Back at it!

Well, y'all...I'm officially back at this weight loss crap. I can't believe it's been almost a year since I last wrote on this blog. I joined the gym here in T-town yesterday. The equipment is crappy and the building is old, but it'll get the job done. I'm only one day in, and I already miss my old gym in Commerce...it was so clean and new... and I miss James, the owner. He was so awesome and encouraging! It seemed like he always knew the right thing to say to keep me motivated. The club here in T-town has a lot more amenities, but the equipment is O-L-D and the hours aren't nearly as convenient. And, it is really dirty. And it smells like nasty, sweaty man. And, and and.... Oh well.

My goal this go round is to lose 40 pounds by September. My brother is getting married in September (maybe. he has the ring. she bought his ring. they've set a date. they love each other, etc.... but he hasn't officially asked her. dork! lol). Anyhoo....rumor has it, she wants me to be a bridesmaid. And even if rumor is wrong, I still want to look good for the pictures! So that's the motivation I need to get my booty in gear this time. I'm up about 30 pounds from my previous low, so I'm hoping to get at least 10 pounds lower than I did last time.

I can do this!!!

Gotta stay motivated and accountable. Anyone else want to try it too?

Back to Business

Yesterday and today, my focus has been watching what I eat. I love to snack, so I'm snacking on Cuties (little mandarin oranges) and carrots. I feel really good. I'm going to watch what I eat for about a week before I break down and "face the scale". I don't want to see the number, get frustrated, and "rebel" because it's not where I want to be. Today or tomorrow, I'm going to head back to the gym for a workout. I feel like I'm getting back in my groove :-)

I guess weight loss is a lot like life- sometimes you mess up, but you just have to pick yourself back up, dust off, and go at it again!

Getting real

I've been so OFF this past couple of months, and it is SO frustrating! I'm running high 190s lately, and haven't really had a good workout in a long time. Part of me really wants to get a grip and get back to business, but part of me says, "Oh man, this Ben and Jerry's tastes GOOD!!!" I know I can have both, though. I know I can be active, watch my weight and calorie intake, and still enjoy an OCCASIONAL treat, but part of me feels like I am bent on self-sabotage.

It really feels like I'm doing this in an "all or nothing" type of way. Either I'm "on" and doing everything "right" or it all goes out the window, and I'm eating everything in sight and my only exercise is walking to the refrigerator for another helping of whatever sounds good. Sooo frustrating!

My gut has filled back out and most of my jeans feel nice and snug, so I'm wearing stretchy clothes again. Gross, huh? I got rid of all my size 16+ clothes, and only kept one pair of size 14 jeans. They fit nice, but they were getting really baggy...too baggy. My 10s and 12s that fit a couple months ago are mostly too small again. And they are sooo cute! I want to be able to wear them again!

This week I am going to refocus on my goals. I KNOW that if I focus in again I will be able to drop 10 pounds really easily. It seems like if I'm "relosing" weight, it comes off much easier than the first time. Hopefully this will prove true with this extra 15-18ish pounds I'm carrying around right now. I just need to go back to eating in moderation. I feel best when I drink protein shakes for breakfast and lunch with fruit or string cheese as snacks, then eat a sensible portion of whatever I make for the family for dinner. On Fridays, I splurge and can have whatever I have been craving during the week. I can do this! I just need to refocus and DO IT!

Here goes!

Back to work

I went back to the gym yesterday after a 3 week hiatus. It felt good to head back, but weighing in was horrible. When we left to go to AZ, I was weighing in between 183 and 186. When I weighed in yesterday I was 194. Ugh. Back to work. Back to the 180s. I think once I start eating right again, I should be back to the 180s in no time- then it's 170s or bust :) I've been in this weight range long enough that I am definitely ready to see some new numbers. If I really focus, I see no reason why I can't see the low 160s before we move to AZ in June. With the weather warming up, that will be my goal.

It's on!

