Good Ol' Food

So, since I only have a few more days to eat junk food, I've been taking advantage when I can. I do not care for too many sweets, however I did have ice cream last night. I guess it is a Target exclusive. It was heavenly.....ahhhhhh! I love cheesecake. I love raspberries. I love white chocolate. It's almost like Ben & Jerry knew I was about to go through a major life change and made this just for me. The chocolate chunks were huge....I mean, as big as the spoon. Delish!

The other day I made Velveeta mac & cheese. Another favorite. And tonight I'm going to have chicken fettuccine Alfredo.

4 more days until my first weigh in!

Counting the Days

OMG! It's almost time!

January 3rd, we all meet for our measurements. I'm not even sure I want to know. LOL
January 4th, we all meet at Publix (an awesome local grocery store) to learn how to shop better.
January 5th, training starts!!!!
January 7th, we run our first mile. Hopefully my poor neglected body can handle this.

We will be working out every Tues, Thurs, and Sat. Wow!

I am excited about the final result but nervous about getting there. I know I will be in a lot of pain for weeks on end. As another lady in the challenge said, "you know, the kind of sore that it hurts to sit down to go potty, so you just kind of fall on the toilet." I am sure we will all be falling on the toilet, falling in the car after our workouts, falling in the bed at night.

I will be posting daily starting on January 4th. Not too excited about posting my weight and measurements, but I have to accountable, so I will.

Wish me luck! Chat later!

Is This Reason Enough?

25 reasons I need/want to loose weight:

1. I am tired of being out of breath when I play with my children.
2. It is getting too hard to walk to our second floor apartment.
3. I want to be able to see my children grow up, get married, and meet their children.
4. I am so tired of sweating ALL the time!
5. Just getting up from the floor is getting harder and harder.
6. Being pre-diabetic is not my idea of fun.
7. Heart disease runs in my family.
8. I want to show my children that living a healthy lifestyle is fun.
9. I want to be able to fit comfortably in a roller coaster.
10. We will save money by eating at home more.
11. My self confidence will go up.
12. I would love to be an inspiration to others, especially my family.
13. I want my husband to be proud of the way I look (although he doesn't complain, how can he really be happy looking at me like this?)
14. I know children can be mean to each other and I don't want my children to be made fun of because I am over-weight.
15. I want to stop having heart burn!
16. I would love to be able to get off of all the medicine I am on.
17. I want to want to do other things besides sit around on the couch.
18. I want to be that family who parks in the back of the parking lot.
19. I want to fit comfortably in a vehicle.
20. It would be nice to have fun while shopping for clothing!!
21. Wearing a swimming suit might actually be enjoyable.
22. I can't wait to walk and not feel my belly jiggle.
23. Showering and drying off won't feel like such a chore.
24. Maybe I will stop dropping food on my shirt while I eat?? (fingers crossed)
25. To show that if you set you mind to something, you can accomplish your dreams if you work hard at it.

Where to Begin?

I haven't always been fat. However, looking back, I always thought I was. (If only I knew how bad it could get!)

Growing up, I was not one of those girls on the cheer leading squad or on a sports team, but I was active. I used to walk or ride my bike every where with my friends. (Those were the days!) Coming from a single parent home, we ate out a lot. When we did eat at home, we ate mostly quick, unhealthy meals. Still, I never had to watch my weight.

Then in 2002, at the age of 22, I found out I was expecting a bundle of joy. I gained a ton of weight with my pregnancy. I was eating for two, right? If only I had listened to my mom when she said loosing pregnancy weight would be hard. (I know now that mom's are right most of the time.)

In 2004 I joined a small gym and hired a personal trainer. I was so motivated, I got down into my pre-pregnancy jeans. However, I guess I thought the weight would just stay off. I mean, when I was younger, I didn't have to worry about watching what I ate all the time. Slowly the weight climbed back on but I was too discouraged to do anything about it. I had great intentions though. I did a lot of talking about losing weight but never put in the effort.

Then in 2007, I found out I was expecting my second bundle of joy. However, with this pregnancy I had gestational diabetes. I had to use insulin four times a day for several months and my blood sugar was never controlled. I also followed a pretty hard-core eating plan that my nutritionalist gave me. I hardly gained any weight (something like 10 pounds!)

I am an emotional eater and having two kiddos stressed me out! I did pretty good eating during the day but at night after the kids were in bed, I was finally able to de-stress and I would eat and eat and eat. Vegging on the couch with Grey's Anatomy and a bag of Cheese Puffs was so relaxing to me.

Then in August of this year, my family and I moved to Gainesville, Florida. I found a local parenting magazine, Giggle. Inside was the article about the weight loss challenge. I applied, crossing my fingers because I really had to do something about my weight. I got the call a few weeks later that I had been selected. OMG....is this really happening to me?? Finally!!! I have no excuse!!