Holiday Weekend Approaching...uh oh!! ;

So, it's almost here - Memorial Day.  The first of two summer holidays (4th of July being the second) devoted to fun, food, and drink.  I, like the majority of the country, celebrate Memorial Day by firing up the grill, filling the cooler with beer, and enjoying the day with family eating and drinking.  This year, of course, has to be different.

Memorial day just happens to be my holiday - meaning my family all come to my house.  My parents and I switch off holidays.  I get Memorial day and Thanksgiving, they get 4th of July and Christmas.  Luckily for me, my mom and sister are also trying to lose weight - so I will at least have some support for my "healthy-er" holiday.  We will still have the barbeque, drink, and fun...but with a healthy twist.  It's time to load up on turkey dogs, hamburger patties made from 97/3 hamburger meat, chicken breasts and fresh salad instead of the dreaded potato salad.  We grill pretty much Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - so I will be breaking up all that food between those three days. It's not Memorial Day without a drink or two - so I will have a rum and diet coke.  Moderation is the key when drinking alcohol - so two drinks will be the max.  The rest of the day, I will be drinking flavored water with fresh fruit slices and berry green tea. 

My point with all of this, is you can still enjoy the holidays - just change things up a bit. 

Till next time.  ;)

Time for a Change

Yesterday was one of those days that made me say "it's time to change something".  I do this a lot.  Maybe it's a change in workouts, or a change in the types of shoes I wear...yesterday it was a change in me as a person (with a couple of materialistic changes on the side..HA!).

Being a senior in college at 28 is a wonderful feeling. I'm finally achieving my dream of becoming a teacher, I have made some wonderful friends, and I dedicated myself 100% to doing a great job.  Yesterday, I also came to the realization that I have changed as a person - I'm more confident in the way I feel about myself.

I explained a few days ago how I was starting to feel more "girly" and that has a lot to do with the change that I'm feeling.  I also feel younger, more care-free - and decided it was time to let that "me" show.  So, last night I went and had my hair chopped off...literally, it's short.  I wanted something funky, edgy, and different - and that's exactly what I got. (The pictures don't do it justice - it's not fixed...I will post new pics hopefully tomorrow with it all fixed).  My hair cut was the physical representation of the new me that is emerging - but the internal changes are also amazing. 

So, switching gears just a bit, I just have to take a second to talk about last night's Biggest Loser Finale.  I was so happy to see the transformations that the contestants made - but my mouth hit the floor when Mike walked onto the stage.  If you haven't seen the show, Mike started the competition weighing 526lbs!!  Last night, after 6 months, he weighed in around 250lbs!!  He lost half of his body weight in 6 months! When I saw him come through that paper image of him at 526lbs all I could think was "DAMN, HE'S HOTT!!"..LOL  Then it hit me - look at what these people have done.  They have gone from severely overweight to absolutely gorgeous.  To tie this in with today's post - that's how I want to feel, and starting to feel. 

Today is a new day for me, ladies and gals.  It's time for me to finally be the beautiful one.  So, look out, cause new, sexy me is emerging...and I'm not going to stop until she's completely out of her shell.

Here's a couple more pics of the "do":

Till next time.  ;)

Allergies are in the Air...UGH!!

There's nothing better than living in the woods with nature's beauty outside every window...except, of course, if you suffer from severe seasonal allergies.  Yep, it's that time of year again.  Flowers are in bloom, leaves on the trees, beautiful green grass - all of which lead to itchy, watery eyes and and runny nose. 

Allergies are such a damper on someone that is trying to lose weight.  I don't mind working out inside, but I really love being able to go out early on the weekends and run. Can't do that if you spend the whole time sneezing, and not being able to see from watery eyes.

I really HATE to take medicines of any kind.  I consider myself a naturalist, and not a fan of any medicines.   I try to put up with allergies as long as I can, and use a number of natural remedies - but sometimes I just have to break down and take something.  The problem with that, no matter what I take it knocks me out.  I'm serious, I can't even take an advil without it causing me to be drowsy and groggy for a good 2 hours!!  I don't take cold medicines, pain pills - nada - and if I do break down and take an allergy pill, it puts me out of commission.  I don't know what to do. 

