Change My Mind

I've been thinking a lot about my dad's weight loss & my best friend's parents weight loss & the Wizard jogging & various other people in my life who have recently made major changes in their daily routines to change their health for the better. A couple of months ago I made the same commitment (or re-commitment as it may be) but i've been pretty flakey about the whole thing. See, I'm being brutally honest here. Yes I've started eating better and yes I'm tracking my calories, but I haven't been strict about it. I've even been hitting the gym much more regularly but it wasn't until last week that I had a REALLY good workout. So this morning as I laid in bed wide awake before 6 am that I realized why -- I wasn't fully mentally committed.

If I'm going to make this work I need to fully commit my brain. I can't let the calorie counting go just because I'm on vacation or skip the gym because I worked late the night before...excuses will get me nowhere. Using that new found mental clarity, I got out of bed before 7 and went to the gym. Not only did I get in a good chunk of time on the elliptical machine, a 20-minute weight set for my back and legs and some ab work, but I jogged on the track. I set a goal for myself on the way to Las Vegas Athletic Club that I would jog 2 full loops on the track. That seems like nothing at all for most of you but between my weight and bum foot it's a huge fete. Not only did I successfully jog 2 laps, but I did 4. Small steps, but steps in the right direction nonetheless!

I know that doing the tough things right away in the morning gets them out of the way, but it's the getting going and doing those tough things that sucks. Now that it's 9:30 and I'm blogging and watching the Price is Right with my husband (yes he DVRs it), I am so happy that I went to the gym super early! I feel awake, I feel motivated and in general I just feel good. I guess all those people telling me to do the tough stuff first weren't lying!

As for the rest of my day, I unfortunately have to work. The good thing is that I'll be staying mobile almost all day. I'll also get to eat a healthy choice meal for dinner and avoid snacking! I think the hubs and I might even go to a movie after work tonight. Looks like a good Saturday to me!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Las Vegas

A Call to Arms

Almost 2 years ago I started my journey to lose weight and subsequently began writing this blog following the ups and downs. In that time, I've lost a lot of weight, gained a bit back, got married, been on 13 trips and changed jobs. It's been quite an adventure.

I'm thankful for the entire experience so far and I'm looking forward to the journey to come. One of the best aspects of this adventure, however, has nothing to do with me at all, but instead has everything to do with you, the readers.

I've always made myself accessible to anyone who reads my blog and wants to ask questions, show support or share their story. Hell, many of the people who read this are people that I know in person now or knew at some point in my life. Through Facebook, e-mail, Twitter & text message I have received a large number of responses to my story. Not only have I received commendation for being open and honest about the true story behind trying to drop the pounds, but some of you have shared your own weight struggle journeys with me.

So, here's the point I'm trying to make today. I know that I'm not alone. I'm not the only one who looks in the mirror and wants to cry some days because of the transformation that seemed to happen in an instant between then (cute & thinner) and now (um... Less cute & fat). What I don't know is if all of you who are struggling with your own weight journeys (including weight-gain struggles) know just how many people are out there that have stories just like yours.

It's heart-breaking to read about discouraging parents and partners & motivating to hear stories about friends who keep each other on track. I already have permission to share a couple of the stories I've been told (without using real names in some instances), but I want to extend the offer to anyone who wants to talk to share their story. Sharing your story, whether it's similar or erratically different from anyone else's journey can be liberating. Trust me, when I started writing this down it felt like a weight off my chest (no pun intended) and made me feel like I had to keep pushing because others were rooting for me. Now that's motivation!

I'm thinking of sharing someone else's story once a week so I'd love if some of you would share yours with me. If you want to share, please please please send me an email at losingweightforadummy@gmail.com.

I hope everyone has a good day. Don't forget to watch your portions when you eat, drink lots of water and keep your booty moving!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Post Secret

Here's my Post Secret (www.postsecret.com): I didn't blog today because I was disappointed in myself when my challenger surpassed me in weight loss.

Tomorrow's a new day and it will be better. It has to be better or I will never achieve my goals. It's all about the mind set.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Why Can't You Lose Weight?

