during a weekend away that is normally filled with unhealthy food on the go. It is kind of a bummer that I lost 10 lbs and hit a wall (I mean come on, 10 lbs and then a wall?! I thought I'd at least get to 15 or 20 before hitting a wall!), but I definitely don't want to gain anything over the weekend. I do know that Sunday night/Monday night I am going to strive to really kick my own ass during my workouts, to make up for whatever damage the weekend brings. I mean, I love to have a couple drinks, especially on a weekend night when we are hanging out with others. But drinks = calories, so I will try to keep that in mind and limit it to 1. Or 2. And maybe I can check out menu items at places we typically end up eating, and find out what some of the lower-calorie options are. Exercise will be a bit harder, because we are so busy and everything.

I really need motivation to get through this weekend, and positive thinking. It is going to be way harder than a couple of days at home.

The Plan

I am so motivated right now to see another loss on the scale. I worked out HARD last night with that video, and today I have my menu for the whole day, all planned out in my head.

I will let you know how that goes....lol

Workouts and weigh-ins

So I go against the common advice that you shouldn't weigh yourself every day. I do weigh myself almost every day, right before my work out. I use the Wii Fit for weighing and I like seeing the graph line going down :-) Anyhow. The reason I like to weigh myself each day is that when I see a loss on the scale, even if it is .02....it motivates me to work harder. Then again, if I see a gain on the scale, that motivates me to work harder. It's a win-win! Obviously everybody is different, but that is just what seems to be working for me.

Which brings me to tonight's weigh in...I gained .03. Nothing to be concerned about - that could easily be water weight, heavier outfit than I wore the day before..whatever. However not seeing a loss made me go "ah crap...I need to make tonight a kick-butt night". And so, I did.

After work today I stopped at Target, not knowing if I wanted to go with Jillian Michael's "30 Day Shred" or "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism". Who knows, eventually I may get both. But for now I just wanted one...and my decision was made easy because "30 Day Shred" was all sold out. So...."Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" it was! I also picked up a pair of 3 lb weights...I realized all I have is 8 lb and 5 lb, and I wanted something lighter.

The video I chose is a 40 minute cardio-fest. I vowed to get through it all, and I did. That isn't to say I didn't do a few things a little slower, or take an extra few seconds to rest here and there...and everywhere...but I did it. Holy crap did that make me sweat. It was SO hard, but in a good way! Now that it is over, I feel good. Really good! Other than my arms and legs about to fall off.

If you see my arms and legs laying around somewhere, please let me know.

Double Digits!

It is official! I have now lost 10 lbs. It has been about 2 weeks since I started my diet and exercise regimen...so I'm averaging 5 lbs a week. I do realize this will stall at some point (sooner than later, I'm sure) and so I will need to prepare myself for that so I can ramp it up and work past it.

But I tell ya, there is no better motivator than seeing a loss on the scale. It really helps me to work myself hard when I am exercising.

The best thing about hitting 10 lbs? The last 3 of it was over a weekend (and half a Monday, because one of the kids is sick) at home! I am SO thrilled!

Stop the pop!

Ok so "stop the pop" isn't accurate. More like "Cut down the pop".

But that doesn't make for a clever post title, now does it?

Anyways - I have been a diet coke addict for as long as I can remember...before High School even, I'm sure. So one of the things I have been doing is trying to cut that down some. I previously drank 2-3 cans a day. Really nothing compared to some Diet Coke nuts out there...but still too much.

I have now been averaging 1 a day...big improvement! I hope I can keep it up!

Sunday's lunch

Delicious veggie pizza made with fat-free cream cheese and topped with tomatoes, onions, cucumber, broccoli, green pepper, and a sprinkling of cheese.

The good, the bad, and the naughty.

My day started off by forgetting to take my vitamins (currently doing a multi-vitamin as well as vitamin D). Oooops! However I had whole-wheat toast for breakfast and actually felt fairly satisfied with that. (Breakfast is one meal where I easily tend to overeat, especially on weekends).

