Keeping Positive....

Well today is Monday which means another weigh in day for me.. I woke up this morning hoping for big numbers, but it turns out that I only lost 4lbs this week. I didn't really expect to consistently loose 7lbs a week, but I was hoping for a little more. It's ok though, like I said before if I can loose on average 3-4lbs a week I will be down to about 220 by Rachael and Karl's wedding.
I have started to incorporate a few more carbs into my diet, this is helping me stay on track easier. I am eating about 1500 cals a day right now, which I will increase here in a bit. I am staying positive with my attitude and am finding that its not that hard to stay focused. Last weekend I went to Oregano's for my cheat meal. I had some salad and a little bit of pizza. I feel I did really well with resisting the food I had in front of me; however I did partake a little of an appetizer the Spencer and Annie bought. Let me tell you it was the most amazing thing ever, but very fattening. I only had a little bit, but I repented by not having any of the pizookie.

I am doing great with my exercise and feel myself building up my endurance every day. I had a good talk with Spencer (my brother in law) and got some ideas for burning calories in a different way. For example, tomorrow night I am going to push Evelynne and Mary around in the car for hopefully 30 min. I am also going to eventually get an old tractor tire and move that around the back yard. I am hoping by mixing things up a bit I can burn more calories...

Well I better jump on the treadmill, I will keep you posted on my progress. Thanks.

Words of Wisdom.....

Well I just wanted to make a quick post and fill everyone in on a few changes I am making. I was planning on adhering to my outlined diet as strictly as possible for the next 8 months or so, even though I knew it may not be the best long term solution. I have just had so many failed attempts in the past that I wanted something strict that would provide results. However, after an insightful email from Tiffany and several long discussions with Mary and my friend at work, I have decided to slowly incorporate more calories and carbs into my diet as I progress. Mary has been expressing her concern about this for a while, but I thought I would loose my motivation by changing up my diet. However, to the contrary I am quite motivated and truly feel "this time is different."


My goal is to continue what I have been doing for the next 3 weeks. That will give me a full month of minimal carbs and calories, while allowing me sufficient time to get my mind set on loosing weight. After that I will begin to incorporate more carbs and calories until I reach a point where I feel is healthy. The last thing I want to do is loose all this weight and gain it all right back. I will probably end up doing some sort of "Weight Watchers" type diet in the end to make sure my body adjusts to eating normal food before I become less regimented. I think this will be a positive change in helping me loose weight and staying fit.


Tonight I watched the biggest looser for the first time ever. I tell you what, even if you are skinny, that show has got to be motivating. I realized that loosing weight is not about just looking good, but it is about a healthy life style. Up until now, most of my motivation has been for reasons of vanity, but now I realize just how many diseases and complications I will be avoiding in the future. Thanks for all the advice and support from everyone, I truly do appreciate it.

One Week Down and Only 24 to Go!

Well I officially made it through the week. I expected it to be much harder. It has been my experience that once I get through the first 2-3 weeks, the diet just seems normal and I forget what junk food tastes like. I realized just the other day that I am not the only one who is effected by me on this diet. I never really thought about the fact that Mary would have to put up with my crabby attitude and bland boring meals. We enjoy going out once a week as a couple or family, but I just assumed that would stop for the next little bit. I didn't give any thought as to how this would affect Mary. She is at home all week and looks forward to going on our dates. I also gave no thought to the fact that from time to time my friends and co-workers would have to hear me gripe. So to all of you I apologize and will try to be better.

Well this morning I woke up and weighed in at 298lbs. That is a loss of 9lbs since Monday. I am going to be good about not weighing my self more than once a week from now on. At one point during the day on Saturday I weighed in at 293lbs and got really excited. However, after I drank a glass of water I was back at 299. The disappointment and discouragement that comes along with to many weigh-ins can be hindering.

One of the things that I am most excited about is being able to walk into any clothing store and know that I can find pants that will fit me comfortably. I know I sound like a woman, but the reason I hate to shop is that I have to go to like 3 stores to find one pair of pants. I am also excited about not dying of a heart attack at 35.

On Sunday Mary and I looked at old wedding photos. I must have been about 235lbs in the pictures and I remember when I first saw them how I thought I looked so fat. Now I look at them and think I look way skinny. I am excited to think that I could be very close to that weight by Rachael and Karl's wedding. My goal is to loose about 13-15lbs a month and that would put me right around 230. It may sound like a lofty goal, but I think it can be done. My mom on several occasions has used a quote from Henry Ford to try and motivate me; " you can or you cant, either way you're right." Succeeding is my only option..

