New Year

Well, here we are...one year since my last post. A post that was intended to be the first of many in 2010. And yet, it didn't happen. I could list lots of reasons/excuses but really, blogging was my lowest priority. I do want to do better this year but I'm not making any promises. :)

Although I love the beginning of a new year and dream about all the things I would like to change, I've decided to go easy on my resolutions this year. All the usual ones are in the back of my mind: lose weight, save money, pay off debt, organize the house, etc but I'm not going to call them "resolutions." When I reach those goals I will celebrate but I don't want to set myself up for failure again. So, the two resolutions that I'm focusing on are: 1) to learn to use the calendar on my iphone and actually use it and 2) to put my debit card back in my wallet after I use it. I know they both sound trivial but they are real changes I want to make.

Weight Loss and Wisdom Teeth

Wow! It's been a long time since I've posted anything. So much has happened there's no way I can recap it all. So...I'm starting fresh for the new year. One of my resolutions is to be a better blogger and since I'm actually posting in January, I think I'm off to a good start.

As for my other resolutions, there are a lot of them. I feel like this is going to be a year of purging and pruning...in all areas of my life. Obviously, at the top of the list is (once again) losing weight. I'm not happy with myself and I'm not sure why I can't just get a grip and do it. We just kicked off another Calvary's Biggest Loser. This round we have partners. Our progress is tracked together so I want to go a good job, not only for myself but for my team. We've decided that once we both lose 10 pounds we can do something or buy something special. I've done pretty well this week. I guess we'll see on Monday.

I made my appointment to have my wisdom teeth removed. I've been putting it off for years but they've started causing more problems in the last few months so I guess it's time to get it over with. I'm a little worried (read: freaking out) but I know it will be fine. Surgery is scheduled for Feb 25. I ask for a Thursday morning so I will have a few days to rest/recover.

Calvary's Biggest Loser - Week 1

We had our first weigh in on Monday morning. I was pretty nervous because I didn't feel like I had made any progress. So, I was thrilled when the scale showed that I had lost 3.5 pounds! That is 1.85% - not too bad for the first week. There are three women ahead of me so I have to step it up this week. Since I only managed to exercise twice last week, I'm hoping to up that this week and see a bigger difference.

12 Days and Biggest Loser

Since I haven't posted in over a month, my "12 days" have come and gone. It went well...for those 12 days. Then, I let my guard down and all the good that did happen quickly reversed itself.

A few weeks ago, someone at work decided that we needed to have a Biggest Loser competition. I am super excited and determined to WIN. Not that I'm competitive or anything... We have about 40 people that have signed up. We each contributed $10 and the winner takes all. We are divided into men and women for the 1st place prize. Then we have lots of smaller teams competing against each other - to make it more interesting and keep everyone motivated.

We had our first weigh in on Monday and will continue to weigh in every Monday until the week of Thanksgiving. I've done good so far this week. I haven't exercised as much as I would like but I'm hoping to put in some extra time this weekend. I also need to find my Weight Watcher material. I did their program a few years ago and had a lot of success. Hopefully, it will work as well this time too.

Hopefully, I will do a better job keeping this updated this time. We will find out our ranking (% of weight lost) by Tuesday of each week so I'll try to post that. I'm getting out all my old skinny clothes as motivation and I'm dreaming about what I can do with the money if/when I win. I definitely want to be Calvary's Biggest Loser!!

Days 1-3

Well, we've made it 3 days on our 12 day kickoff to our new healthy eating plan. So far, so good...I think. If you are friends with Josh on Facebook, he is giving a play by play of our meals. I haven't been doing that yet but I am giving him the rundown of what I've eaten each day to keep me accountable. Here are some things I have learned so far:

• I tend to snack a lot. When I'm bored, when I'm sleepy...anytime there's a lull in my day, I think about grabbing something to eat. I've tried to be more conscious about what's triggering the emotional eating. I've been trying to find productive things to do when I want to snack. I've also found that apples and caramel dip are a great snack that makes me feel full for a long time.
• I can make it without Mtn Dew. :) With the exception of a small cup of coffee each morning, I haven't had any caffeine since Sunday night. I had a dull headache Monday and Tuesday but it has gone away now. I am learning to love water.
• I expect to see results quickly. Obviously I need to give it more that 3 days so I'm trying to stay positive. The first time I can tell a difference in how I feel/look will be a huge motivator.
• I catch myself thinking that one little "something or other" won't hurt. You know "that candy bar is so small, surely it won't mess up my progress." But, I haven't given in so I'm proud of that.

Overall, things have went smoothly the first few days. Josh is much better at menu planning and cooking so I've let him handle that. I haven't exercised as much as I've wanted but we are doing at least 12 minutes a day. That's better than nothing. Check back for another update if a few days.

12 Days

Tomorrow we are kicking off the first 12 days of our new diet healthy eating plan. My mom and dad are both on board too. Josh is along for the ride because he tends to do a better job with menu planning and actually sticking to the plan.

We aren't following a specific plan - just eating healthier with the goal of no cheating for the 12 days. Momma is reading Mike Huckabee's book and 12 days is what he suggests to get started. He also suggests only 12 minutes of exercise but I am planning to do Jillian's 30 Day Shred.

I am planning to keep a record of my progress on here. Hopefully it will be good accountability. I really need to make a change. This is probably the worst I've felt about myself since right after Abby was born.

I've debated all day about posting a "before" picture. But, as I told Mom last night, if you know me in real life you know this is what I look like. So, there's no point in hiding it. Plus, it will motivate me to try harder to have an awesome "after" picture.

I went to the doctor last week because I have been feeling lightheaded several times a day. They did a complete blood workup and thankfully everything looked great. I am supposed to monitor my blood pressure for the next six weeks because it fluctuated so much while I was there. My appointment is 5 weeks from Wednesday. I have decided not to weigh myself until that appointment.

Because I want the accountability that comes with total honesty, I am going to share my current weight and my goals for the next weeks/months. And, well, because I think a little humiliation may help my motivation too.

So, here goes...

Mother's Day

Current weight - 186

Goals:

• 12 days with no cheating
• at least 12 minutes of exercise every day - hopefully 20 minutes with Jillian
• lose 10-15 pounds before my doctor's appointment
• lose 40-50 pounds total (at 2lbs/week that should be around Christmas)

Well, I'm off to bed to get ready for this adventure. Please feel free to ask me about how it's going. And lots of encouraging comments would be nice too. :-)

Day Camp

One of the churches down the road from us has a summer camp that includes kids that will be going to kindergarten this fall. I thought it would be a great change of pace for Abby so we enrolled her. So far, she has had a blast. I am so thankful I randomly checked their website and saw that she could attend. Here is a video of what she learned her first week.