Unfortunately, I didn't really eat lunch. I had a serving of animal crackers for a snack, but lunch escaped me because I had a weird day in that I worked from 11-3. I was so distracted by that change in schedule that I didn't even think of lunch.

Of course, by the time dinner came around, I was STARVING! Andy had a great idea to get salads from Olive Garden. OMG, YUM! I sure wasn't going to argue with that idea.
Then I remembered (here comes the naughty part of this post) - a salad comes with bread sticks. Those amazing, warm, delicious, super, carb-a-licious breadsticks. We had them, and my willpower was just not good enough to say no. I mean, they were...there! Looking at me! So I had one. Along with all of my salad and some of Andy's. I suppose if I am going to over eat, I might as well do it on lettuce, right? I didn't even use all the dressing provided, so it wasn't even too bad in that aspect. And -holy crap- we had a leftover bread stick! Between 2 kids and 2 adults, we only ate 3 out of 4. For me, this is truly awesome, and a first.

With the bread stick in mind, I really pushed myself tonight doing the Wii Fit free run. Pushed myself so that I sweated a lot! I was also glad to see that I lost another half a pound. Yesterday night I stayed the same. I mean, exactly the same. That Wii Fit measures you down to the point, and includes your BMI, and it was exactly the same as it had been the previous night. Not ideal, but I'm not complaining either. I didn't gain anything! And as of tonight I even lost half a pound. ON A WEEKEND!!! I am nothing short of thrilled!

Finally - Andy made a really good point today. This was my 6th night in a row working out, and he said I should remember to take a night off here and there - or else I run the risk of burning myself out quickly doing this so hard for a few weeks and then I will stop completely. He is right - so tomorrow night I am going to take a break from the Wii. I might still do some light weights (really light...I'm talking an 8 lb dumb bell which I've been utilizing a little lately, and I like it a lot)...but that is it. I won't even weigh myself again until Monday night.

But honestly, it is hard to take a break when I am seeing real results and feeling so good about it. This might just be about the most determined I've been in all the times I have tried to shed some pounds. The exception is probably when I lost 40 lbs before our wedding in 2004. I had a pretty darn good motivator. Though I did give myself some mini-motivators for this time around. I think at 40 lbs lost, I am going to get my hair all cut and colored purrrrty-like. At 60 lbs lost, I am going to get a new purse (I've already got a general idea in mind of what I want. Damn you, Coach, for being so addicting and beautiful!). And at 77 (official goal) or 80 lbs...I dunno. A mini-shopping spree, perhaps? I'm not talking Gucci and Prada here, I'm talking Target, Kohls, Old Navy, Maurices, JcPenney's type places. That is plenty good enough for me :-) I think if I really do get to 80 lbs lost, I will I deserve to buy a few new things. In fact, I will NEED to, because I will have nothing that fits me.

And I WILL get there this time.

Balls, balls, everywhere...

Today I was offered a Lindor Chocolate. You know...round, chocolate shell filled with smooth creamy goodness? Comes in multiple flavor combos? First I said "no, no no". Literally, I was that nice about it. Then I thought to myself "Well - I will just work hard tonight and this weekend. Besides, eating.just.one is a pretty amazing feat in itself, so I can be darn proud of that!!". I accepted the delicious ball of calories. "What kind is this?" I asked. "Milk chocolate outside with white chocolate inside" was the reply.

And what did I say? Well, I won't say what I said, because it was a profanity inappropriate for this blog. Why did I swear? Because, chocolate with white chocolate inside is my favorite kind of those, and at that point I knew there was no turning back.

As we enjoyed our chocolate-y awesomeness, my friend Googled the calories in one of them babies. It was *only* 70 something. For one ball. One stinkin ball! I kept those 70-some calories in mind as I ran my Wii Fit free run tonight.

And speaking of balls, I'm thinking of getting one of them big exercise balls. The Biggest Loser for Wii has exercises using one, which started me thinking. I'm just not sure if it is worth it or not. Or maybe not yet, but eventually.