Every week I post a new question on the poll to the right of my blog. There's nothing scientific about it at all, I simply think of something to ask and allow people to answer just to see the responses and relate them to my own answers. So, I figured that the only fair thing to do is to also write something about the question, the responses and how it relates to me.

Last week, for the first poll question, I asked, "What's your biggest problem with trying to lose weight?" I offered four specific options for answers, and here were the results:
I don't know how - 8%
Nothing I've tried works - 25%
I've gone too far already - 25%
I'm not motivated - 41%

The reason I chose these answers is because at some point or another I have felt all of them. I've tried various diets including Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem, I kept gaining and gaining weight and felt like I had gone over the other side of the cliff and had no way to return, and overall, I simply didn't know how. I said before in a blog that I needed to reach a breaking point, and for me that meant that I needed to find something that motivated me. It wasn't until about two weeks ago that I became motivated.

I know everyone was only allowed to choose one answer, but I'd be willing to bet that most people could select more than one of these options. The good thing about each of these options is that they aren't definitive ends to the weight loss problem, they are just the beginning. If you haven't found something that works, figure out what your lifestyle is like and create something that works for you. Who cares if 1,001 people have been successful using this diet pill, and another program just got their one millionth customer? Weight loss is a sensitive and personal journey, so why not make the process sensitive and personal too?

Amanda showed me that loving my iPhone isn't a horrible thing because it can be the center of my program! Nothing worked for me because I wasn't interested in all the other programs, so I created this with the help of Amanda and it's working. I use my iPhone, which I'm on a lot anyway, to watch calories and fat, and track my goals. I've worked my program into my life instead of working my life into a program. And that, right there, that last sentence is what it's all about.

Changing for a Lifetime

Last night I was talking with a friend of mine and I almost started crying. It was in that moment that I realized that the changes I'm attempting to make aren't just for a goal I'm trying to reach, but they are for a lifetime. I talked to her about eating different, choosing menu items I never explored before because I didn't care about how many calories they contained or how much fat i was consuming. We also talked about me and how I feel and about the worst part of being fat -- the overwhelming insecurities.

In high school I weighed somewhere around 140 lbs, right in a very healthy range for me and pulled on a size 6 or a size 8 depending on the item of clothing. I was athletic and active, and most of all, I was happy. I distinctly remember standing in the bathroom at my parents house naked, before taking a shower and staring in the mirror. There was a little bulge on my tummy, barely noticeable unless looking for it, and to myself I thought, "well, I knew I was going to be fat at some point." If only I would have been able to see almost 10 years into the future and known that that little bulge was the least of my problems.

I became less active in college and then got a desk job after graduating and packed on the pounds. I am definitely an emotional eater who rides the ups and downs of my emotional rollercoaster with a bag of chips in one hand and a soda in the other (sometimes even a delectable thin mint martini). I never realized how many calories I was consuming until Amanda actually had me stop and take a look at the calorie counts before selecting my meals at restaurants and even at my house. I was outraged.

So now, I've made one of the best decisions I could have possibly made, and I don't think it's too soon or too late. I think I needed to experience that "aha!" moment before making the decision to cut the fat. I've decided that it's my time to be an inspiration story, and why not? As long as I stay focused, motivated and on track, I'm as good of a candidate for success as anyone else.

I won't always have a tip for everyone else when I blog, but I do today. Share your story, your entire story with someone else. Tell them how you used to look, what pushed you over the edge, and show them that one photo that inspires you to lose weight. My photo was taken in 2003 and I'm wearing a bikini while vacationing in Jamaica with my family. I haven't worn a bikini since that trip, then again, I was only a size 8-10 then. Lastly, find someone else to motivate you, almost harass you to keep you motivated. Amanda showed me the way and she's still my motivator, texting me around meals to see how I'm doing and encouraging me to exercise. I couldn't do it without support, and I don't think you can either. So, if you don't have someone like that then ask me. I'll gladly call you or text you or email you just to keep you motivated. What other opportunities are there?