Week 22

So this past week I tried harder to make sure that I was able to exercise.  For the most part I was successful, but I am still struggling with my motivation.  I can really tell that I have been struggling with my motivation recently, and it has nothing to do with being bored.  However, I have been working on my sad streak, and I am feeling a little better each day.  That is something that I never thought of when I thought about starting this journey.  I was prepared for boredom, time, and money, but it never occurred to me to that I would have a huge problem with being too sad to have the motivation to exercise.

Here's what you want to know:  278 (current weight) - 150 (goal weight) = 128 pounds to go!!!!!

Goals for this week:

• Exercise everyday for 1 hour (30 minutes min.)
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Pay attention to calories
• Stop eating when full

Weeks 19, 20 & 21

So I have been really bad about posting these last 3 weeks.  I finally decided that today I need to post about how I'm doing.  Recently I've been having trouble finding a job, which has caused me to get into a bit of a depression pattern.  I would go up and down based on my job opportunities.  Which would in turn affect my exercise habit.  Recently I was reading and came across an inspirational quote, which basically said that whatever you dream, can happen as long as you believe that it will.  That was just the positive boost that I needed at that time.  So ever since that day I was back on track with exercising and eating better.  I also started to get back into a really bad habit during my depression, where I would dip everything into a type of salad dressing...which was not good.  However, once I started back on track again, I was able to stop myself from doing that bad habit again.  I also weighed myself once during this slump, and it was back at like 284-286.  So this past week, I have exercised an hour every day.  I have also tried to push myself during the exercises.  First I changed from the 1 & 2 exercise on the bike and increased it to the 2 & 3 exercise.  Second I tried to push myself while I was riding the bike and tried to increase my speed to 13 or 14 mph!  That is huge, since had just barely started riding at 12 mph.

So here's what you've been waiting for:  280 (current weight) - 150 (goal weight) = 130 pounds to go!!!!!

Goals for this week: 

• Exercise everyday for an hour
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Watch how many calories I intake
• Stop eating when full

Picture Time!!!!

 4 Months!!

 Beginning V.S. 4 Months

Beginning to 4 Months!! (front)

Beginning to 4 Months!! (side)

Week 18

So again sorry for posting this so late.  This past week, I did a pretty good job at watching what I eat.  Even though it was the end of when my family was in town, I was still very good about being careful.  I was able to watch to make sure that I don't overeat, and yet I was also able to allow myself to have some really good sweets that I don't normally get.  This past week I was also able to exercise every day.  On Friday after doing 30 minutes on the bike, I even went out with my siblings and played tennis for 2 hours!  I was so sore the next day, but that was a big improvement for me.  I feel that I am doing much better at stopping when I am full.  I just now need to get back on a good schedule of when to wake up, so that I don't exercise too late in the day.

Here's what you've been waiting for: 282 (current weight) - 150 (goal weight) = 132 pounds to go!!!!

Goals for this week

• Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, (1 hour if I can)
• Eat more fruits and Vegetables
• Pay attention to calories
• Stop eating when full

Week 17

So as I stated in my last post, I got sick towards the end of last week, and so this week has been interesting as  well.  Dealing with the illness, looking for a job, subbing, and visiting with family has made it very busy.  However, because of my illness I didn't work as much as I should have, since I wasn't exactly feeling up to it.  But most days I did exercise, in fact, while I was exercising my body actually felt better.  I've just found that riding the bike is not getting to be as much of a chore as it used to be.  So this week I used my bike's preset workouts.  I started with the first one towards the end of last week, and so during the middle of this week I tried out the second workout.  They are challenging, but they also help to keep me focused on pedaling.  I have also noticed that most days instead of just pedaling 10 mph, I am now pedaling at about 12 mph.  I am even doing that when the resistance goes up, which is a big deal for me.  But I'm still not even that focused on it, I just ride the bike and watch a show.  It has just become a part of what I do.

Here's what you've been waiting for:  283 (current weight) - 150 (goal weight) = 133 pounds to go!!!!