It makes me a little nervous about bootcamp, because I will spending a lot of time exercising outside.  I'm hoping that I can just suck it up (or sniff it up in this situation) and I won't have too many problems.  That's wishful thinking - but it's the best that I can do. 

Anyways - enough of my "poor me" pity party - time to get ready for another fun filled day.  I'm thinking I'm going to break out the Last Chance DVD workout tonight - although I haven't decided if I should do it before or after the Biggest Loser Season Finale.  Oh yeah, I'm so excited about that.  I can't wait to see how well the contestants have done.  I'm rooting for Mike - cause that guy is my serious motivation.  In 5 months he managed to lose over 200lbs!!!  Now that is amazing! 

Wow - sorry about the blah blog today....I'm gonna blame it on the allergies ;)

Till next time.  ;)

Time to Feel the Burn

Today is weigh-in day, and I was not happy with my result.  This week's weight is 226lbs.  :(  I've gained a pound, and I only have myself to blame.  I never like to see a weight gain, but it's no good to let it bring me down - it's just a reminder that if I don't work hard, I'm not going to see results.

Like I said yesterday, this week is going to be all about preparing myself for bootcamp that starts a week from Wednesday.  I've already got my gym set up and this evening, I will be on the treadmill and then following that off with a good weight work-out.

I had a funny conversation with a friend yesterday that I had to bring up.  When I explained my plan to her, the first thing she said was "be careful with doing too much with weights, you don't want the fat to turn into muscle".  Now, the funny thing is, I've heard this comment A LOT!  I don't want to call anyone out, but I do want to burst that myth right here and now.  So we are all clear, it is impossible for fat to turn INTO muscle.  Muscle is muscle, fat is fat.  One doesn't turn into the other.  When you're overweight, your muscles are weak and surrounded by fat.  In order to tone the muscle and burn off the fat, you have to weight train. 

Now, if I had my choice, I would work out on the treadmill every night - but that's just not going to give me the results I'm looking for.  My journey isn't just about losing weight, it's about getting fit and healthy.  To be fit, I need strong muscles.  Cardio is AWESOME for burning fat, but it just doesn't give the full body workout that is needed to strengthen and tone muscle. 

So, today I've admitted my 1lb weight gain, dispelled a myth, and committed myself to you all about preparing myself to hard work this week.  That's not bad for a day's blog..LOL  Now, it's time to honor that committement so that this time next week - that stinkin' number on the scale will be better.

Till next time ;)

Time for Boot Camp Preparation

So, I'm down to only a week and a half left before bootcamp.  I'm so excited.  My working out the past couple of weeks have been everything BUT consistent.  I'm not going to lay out the excuses because there aren't any - excuses are like assholes, everyone has got one.  It's just basically coming down to not feeling like working out...that's BAD!!!

To me, bootcamp is going to be that kick up the ass I need to get back into regular work-out mode.  There's just one thing that has been on my mind the past couple of days - and that is, I don't want to show up and be the only person there that can't do a single push-up.  I want to get myself into some form of mindset for the 6 week challenge that lies ahead.  That means, this week I plan on upping the ante and pushing myself through some hardcore workouts. 

Now that my office/ gym is all set up here at home - there's no reason why I shouldn't be doing this every day, but no good to dwell on the past.  This next week is going to be all about cardio and weight training.  I'm figuring 45 mins - an hour on the treadmill followed by some reps on the weights.  I also will throw some work-out DVDs in there - like my Jillian Michaels DVD or my Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout.  That's what this next week is all about - my last chance before the really hard stuff begins.

So, wish me luck - it's a now or never situation. I either work my ass off this coming week, or show up to bootcamp next week as the weakest person.  The latter is not an option - I'm too damn competitive for that.  Even though the bootcamp isn't a competition, it is to me.  It's a personal competition to prove that I can do it...the best motivation in the world.