NO Food Tastes as Good as Getting Into Shape FEELS!

Well I know today is not Monday, but I wanted to make a quick post and let you know of my progress. I am only suppose to weigh myself every Monday, but I needed a motivator yesterday so I weighed myself. I am down 7.5lbs to 299.5 just since the beginning of the week. I was having a really tough day Friday. I was really craving pizza. I talked with my friend at work that is helping me get into shape and he said I should have one cheat meal a week with a small treat of sorts. So tonight I had a Chipotle burrito without cheese, sour cream, or guacamole. I know it sounds fattening, but it is surprisingly not that bad compared to whats out there. I did not finish the whole thing. I was full allot sooner than usual. I also had one cookie which was amazing; I could have eaten a dozen more. Don't worry everyone, I am not loosing my motivation what so ever. I realized that by having one cheat meal a week and a small desert, that it would give me something to look forward to every week. I would not have been able to sustain that strict of diet for 8 months without having a little wiggle room. I only consume about 1200 calories a day and very very few carbs, maybe 5 grams. The task does not seem so daunting when I know I have one meal a week to enjoy.

My good friend Justin sent me a pedometer that counts how many miles I walk a day and how many calories I burn as well. This is an awesome help; my goal is to burn between 1200 and 1500 calories a day.

Despite having to adjust my diet to allow one cheat meal a week, I feel I have been very good at keeping my cravings in check. I am still motivated as ever and hope to reach my goal sooner than before. I would like to thank every one for checking the blog and leaving comments, it does really help with the motivation and accountability factor. I will make another post on Monday...

On Your Mark, Get Set, GO!

Well today is day one of what could be a very long and grueling next few months. Today I have officially started the diet. I am using a diet that was created by a friend of my brother in law. It is your basic protein diet, but I have modified it a bit to make it more realistic for me. It consists of about 12oz of chicken, vegetables, fruit, almonds, eggs and string cheese; split up throughout the day. It totals about 1600 calories and very few carbs. My intent is not to have a carbfree diet, but I would like to go at least the first month without eating very many. For now my exercise consist of running 45min a night on the treadmill, along with some weight training and sit ups and pull ups. As I progress in my diet, I plan on becoming more aggressive with the weight lifting part. I have always liked to run, but I have never been much of a weight lifter; however a friend at work is providing me with pointers on the weight lifting part. My goal is eventually to be able to go to the gym with Spencer (my brother in law) and not feel like a little girl. He has tried to provide me with work out plans in the past, but they are way beyond my skill set at this time.
My goal is to be down to 195lbs by the end of June 2009. That gives me about 8.5 months to loose about 110lbs. It is hard to believe I was at that weight just a few years ago, but that's what happens when you stop working out and begin eating like it was your job or something.
I just got done doing my running and I thought it was going to be a lot more difficult than it was. I have done diets in the past, and they always seem to leave me so drained, that it is sometimes hard to work out. I will weigh my self again next Monday and follow it up with another post. I am just taking it day by day right now. If I think to much about how hungry I am, I will find myself at Filibertos' drive through tonight, why Mary is asleep. I may decide to post some more this week if I feel I need to take my mind off food. Keep the comments coming....

Does this shirt make me look fat?

Well folks the time has finally come; I am officially tired of being out of shape and am serious about taking action. Those of you who know me know that I have had several failed attempts at dieting since I got married. I would get the determination to start the diet but sooner or later I would find myself driving down the road with a big gulp in one hand and a burrito in the other, hoping that nobody would find out. Man I love burritos, in fact I had one today for breakfast, but that is all going to change starting now. Well not really now, but in about a week. I am waiting on a diet plan from a friend at work.

This is the purpose of this blog. I figure that one of the main reasons I never was successful with loosing weight was that I did not really have to answer to any one. Sure I had Mary there to support me, but I knew that she would love me no matter what. It is my hope that this blog will allow people to monitor my progress and hold me accountable for my actions.

The plan is to track my weight loss progress with weekly updates and monthly pictures. (Sorry I wont be shirtless) For any of you that visit the site, feel free to leave messages, inspirational quotes, or even insults; what ever it takes to keep me motivated.

I currently weigh about 307lbs, I use the word "about" because on a good day I weigh about 306. My goal is to get somewhere close to 200lbs. I plan on accomplishing this in a year or less, so we are in for a long ride. Like I said before I will officially be starting as soon as I get my diet and work out plan. I will post a new blog on the day I start and at least one every week there after. Remember it is up to you guys to keep my honest, so check in regularly.