Goals for this week:

• exercise everyday for an hour (at least half an hour)
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• stop eating when full

Week 16

So sorry that I'm posting this a week behind, but between job hunting and spending time with family, I've been busy.  So I have been doing much better at being less hard on myself when I make mistakes.  Which is something that I have really needed to work on.  Before when I made a mistake, I would automatically get upset with myself and then go back to what I was doing before because it's obviously not working.  But now when I make a mistake, I just brush it off as a bad day, and try to make it up another day.  Towards the end of this week I was starting to get sick, so I exercised but not as much.  I am proud of myself though, even when I went up to visit with my family, which for me with my eating, can be very stressful, because I like to be in control of what, when, and how much I eat, which doesn't work very easily when someone else is cooking.  But I was able to eat smaller portions, slower, and I brought my own snacks with me, which helped for when I got hungry later that day.

So here's what you wanna know:  285 (current weight) - 150 (goal weight) = 135 pounds to go!!!

I'm not gonna post the goals for this week, since it's already over.

Week 15

So this past week, I was not as good as I have normally been.  I skipped out on exercising 2 days, and I made sweets with a roommate.  However, on Friday I made sure to do 2 hours of exercise to try to make up for missing those two days.  While it helped, it didn't completely negate the fact that I missed 2 days.  But I have learned through this process, that while it is important to recognize when I make a mistake in this process, it is even more important to get right back on track.  Which is exactly what I have been doing this week.  I tried to eat better last week, but unfortunately I did not have very good luck and my lettuce went bad extra quick.  So I ended up eating other things, which did not help that I had some ranch, not light, with said food.  So I when I went shopping this weekend, I made sure to get some other dressings for salad and seasoning, and to get lettuce that won't go bad as quickly.

Here's what you've been waiting for: 286 (current weight) - 150 (goal weight) = 136 pounds to go!!!

So here are the pictures that I promised: 

3 Months!!!!!

Beginning -pink shirt, 3 Months- blue shirt

Left to Right it goes: Beginning, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months

Left to Right it goes: Beginning, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months

Week 14

So sorry for posting so late this week, but I've been busy trying to find a job and going to a temp. job while searching.  So this past week, I had a few more calories than before, but I kept up with my exercising.  So I consider that to still be a good week.  I did not starve myself much so I didn't have as much weight loss, but I am still going which is hard to do.  I still eat out, but I make sure to not eat as much as I used to.  Plus I try to make sure that there are leftovers, so that I won't be tempted.  Something that helps is to just put how much I'm allowed to have on my plate and then put the rest away.  Out of sight, out of mind, really does work for me.  Then if I end up hungry later on, I can just go back to one of my reliable good, but not high calorie foods for a snack.  While once I might have had too much to eat, I know that I didn't overeat as much I used to, so progress.

Here's what you want to know:  287 (current weight) - 150 (goal weight) = 137 pounds to go!!!!

(Also I know that I was supposed to post pictures this week, and if I don't post them this weekend, then I will post them next week.)

Week 13

So this week was interesting.  First, there have been a few days where I have just had very little to eat, and yet there were some days where I had more sweets than I usually had.  But even with those differences I was still able to lose weight!  For me, just eating slower and stopping when I am full is really making a big difference!  My body knows when it is full, and even when I am starving I still take my time to make a good dinner, or at least to eat slower than I would have before.  I am no longer waking up in the morning and having that full feeling in my stomach.  I wake up and my stomach feels fine.  Even though I had one lazy day when I didn't exercise, and one day where because of literally being on my feet all day for work I didn't exercise I was able to do that everyday.  I can't lie and say that I don't have things to improve, but I am now being less critical of myself when I do that.  It is no longer the end of the world when I forget a day, or do something else instead of riding the bike for exercise.  I am able to take a step back and just get back on the bike the next day.  Which is a huge accomplishment for me.  I did also have a bad day yesterday, where I ate all of a mac and cheese box, but I exercised today, and ironically I still didn't wake up overly full from yesterday either.  In fact, I was able to somehow not feel hungry for majority of the day.  Sometimes my body recently has days when it decides that I need almost no food to survive that day.  Like today I literally had a serving of turkey pepperoni, and cheez-its before I had my dinner really late since I went shopping.  Even after shopping I had a bag of the already made salad with chicken on it, and only the dressing that they give me, along with some strawberries.  So my body has been really weird some days.  But all in all I feel that I am really making a change in my habits, which is actually changing my life.

