You noticed right?

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I'm busted. I stopped with Weigh-In Wednesday. Mainly because I was embarassed. Not only was I not working out and not losing, I actually gained five pounds since I first said I was going to start!

I had a wake-up call this weekend though. My whole family and J and his parents (plus like 10 more I think) are participating in a Biggest Loser Style Competition. Everyone went in $20. 

Last week my little sis lost 6 pounds. J lost 8. I gained 3.

Way to go me. Off to great start.

So, I decided it was time to whip my own ass and get into gear. I've gone so far as to create a notebook. I have weekly pages with my previous and current weight, measurements, achievements from the past week, and goals for the next week.

My daily pages are for food journaling, exercise logging, and calculating my food exchanges. 

I'm using the First Place exchange system to monitor my eating habits. It's a church-based healthy living program I did when I was in high school. It works very well and the weight-loss is easier to maintain because it's steady and balanced. I kept it of for a long time before, it took nearly a decade to gain it back.

I've also got a section for healthy recipes and meal planning, and there is a place I'm putting pictures of myself. Nothing is more honest (or motivating) than pictures.

I have Sub-Goals, and I'm rewarding myself with specific items along the way. My first goal is 20lbs in six weeks. I know it's going to be hard, but I also know that if I eat healthy and work-out regularly I can do it. 

The event is J's sister's Bridal Shower. 20 pounds will put me back where I was when we first started dating, and I'll be meeting some of his family from out of town. When I get there I'm buying new bras :) (I love lingerie so while yes this technically is a necessity item, it's also an indulgence for me.)

Instead of Weigh-In Wednesdays I'm going to switch to Motivation Mondays. If I have progress to report or goals to share I will, but this way it doesn't always have to be about pounds lost. I can include water intake, exercise goals, even general life organization stuff.

So wish me luck, I'm already doing better than I have been, the first three pounds came off already (no big surprise since I'm now drinking water the way I should) and I've got a lot of support and accountability around me right now.

Side Note: I'm also participating in the Fab to Flab Challenge, if you are working toward a goal you should consider hooking up with this awesome group for support!

Weigh-In Week #2

So it's the end of my second full week of more exercise and better eating habits. I wish I could say it was a complete success but unfortunately I had no loss this week. I was disappointed because this weekend I was down another pound so I was looking forward to a good loss, but for whatever reason that was a no go. 

As far as confessions there was the chocolate yesterday (too much), and I went to a wedding on Saturday with lots of drinks and a candy bar. (Eek) BUT I danced like a crazy girl so I burned calories! *grin*

Anyway, better luck next week for me I guess. Of course we are having a Sundae Social at work this afternoon, but I'll just have a little bit.

This is me with a couple of girls in my dance class. I look a mess, but it was a fun night. (Jen couldn't make it, so we were 'scolding' her.)

Wednesday Weigh-In

So I've been "trying to lose weight" for a couple of years now, and let's face it. I've not been trying that hard, and for every week I look at the scale and I've lost 2 lbs, there's a week that I gained 3.

I'm just happy that I haven't blown up to twice my size this past year! So I'm going to start weighing myself on Wednesdays and posting pics. Boring? Perhaps, but I'll try to find ways to make it interesting. My thought process is that if I don't do it, all of you will know that I'm not really trying, and I'll be embarrassed, and therefore I'll work harder. I also realize that might not be the healthiest motivator, but I'll use what I can.

I'll post about things like, when and how I worked out, new healthy recipes I'm using, and I'll probably confess to cake and alcohol on a regular basis. BUT, if I can reach my goals and be on target at my birthday? It's all worth it :)

I'm also considering taking pictures of everything I eat. Not necessarily to post (man, that would get annoying for you!) but as a way to mentally train myself to notice what I'm eating. I need to do better about thinking before I eat. And of course I have to start working out more than I do now. I'm sporadic at best.

These are pics from Easter. They'll be my "before" pics. My first goal is to lose 30 lbs by August 1, 2012. Then I'd like to lose another 30 by January 15, 2013. If I can do better than that or lose it faster, great, but I think this is probably the best and most reasonable goal for me right now.