I'm on a houseguest strike

So this past month was full of entertaining. My family, his family, friendsfriends. It was hard to control what I was putting in my mouth and I was very bad about journalling... I could probably have guestimated how many calories that delicious German Chocolate cake was, but how depressing to write down such a big number. Well, I am now on strike from houseguests. I'm not inviting anyone over for at least a month. I am going to get my life and eating habits back under control and it's going to start with Karilynn's challenge of the week. I have been writing everything down today and I will continue to do so.

A new app!

I got a MyTouch phone a few months ago and didn't think until last night to look to see what kind of weight loss applications there were. Sure enough, I found a nice little journal application that will help me track and journal WW points. You can bet that I'm never very far from my phone, so I will have no excuse not to be a better tracker.

A renewed sense of purpose

I will admit that I have been feeling a little discouraged lately. Losing 5 pounds in January was certainly better than gaining, but I know I could have done better. There was some exciting news in my family today regarding a baby. The excitement surrounding the announcement and the baby shopping that went along with it made me realize how much I want my own and soon. One of my most compelling reasons to lose weight is so that I can be at a healthier weight when I get pregnant. I can do this.

Not So Sure that I "Brought It"

This month hasn't been a complete lost, but I didn't journal my food at all this last week. For me, journaling is essential to losing weight. It must be a mental thing where if I don't write it down, it doesn't count. I'm recommitting to myself tonight. I will have my paper and pen out at work tomorrow and I will write everything I put in my mouth down. I'm fairly certain I won't win anything this month as it seems that so many people have done so amazingly. However, I'm going to keep going and finish this out as strong as I can.

Is it really week 4?

I've been exercising even more regularly lately and really pushing myself. I realized recently while I was at the gym using the weight machines that I was just going through with the motions. Now, I really try to focus on the muscles that I should be using. I used the treadmill at home a few times over the weekend and forced myself to run for a few minutes. This week, I had a fairly small weight loss of .4 pounds, but I feel good that it was a loss nonetheless.

I'm trying to keep focused on the reasons I want to lose weight:

- Lower my cholesterol

- Have more energy

- Have more shopping options

- Lead a healthier life

Week Three Weigh In and Goals

I am down five pounds overall and I am feeling pretty good about that. I managed to exercise six times in the past week. While I didn't meet my goal, I feel pretty good about what I accomplished. My goal for this week is to have a better weekend and be more thoughtful with my food intake, even if I find myself at Old Chicago again.

I haven't decided whether to meet the water challenge yet. I generally drink around 60 ounces and 125 seems like a lot. I will try to drink more water at home instead of my beloved diet sodas.

Week Two Goals

This morning showed a loss, which I'm pretty excited about. It wasn't a perfect week by any means, but I did log the whole week and I got in about 3 hours of exercise. I also followed through on last week's goal of no candy from my co-worker. Although, she might think I don't like her anymore, because I stop by her office less frequently. :)

This week, my goal is to exercise every day. Even if I don't make it to the gym, I can walk on the treadmill at home or do the Wii fit for 20 minutes. There is no reason why I can't fit these activities into my day.

First Week Weigh In and Goal

I weighed in this morning at 257.8 (thank you new scale with .2 increments) and sent all of the pictures off to Karilynn.

I know myself too well to know that I can't make a bunch of drastic changes to my life at once, so as the competition I'm going to set a small weekly goal for myself. Counting points and exercising will always be the standards and hopefully these other good habits will build.

This week's goal is to stay out of my co-workers candy dish. If I'm going to splurge, I would much rather do it on chocolate and ice cream than nerds and laffy taffy. Those little pieces of candy start adding up throughout the day

New Scale!

I'm totally geeking out about this, but I'm super excited that the new scale I ordered on Amazon last week came tonight. I was worried that it wouldn't come until later this week and I'd need to be using the old scale for the whole competition. Amazingly, I lost 5.6 pounds as soon as I stepped on to the new scale! :) My husband, who is more of a geek than I, tested the accuracy of the scale with his bench weights. The new scale is more accurate even.

I also figured out where in the house to take the best self time photos that include my whole body tonight. I'm ready to get going tomorrow!

Let's Get This Started

I am going to be 30 this year and I would like to spend the next decade of my life healthy and active. My 20s was a roller coaster decade for my weight and I'm sad to say that I ended them at a high rather than a low. I'm looking forward to this competition and hope that it will give me a much needed push.

I decided that to keep things simple, I will leave this blog public. However, I will keep a more detailed blog that will include pictures and more personal thoughts private. If you are interested in becoming a reader of that blog, please just message me with your email address.