Here's what you've been waiting for:  288 (current weight) - 150 (goal) = 138 pounds to go!!!!

For those of you keeping track, that is 27 pounds in almost 3 months!!!

Week 12

So this week was interesting.  First a few times I could tell that I was full, and I had to talk myself out of eating more.  Which sometimes didn't work, but it was thankfully not as bad as it used to be.  However, except for yesterday, I was able to exercise for an hour everyday, and on Saturday I went to a fun arcade place and definitely worked out enough to count as a workout for that day.  So far, my schedule of riding the bike for an hour with a small break in between each half hour.  I also had a few more sweets than I normally have, but all in all it was a pretty good week.  I was also able to have macaroni and cheese, without eating too much.  Which considering that it is one of my favorite foods, is a big deal for me.  I have also really liked turkey pepperoni, for when I just need some meat, or a little bit of protein to keep my exercise going.  I have also found doing different activities while riding the bike helps to keep me entertained while riding.

Here's what you want to know:  291 (current weight) - 150 (goal weight) = 141 pounds to go!!!!

Week 11

This week I was able to ride my bike everyday for an hour.  It is getting a little bit easier for me to ride the bike consecutively, because I watch shows, play games, make phone calls, and read books while I ride.  By combining exercise with things that I enjoy, I am hoping to make getting on the bike a more positive experience.  The biggest thing for me is to make sure that I continue this process, even when it may start to get tedious.  I was pretty good with what I ate, except for indulging in having some cookies.  But it is good to let myself indulge, otherwise I might go on a bender.  This past week I celebrated my birthday with my sister, and we went to Chili's.  Chili's is one of my favorite restaurants, so I was prepared for the worst.  However, I only had some chips and salsa, and then I ordered a salad for my main course, and I was able to take the buffalo chicken from the salad home for dinner.  That was a big thing, because buffalo chicken is one of my favorite foods.  Sometimes I may eat a little bit too much, but I am really trying to find out where my full point is, and to not exceed that.

Here's what you want to know:  294 (current weight) - 150 (goal weight) = 144 pounds to go!!!!

Goals for next week:

• exercise everyday M-F for an hour
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• pay attention  to (count) calories
• stop eating when full

Week 10

Hey guys, so sorry that this is late, but I found out that I had cleaning checks today at the last minute, so I had to postpone my post until today.  So this past week I tried, but couldn't get myself to "count" my calories, but I still made sure that I was very aware of how many I should have and how many I am having.  I just think that that is what I need to do at the moment, and maybe someday I will be able to officially count my calories.  And because of my roommates schedule changing we canceled the whole walking in the morning.  However, I have started riding my bike everyday.  I missed one day, but then the next I worked out for over an hour.  Since then, I have tried to work out on the bike for at least an hour, but I usually ride for 30 minutes, and then I take a break and then ride again for 30 minutes.  Because they made the mistake of when the cleaning checks are, I was forced to work really hard last night and today to make sure that everything was clean.

Here's what you've been waiting for:  294 (current weight) - 150 (goal) = 144 pounds to go!!!!!

Goals for next week:

• exercise for an hour every day M-F
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• pay attention to how many calories I eat

So it has been 2 months since I've started, which means pictures!!!

Here's a little bit of info about the pictures:  

• pink shirt with socks =  beginning
• blue shirt = 1 month 
• pink shirt with no socks = 2 months

Here is my current picture!!!  Since the begging I have lost 21 pounds!!!!!

Seeing the progress from the beginning to now!!

Comparing beginning picture to today!!

