“I Am Not Discouraged, Because Every Wrong Attempt Discarded Is Another Step Forward.”

Hi Followers! So obviously you can tell by my title that I didn’t lose my goal. I only lost 1lb this week. Even though I was able to exercise five times this week. I obviously didn’t take into account all the drinking I would end up doing on my birthday weekend. I went out three different nights for my birthday between friends and family and indulged a little more than I intended to. I did lose something even though it wasn’t what I was aiming for. I am not going to let that discourage me. You only turn 25 once and I rarely ever drink. If I hadn’t worked out at much as I did, I probably would not even have lost that pound.

As for the recipes this week, they were all very good. Chicken Marsala, Hamburgers with Oven fries, and Breaded Pork Cutlets to name a few. They were all very tasty, and most of all healthy! I am surprised at how good these Weight Watcher recipes have been. So far every recipe we have tried we would have again. They have twists on existing recipes that make it healthier for you without losing the taste. You would be surprised at what little tweaks you can make to a recipe to make it healthier. For example, I love mashed potatoes but the ones I make are full of butter. When I made WW Parmesan Mashed Potatoes it contains absolutely no butter and tasted better than the mashed potatoes I used to make.

I plan on redeeming myself and achieving or exceeding my goal by my next weigh in. My goal for this week will be 3 lbs again. I also plan on exercising 5 times during the week at least. I feel if I stay on course and exercise as much as I did this past week without any of the indulging, I will exceed my goal. I can’t wait to write to you all next week to tell you how I did!

"Never Trade What You Want The Most For What You Want At The Moment"

Week Two is over! Again another week of awesome recipes! My family and I enjoyed General Tso’s Chicken over white rice, & Southern-style Oven Fried Chicken with parmesan mashed potatoes (our favorites out of all the recipes this week). As usual some recipes did need some modifications but all and all they were delicious!

I didn’t get to exercise as much as I would have liked too. This week was crazy with Abby’s new bed coming in and my husbands work holiday party (yes I know it’s a little late). I was able to do my workout video two times this week, which to me is not really acceptable. I need to make more time for it even if I have to wake up extra early. I would like to do it at least four to five times a week.

I honestly feel that being on Weight Watchers will be the best thing to ever happen to me. After my husband and kids of course! I have been overweight since I was about eleven years old and I was always picked on for it. I didn’t have many friends, I never had a boyfriend. I was quiet and kept to myself only talking to the few close friends I had. I never felt like I was good enough for anyone or anything. I didn’t think I would ever find someone to love me for me regardless of how big I was, and I wasn’t even close to how much I weighed now.

When I met TJ I honestly didn’t think I was going to meet anyone. I was tired of meeting someone and starting to like them when it was obvious they didn’t feel the same. TJ didn’t care about how much I weighed. He thought I was funny, and smart, and pretty. He really cared about me. In the beginning I considered breaking up with him just so he wouldn’t do it first. But I knew if I did that I might regret it. Now here I am +75lbs, 6 years, a wedding, and two kids later. Still together and still in love despite all the weight I gained.

It feels great to have my husband by my side supporting me. He joined weight watchers with me. He eats what I eat, and exercises when I do. He believes I can achieve my goal and will be here every step of the way to help me and push me when I need it. I lost 3lbs this week. I think that’s pretty good for my second week. My goal for this week is to lose at least 3lbs. Hope you check back next Sunday to see if I meet my goal!

"Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be."

I just finished my first week of Weight Watchers. It feels great to accomplish a small goal, even if it was just for the week. It was easy to stick to a diet that will let you eat the foods you want. Although I did definitely make a lot better choices. The meals we tried were very good, and there is only one I would do differently next time around. My husband even enjoyed them and Abby was asking for more! Can you believe that? My daughter of all people, the fussiest of them all, wanted seconds! Planning the meals out for the week helped me so much. It made everything easier and I look forward to trying the new recipes I have planned for this week.