My husband and I have both caught the workout bug. Since he started, he has lost almost 40 pounds. We decided to have a little contest to keep us both motivated. In February, we are going to Arizona for my mom's birthday and to attend a HUGE family reunion. Whoever loses the greatest percentage of weight wins a massage. So far, he has lost three pounds, and I haven't lost any, but that's going to change!! I'm still going to kick his booty ;-)

New Year, New Goals

I hope everyone is having a great new year so far. 2010 was a great year overall, with the typical ups and downs. Luckily, there were more ups than downs, so that's good :) My goals this year are pretty basic:

1. Make everyone's birthday special. This year, I didn't even make anyone cakes- can we say slacker?! My goal is to do actual parties, complete with friends, cake and ice cream, and lots of presents!

2. Keep up on the house better- I go in spurts with this. Some weeks my laundry is all caught up and everything stays clean and tidy. Other weeks, uh, let's just say it all goes to pot. This year, I want to clean and tidy days to outnumber the junky mess days.

3. Read one "classic" book every month.

4. And of course, I want to lose the rest of this weight, between 30 and 40 more pounds.

Here's to a new year!

Still plugging away!

I'm still plugging away out here! The kids are out of school for their holiday break, the hubs is at state football games, and I get to do whatever I want whenever I want this weekend! Joy!!!!

Our trip to AZ for Thanksgiving went well. We stayed pretty active with lots of hiking. The kids all love hiking and finding rocks and seeing new things. Luckily, my home town has lots of great hiking areas nearby, so we stayed so busy with that. I ran through the cotton fields by my mom's house one morning, and it was wonderful. 5 am, nothing but me, the cotton fields, and a sky full of stars- nothing quite like it in the entire world! Also, while we were out, I faced one of my greatest fears. Anyone who knows me knows that I am deathly afraid of heights. In fact I rarely clean my ceiling fans because in order to do that, I have to stand atop a chair. Yikes! (and you thought my fans were dusty because I'm lazy...shame on you! hahaha!) Well, the Saturday before we left, my cousin invited my brother to go rappelling with him at a place called Red Knolls. Several of us came along for moral support. My brother ultimately chickened out, and the next thing I knew, I was being strapped into a harness and was rappelling down an 80 foot cliff!!!! It was such a rush!!! I wanted to chicken out so bad, but I'm so glad I did it! After I went down the first time, I went two more times. It was GREAT!!! I definitely want to start doing more things like that as I continue to get in better shape!

As far as the weight loss goes, I'm pretty much just maintaining right now. I really need to clean up my diet- more green and leafy, less white and processed... I go in cycles with my cardio. Some months I can't get enough bike or elliptical or treadmill. Right now, it's treadmill and bike. I bike 15 min to warm up, jog a mile, hit the weights, then bike 15/30/60- whatever I have time for...depends on the day. I am trying to work up to running 3-4 miles a day. I can walk until the cows come home. I've never had a problem with walking long distances, even at my heaviest, but jogging/ running non-stop seems to be my Achilles heel. When I first started exercising, I would get on the treadmill and walk at a 2.5- 3.0 mph pace with a 5.5-6.0 mph "sprint" thrown in every 5-6 minutes. Now, my pace is 5.5-6.0 and my "sprints" are 8.0-9.0 mph. And I know that in another 6-9 months, my pace will get bumped up to around 8.0-9.0 mph, which totally amazes me:-) I've said it before, but SERIOUSLY, the human body is so AMAZING and FORGIVING!!!

Here are a couple of "half-way" shots.

Christmas Party. I'm losing the glasses an January. Thank Goodness!!!!


My cousin is talking me over the edge in this one. The wind was blowing SO hard and I was 80 feet above the ground!! Yikes!


Just a little perspective: My brother and cousin, who are just over and under 6 ft tall respectively are at the top of the cliff. My uncle is a little over 6 ft tall and is at the bottom on belay. The cliff is right around 80 ft tall.

{Right here is going to be a before/midway shot of my pants}

{Right here is going to be a shot of me in my favorite "fatty" outfit}