Week 9

So this past week was an interesting one for me.  I had my birthday this past week, so I ended up going out with my friends.  I was good about not eating too much.  In fact, I even split my meal with one of my friends.  We did get an ice cream cake, but I only had 1 piece on that day, and then 1 the other day.  Sweets have never really been my problem.  So I felt like I did a good job of not eating too much.  I still need to watch myself, and make sure that I don't eat too much, even if it is good for me.  My roommate and I started going on walks in the morning, which has been interesting.  We are trying to work our way up to jogging/running in the morning.  We did a little jogging the other day, but just walked this morning.  We are starting slow and working our way up to running.  But when we did the jogging section, both of us wanted to quit as soon as we started it, but we kept going even though it was hard.  We downloaded this cool app that is to help people train for a 5k, but instead of running when it says "run," we either speed walk, or jog.  Since it does a 5 minute warm up, then rotates back and forth between a minute of "running" and a minute and a half of "walking" and then 5 minute cool down, it is not too hard to do.  It is also nice to have some extra time of walking to work our way back up to running.  I was not very good this week about getting on the bike.  I need to get back to work on the bike.  What I've been trying to do is just ride it whenever I am watching t.v.
As far as eating is concerned, I have been doing a pretty good job of not overeating, but I can always improve.  I really just need to figure out how many calories I can have in a day, and try to start getting within that limit.  I was finally able to find some good strawberries, but I ended up having too many because they were so good.  So I need to watch myself still even if they are fruits or vegetables.

Here's what you've been waiting for:  297 (current weight) - 150 (goal) = 147 pounds to go!!!!!


Goals for next week:

• exercise everyday M-F for 30 minutes
• ride the bike 3 days for 30 minutes
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• stop eating when full

Week 8

So this week was an interesting one for me.  I completed all of my exercises, but I noticed that I started to get bored with them.  So now my roommate and I have started to figure out what new things can we do to spice up our workout routine.  So today we got a new app for my phone to train for a 5k.  Now, I'm not ready for a 5k by any means, but we are using this app in a different way.  The app is really cool because it sets up your training, like how long you need to walk and run, and it varies back and forth between running and walking.  However, I'm not ready for running yet, so we varied between walking and power walking.  Then each day we are going to try to go a little faster than the day before.  So we will go from power walking to jogging, and finally to running.  I've never been a fan of running,  but I think that this app can help us improve and become runners.  Plus we can play my music through my speakers while we walk and it sends a voice that prompts us when to run, walk, halfway, and for the warm up and cool down.  Plus we have a lot of neighborhoods by us, so we can easily change where we go for our walks.  We have other plans as well, but this seems like the best thing to do at this moment.

This week I was also finally able to get the cable finally set up in my apartment, so I think that I am going to ride the bike at least 3 times a week as well, instead of my strength training.  Since that has gotten old for me as well, and the good thing about riding my bike is that I can do that while I watch something on tv, and we have a lot of good channels.

I also went back to using ranch from a bottle for my salads, and found out how many calories that that was actually adding to me each day.  I realized that that was a big part of the reason why I didn't lose any weight this week!  So since I have not found any light ranch that has been good, I'm going to go back to making my own ranch, since my ingredients are light.

I did also do something that I was proud of.  This weekend I ordered a pizza and I am happy to say that I still have 2 pieces left for dinner tonight!  I have been able to stop myself from eating too much pizza, and instead I've been able to have it for many meals instead of just 2 huge ones.

Here's my weigh in: 298 (current weight) - 150 (goal) = 148 pounds to go!!!

Goals for this week:

• Exercise every day M-F for at least 30 minutes
• Ride the exercise bike 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Use light dressing on salad
• Do something active on Saturday

Week 7

So this week was a little different for me.  I completed all of my workouts on schedule and did a pretty good job of keeping up with my calories, however, this weekend was different than normal.  This weekend I went to spend time with my sister and her family.  So I took some food with me, but I had to be extra careful because they are all tiny, so they can eat whatever they want.  Usually that is not a lot, but it is still different than what I normally eat, so I had to have salad at every meal, basically.  I also had to add things to meals, and avoid certain things that in small doses aren't bad, but for me they cannot be had yet.  For instance, they have ice cream, and a lot of their dinners are just a main meal, no side dishes at all.  This caused me to have to have my own deserts that weren't sweets, and adding in side dishes (salads) to my meals.  But one good thing is that they do not eat a lot, so it was easier to not eat too much because I tried to eat only when they ate.