Does anybody have one? Like it? Hate it? Use it? Abuse it?

Test number one

The first big test of this 7 pound weight loss will be the weekend. Without a doubt, weekends are going to be the hardest for me. Work is easy - I bring what I bring and that is what I have. (As long as I can stay away from the vending machines and crap in the cafeteria). Weekends on the other hand....well, let's just say I will be thrilled if I simply don't gain anything. I plan to continue exercising each night so that will help (in the past, I haven't normally done much as far as official exercise on the weekends).

So good luck to me....I am freaking out a little. I do NOT want to start going backwards.

A super duper day!

I had a really good day today...ate well, worked out this evening, and *TA-DA*!!! Lost another 2 pounds!! This brings the total to 7 (lucky, lucky 7) pounds lost.

It is nice to know that my hard work is doing something.

I am hoping to put up some "before", "during"...and eventually "after" pics. You know...when I get around to it. Eventually.

Pita chips are my own personal PITA

I am happy to work somewhere with a decent cafeteria and food selection, and for good prices. Yesterday I was excited to buy a bag of really yummy baby carrots. I don't know why the one's there are so good, but they are.

However, there is a problem, and that is the Pita chips & spinach dip. Luckily they aren't around too often...usually once every few weeks or less. But when they are...oh helloooo temptation. I fricking love those things! After I discovered the joys of Pita chips, I would inevitably get them any time they happened to be out, and that would be my snack on break at 9:30.

Now that I am on this weight loss mission, the pita chips are a no-no. I don't know what the calories are in them, but I am sure it isn't good. And what do you know....after months and months of only being put out one day out of every 25...suddenly this week, now that I am really serious about getting healthier....they were out 3 days in a row! WTF?! 3 days in a row!? Since when do they have pita chips 3 days in a row? Apparently the cafeteria gods have conspired against me and take pleasure in watching me squirm any time I walk by the dreaded "pita shelf". Ok, so the shelf routinely has way more than just pita chips on it (anything from salads to carrots to yogurt parfaits to desserts to hard-boiled eggs and more)...but to me, it will probably always be the pita shelf. I used to REALLY look forward to that one random day when they would finally be there after a 3 or 4 week disappearing act.

No more! You will be glad to know that I resisted temptation all 3 days this week!! Like I said, instead I bought carrots yesterday. So, I done good. Baby steps....right?

Blog day one

So I completely stole this idea from somebody - make a blog to help me on my weight loss journey. What a GREAT idea! It isn't that I love the idea of sharing my inner demons with the world (ooh, is that a bazillion serving size plate of pasta? Don't mind if I do!). It is just a really good way to be held accountable to people other than myself. If I screw up, it's going to be here. Not fun or easy to share that sort of thing with people - so it is awfully good motivation to not screw up in the first place. Not that I expect to be perfect, nobody is. But I do hope that this will help me to stay on track. Not only that, but when I start to lose awesome amounts of weight, I can blog about my success here. Hopefully hear some encouraging comments. Be able to read back and see how far I've come.

And where have I been? Well I have battled some extra weight for as long as I can remember, though it has been worse at some times than others. Before my wedding, I lost 40 lbs in several months, which was awesome. Then I started bearing little stinkers...errr, children. Ever since then, I haven't been able to recover my weight.

I have started up an exercise routine and better diet now. It has been about a week and a half and I have lost between 5 and 6 pounds. So awesome, right?! I still have a long ways to go!

My biggest motivation is of course my family. My beautiful kids and my amazing hubby. He is on a weight loss journey of his own and is such an inspiration, having now lost almost 60 pounds. If he can do it, I can do it. Heck, I've lost 40 before, I can lose this weight now.

And those are the basics. You are welcome to bookmark this blog because I plan on keeping it fairly updated. I do work 50-60 hour weeks and have a 4 year old and a 2 year old, so I cannot and will not guarantee daily updates...but I will do my best :-)