Till next time.  :)

Finding the Girl Within

As a fat chick, I was never one for glitz and glamour.  I was much happier in sweats, t-shirt, tennis shoes, and a messy pony tail.  I hate seeing overweight people wearing skin tight clothing, so I wasn't about to scare others with a similar style.

Now that the weight is coming off, I'm starting to feel more "girly".  One big step for that is now being able to find clothes in the women's section of the store rather than only being able to shop in the plus sizes.  Now, there's nothing wrong with the plus size clothing - but more often than not, the clothes I found there were hardly "flattering" (no pun intended).  Going from a size 22-24 to a size 18 has been a huge accomplishment, but I'm still along way from being done,  With that said, however, I haven't been able to help buying new things that show the more femine side of myself.  One thing I learned very quickly, however, is that going out and replacing my wardrobe for size 18 clothing isn't something I want to do.  I've browsed consignment stores and boutiques, and I always check out the clearence racks at clothing stores.  I've been really lucky, thus far.  I have a few pairs of pants and shirts that are size 18, and they will do me until I move down to a size 16. 

Today, I couldn't help myself, and broke down and bought a couple of summer dresses.  Now, the word "dress" has NEVER been in my vocabulary.  I have never been a dress wearer, or a dress liker.  I really don't know what happened to me today while I was out.  I just had this urge come over me that said "it's time, go find a nice dress".  So, I went over to the dress section and ended up buying 3 of them!!  Now, one good thing about dresses is that they can be good for a while regardless of size.  What I mean by that is if I lose some more weight, the dresses will still fit.  I can wear a belt with them, and don't have to worry about that "too big" look. 

I'm really digging this new girly feeling I'm having.  Yes, I'm still overweight, but I've lost a lot of weight - and for that I'm proud.  So, I will get a couple of pics later in my new digs and maybe post them tomorrow.  :)

Till next time.  ;)

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I Love Ya Tomorrow....

One of the biggest obstacles I've been working with my weight loss is the magical saying "I'll just do it tomorrow". 

Who hasn't planned on getting up 30 minutes early to work out, just to hit the snooze button and say "I'll get up early tomorrow", or come home from a long day with every intention of working out to say "Ugh, it's been a long day, I'll work out tomorrow".  Well, one thing I've realized - TOMORROW NEVER COMES!!

Now, I'm so guilty of this very thing.  I don't know how many times I've planned on having a long workout, or going out for a run only to say "I'll make up for it tomorrow".  The worst one I've had to deal with is "I can eat a slice of pizza, I'll just work out harder tomorrow".  Well, that's all good and well - but TOMORROW NEVER COMES!!

Are we seeing a pattern here??  So, how do you fix it??  That's a great question that I wish I had the answer for.  I still struggle with it every day.  The only way that I've been able to deal with it is by not saying those words.  I've found if I say "if I don't get my ass on that treadmill, I'm going to regret it come weigh-in day" or "it's been a stressful day, I bet a run would help deal with it" I'm more likely to actually do what it is I've intended to do.  Try putting a motivating or postivite attachment on things.  Instead of thinking of getting to that workout as a chore, think of it as a reward. 

So, I wanted to throw this post in here because I wanted people to see that I'm no expert when it comes to losing weight.  I try to share the things that are working for me, the things that don't work, and the things that I struggle with.  This is a process that I'm still learning - and still having trouble with. 

The idea came to me this morning when a question was posed on a forum that I'm a member of.  The question was "would you ever consider taking a dear Abby job, if it was offered to you?"  Well, my response was that I kind of feel that I already hold some kind of similar accountability with this blog and the questions that I answer from people about my weight loss.  Then I thought, well, I'm no Jillian Michaels so am I really helping people if I haven't accomplished my goals yet?  Well, yes - I think I am.  In my opinion, people can follow this blog and take what they can from it.  I want people to see my struggles, my accomplishments, and my downfalls and learn what they can from them.  At the end of the day, this blog is a level of accountability that I use for my own motivation.  I feel that if I know people are counting on me to suceed, maybe it will motivate them to do the same.  So, hopefully, I'm doing that.

Till next time.  ;)