Another thing that killed me this week was that I went with my sister and brother-in-law and played tennis with them on Saturday.  I used to play tennis in high school for a team, but since high school I have not played very regularly.  I usually play 1-2 times a year, which does not help when playing against others.  Let me just say that I did it, without quitting, which I could have done so many times that day.  I am still sore to this day from that day of playing.

So here it is: 298 (current weight) - 150 (goal) = 148 pounds to go!!

I now have less pounds to lose than I want to weigh!!!

Goals for this week:

• Cardio exercise everyday M-F
• Strength Exercise M, W, F
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Keep track of calories and serving sizes
• Do something active on Saturday

Week 6

So during this past week, I have added a new part to my exercise regime.  I decided that 3 nights a week I would also do some strength/muscle training exercises.  So 3 of the 5 days that I exercise I am actually exercising twice as much.  That has been kind of hard to do, but I find that once I put on my music and get started, I am more motivated to finish it.  So I just need to continue working on this and I think that I will gain muscle along with lose the fat.  This week was pretty good for me.  It was not the easiest week ever, but I also feel that it wasn't the hardest week that I've had either.  I just feel that I need to start getting closer and closer to counting calories.  That is the one thing that I hate to do.  Right now I am simply paying attention to the calories and trying to be conscious of how many calories I am eating in a day, but I am not writing them down and subtracting them from a total, yet!  I will eventually get to that point, but I feel that I first need to be able to control myself from overeating, and hating the idea of counting calories.  At this point I am looking at the calories before eating, and if the calorie count is high, then I can stop and see if these calories are really worth it.  I can already see how the transfer from that to counting calories daily will be a lot easier than when I tried it before.  I have noticed that during this time I have had a bigger craving for meat, but considering how much I am exercising now, it is not a big surprise.

I know that this week is not a very big post, but there was not a lot of big revelations or hardships this week.
So now onto the part that everybody is waiting for:  302 (current weight) - 150 (goal) = 152 pounds left!!!

I know that this is not a big difference compared to last week, and I am a little disappointed.  However, as I said above I have started doing a lot more muscle exercises.  So I have a feeling (thanks to a sore body) that a lot of what happened this week was actually muscle gain.  Hopefully next week will reflect better than this week did of how much work I am doing.

Goals for this week:

• cardio exercise everyday M-F
• muscle exercise M, W, & F
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• eat until full
• pay closer attention to calories

Week 5

Hey guys, so it has been about a month now since I've started my weight loss journey.  It was really hard starting out, but I think that now I am starting to live a healthier life.  While I still get those cravings like everyone else, I am better at avoiding them than I was before.  I still have trouble with making too much, but now I can give myself a serving and then put the rest away.  Which causes me to have to ask myself once I've had the serving amount, "Do I really want this?" and "Am I really still hungry?"  Sometimes, unfortunately that means skipping out on some foods that I used to love.  But in the long run I am still able to eat the foods that I like, I just realize how even though I like them, they are not worth it, so I am choosing other foods.  For instance today I went to the grocery store and I went to look at the mac-n-cheese that I used to get, to see how bad that would be to have as a side for dinner.  And I about passed out!  It was like over 4 servings of chicken in calories!! I couldn't believe how bad it was for me.  It was much worse than the frozen kind, so I decided to just stick with that.  Just one of the many examples of eye-opening experiences during this journey.  I also found that when I am bored with whatever I am doing (reading, watching TV or movies, playing games, etc.) that I am much more likely to eat.  However when I found a show that had me hooked, I completely forgot about eating.  Which made it the easiest week of this experience.  I am now working on stopping myself from eating when bored, or lonesome.