Since its obvious to all that there is still tons of snow outside and nowhere to walk. I had to exercise inside. Fortunately my Comcast on Demand has and Exercise TV section. I was able to find a walking exercise video (although the lady made you do a lot more than walking!!!) that I thought I could keep up with. Well it was tough at first, I learned the hard way to just do the video at night while both the kids are asleep. I tried to do it the first two days while they were up, Eddie in his exersaucer and Abby right next to me helping me along! Eddie had other ideas and about ten minutes through I had to stop and finish the video later. I must admit it feels good to exercise. When I start doing it to be honest I want to quit halfway through, but I make myself finish and then feel so happy that I did.

I am making myself short and long term goals to concentrate on. Each week I hope to lose a certain amount of weight. Its not going to be an impossible crazy amount and I will try not to be discouraged if I don’t reach my goal that week. For long term goals, that’s easy. In two years from now, I will be in People Magazine’s half their size issue! Or at least look like I belong there!!! Oh and by the way if you wanted to know what I lost…I lost 9 pounds this week!!! So far so good right?

A Commitment to Change

Today is officially my first day on Weight Watchers. The first day is always the easy one. You wake up, you hop on the scale, you feel excited, motivated, ready to start the new better you. It’s keeping up that motivation after a few weeks that has been difficult for me in the past. I got bored easily. Eating the same bland foods over and over. I would give in to my cravings, and end up back at the same size I started, or heavier. My first diet I was 13. I lost almost 25lbs before summer came. Then during that summer, I stopped trying. I gained everything back plus twenty additional pounds. I started high school ashamed of myself, of my size and spent the rest of my high school years hiding behind baggy shirts and dark clothing.

This time it’s going to be different. I don’t want to give up, I wont let myself. Every time I think about giving up I’ll just remember what I am doing it for, and who I am doing it for. I think what will help the most is that with Weight Watchers you can eat what you want, but in moderation. I don’t have to be confined to the same boring, tasteless, unappealing foods. Not only that, but they have over 3,000 recipes on their website alone for me to try out. For example today I made some Buffalo Chicken Fingers so my husband and I could enjoy them for the Super bowl! They were easy to make and tasted good too!

I decided the best thing for me to do would be to plan out our family’s dinners for the week, (and yes they have to eat it too). The recipes I have picked for this week not only sound delicious but seem fairly easy to make. By doing this I hope to not only be prepared for the day, but to enjoy healthy new meals with my family. This is where I am not exactly sure to go with my blog. Should I give you nightly updates and tell you about the dinner recipe we tried for the day with maybe a picture and the recipe in case you want to try it? Or should I just update you every Sunday night with how I am doing and what I lost for the week? I guess we will just see what I decide to do tomorrow.

Thats Why Its Called A DIEt

I never thought I would see myself like this. Almost 25 years old, happily married with two kids, and 345 pounds. I look at myself in the mirror now and don’t even recognize the person in front of me. How did I let myself get this big? How did I not see what was happening to me? What the hell is wrong with me?

Ever since I can remember I have always been overweight. I can recall coming home from school and my father would sit me down in front of the television with a box of Cheez Itz, and a cup of soda and I would almost eat the whole box. I ate for all the wrong reasons. It comforted me when I was sad, it occupied me when I was bored, and made me happier when I was happy. Food was my friend when I didn’t have any. I loved food. Food was my addiction. Food is my addiction. Now I just need to overcome it.

If I don’t do something now, I will DIE. I have two kids who love and rely on me to be there for them. If I don’t do something now, they could grow up without a mother. But its not just about them. I need to do this for myself too. I have been on tons of diets through the years, and have given up on all of them. I have had tons or reasons to lose weight. To stop being picked on, to find love, to look better for my boyfriend, to look good in my wedding dress. They all weren’t good enough for me to follow through. Now I am not just doing it for my family, but for me as well. So that I can run around outside with my kids and not be out of breath within minutes, so I can fit into that “little black dress” I have always dreamed of, and so that 50 years from now I will still be alive.

I will be using the next few days to look at healthier food choices and exercises I can learn to help me lose weight and start a better healthier life. Then starting Sunday I will officially start Weight Watchers. I do NOT intend on giving up this time but thought that blogging about my life and my weight loss where other people can read might help motivate me to keep it up. I look forward to start writing to all of you (if any) again on Sunday, when I will begin my journey for a longer, healthier life.