So this past week I exercised everyday, and worked to find other exercises to do that wouldn't become boring.  While we love Richard Simmons, we can only do his workout a few times a week, so that we don't become bored of it.  So something that we did was that we went through my music collection and composed a workout mix.  We then took that mix and played it instead of listening to the instructors, since we have them basically memorized anyway.  That really helped to change the pace a little.  It is also funny to find how wrong the song is for the workout.  For instance, while doing Tae-Bo we had a Britney song come on, and it was hilarious because that was never something that would be playing in the background of one of his workouts.  At the end of this week I have also really started looking into finding exercises to do to help me lose weight in my stomach faster.  I am losing weight, but one thing that I learned from a friend, who knows about nutrition and the body, is that to lose weight in a specific area (instead of where it normally does) then I have to do exercises in that particular area.  So I have started doing some exercises to gain muscle and lose weight in specific problem areas for myself, and boy am I feeling it!!!  It was so painful to go up and down my stairs today.  And don't even think of asking me to lift anything heavy!  But I think that I will add those into my own personal workout regime for at night.

So here's what you want to know: 303 (current weight) - 150 (goal) = 153 pounds to go!!!!
 (So something to consider here is that I am now using two scales because one is electric and tells you a different number depending on different conditions, and the other uses a needle, but is harder to be accurate on.  So I am combining the two and averaging them out from now on.)

My goals for this week:

• Do cardio workout everyday M-F
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Pay more attention to calories
• Do muscle exercise 3 days a week

So for those of you who have been reading since the beginning here is an updated pic:

             So for the past month I've lost: 12 pounds total!!!!   Here are the pictures to compare. 
                                             (pink beginning, blue one month)

Week 4

Thinking back on this week, I had some really good moments.  For instance, I went to one of my favorite places to eat, Cafe Rio and I was able to eat the half of the salad instead of all of it.  This is a pretty big salad, which I used to eat in one day, even though I knew that I was full.  I would just get the thought in my head that it wouldn't taste as good tomorrow, so I need to eat it now.  But this week, I was able to get it when I was really hungry and still able to give myself only half before putting it away from myself.  So what was normally just one huge dinner, ended up being two more filling dinners!  It is getting easier to stop myself from just going with the quick dinner, and taking my time to make a serving of something really good and still good for me.  For instance today I could have had a quick dinner, but my roommate and I took the time to make homemade Alfredo sauce for our chicken Alfredo.

This week I was able to exercise everyday, but one.  However, that was the 4th of July, and I still ended up exercising (probably more than I would have on that day anyway) because my roommate and I went to a fireworks concert and we had to park far away to escape the crowds.  So we had a like 4 block walk to and from the concert (plus going up the stairs to our seats).  So we definitely felt the workout that day.  We also had some fun on Saturday and went to a local water park, which caused us to stay in the lazy river for like 2 hours, just swimming and talking.  So I actually exercised 6 days this week instead of 5.  We are both definitely feeling the results of the exercise, since my arms are killing me everyday!

So here's what you've been waiting for:  304 (current weight) - 150 (weight goal) = 154 pounds to go!!!

My goals for this week:

• Exercise for 30 minutes M-F
• Eat more vegetables and fruits
• Stop eating when full
• Pay more attention to calories

Week 3

So today is the start of week 3 of my path to getting healthier!  So this week I did pretty good, except for one day.  I was hanging out with my friends at a game night, so I didn't have dinner that day until after it was done.  So I ended up eating a little more than I should have.  That experience taught me that I need to be careful when I go out to eat, to not worry about how things will taste the next day, and saving the best for last.  (Which is a bad habit of mine.)  However, even with that little set back, I have still maintained my goal of eating until full, and exercising for at least 20 minutes everyday (M-F).  That has been a little hard for me because I get up and exercise with my roommate before she goes off to work, so then I am awake, but not really because I am still really tired.  So I am still working on getting my sleep schedule to match with my exercise schedule.  However, I am really grateful to have my roommate doing this with me because we can laugh at ourselves while working out, and keep each other from sleeping and motivated to continue.  We have also found a very funny friend in Richard Simmons!  lol I know what you are thinking, but trust me, if you haven't ever done his sweating to the oldies (original) video, then try it!  He is the perfect pick-me-up that we sometimes need.  For instance, on days when we are having trouble figuring out which workout to do, and if we are both a little unmotivated, or my roommate just needs a good laugh/moral boost, then we put in Richard Simmons and let him pick us back up by being his crazy self.  I have also been eating a lot more fruits and vegetables.  I really like taking all of my veggies and putting them into my salad, or putting them, chicken, and some seasonings in a frying pan and cooking them.  They are great for a wrap for lunch, or even on their own they are really good.  The only problem now is finding enough room in the fridge for all of my leftovers!

So here's what we all wanna know about:

309 (current weight) - 150 (goal) = 159 pounds to go!!!!!!!

I'm only 9 pounds away from having to loose exactly the amount that I should weigh!

Here are my goals for next week:

• Stop eating when full.
• Exercise for 25-30 minutes M-F
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.

Week 2

So I am now on the start of week 2!  For some reason, during week 1 I had days where it was really easy, and now it seems to have gone back to normal.  However, I am now able to say no to myself, which is a huge step!  Before I would have just sat at my computer and ate and ate and ate!  It wouldn't have made a difference if I was full or not.  Now I am not counting calories, but I am just eating until full and then stopping.  So I still try to think in terms of a serving, and "Am I really hungry?"  and so far that has really helped.  I have also gotten everyday (M-F) to exercise!  It has also really helped that my friend/roommate is also getting up and exercising with me, because we can motivate/encourage each other when we are tired.  I also had a big test with one of my favorite foods, macaroni and cheese!  It has been part of my overeating since I can remember!  And last night I was able to give myself a serving, plus give some to Katherine, and then place the leftovers in the fridge and not touch them!!!!  That is a huge step for me.

But let's be honest, here is the part that you wanna know.  When I weighed myself this week I weighed in at about 311!!!!!!  Now for those of you skeptics, believe me when I say that I literally have taken a 180 turn in my eating.  I have a small breakfast (sometimes after exercising), a very small lunch (usually a salad filled with veggies), a serving size portion for dinner, and if hungry later, a serving of a snack after.  Now compare this to, no exercise, no breakfast, a decent sized lunch, and a serving for 2-3 people dinner, plus all the snacks I wanted.  Another thing that really helps is that I never eat fast, I always take my time, which allows my stomach time to tell my brain when we are really full.  So Maybe I read the scale wrong, but I tried to read it numerous times and from numerous angles, and this is the number that I keep seeing.

So:   311 (current weight) - 150 (goal) = 161 (Pounds To Go!!!!!)

Goals for this week:

• Eat until I am full, and then stop.
• Exercise for 15-20 minutes (M-F) 

The Beginning to 150 Pounds!

So I decided to start this after reading someone else's blog about their weight-loss.  At this moment I am 315 pounds.  My goal is to get down to 150 pounds, which means that I need to lose 165 pounds!  The last time that I was successful at losing weight was in Junior High, which was about 12-13 years ago.  That is also how long I have been struggling with being overweight.  However, now I want to get in shape because I have gotten to the point where I want to be able to look in a full length mirror without being ashamed.  So my journey begins...the only problem is where.  At this moment my goals are not big, because I want to form a habit, from which I can grow.  It took me a long time to get into a habit of reading my scriptures every night.  But once I did, then I was able to add on to it with other uplifting things.  I am hoping to do that with my weight-loss.  Start small and end strong!

My goals for this next week are:

• Exercise M-F for at least 10 minutes each day.
• Stop eating when I'm full.
• Stop eating in my room.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables!

This may not seem like very specific or big goals, but when you are on summer vacation (I'm a teacher) then doing anything is better than nothing!


Here is what I currently look like.