Slowly but surely!

I'm still losing and getting pretty close to the first goal I set for myself. The great thing is - I have a WALK this weekend that will count for some activity points! Yay!
My babystep goal this week is to try and drink less water and more coke. I've noticed that the more stressed I am - the more Coke Zero I drink. So I need to cut down the Coke and ramp up the water.
I hope to have GOAL REACHED news this next week!!!

How are you doing?

It's all about attitude!!!

For some reason, most of us, when it comes to weight loss are our own worst enemies!!!

ATTITUDE IS THE ANSWER!!

Norman Vincent Peale said, "Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you thing about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are."

I've decided not to let my NEGATIVE inner thoughts defeat me!!!

So this morning - I got up earlier than normal - refusing to hit SNOOZE on my alarm.  I got ready, made a meal replacement SHAKE and came to work.  When I got to work - I filled up my water bottle and started drinking.  So far - no Coke Zero.  And there isn't any in the refrigerator - so I should be safe.

I have ALL of the tools I need to be SUCCESSFUL - but I HAVE TO CHOOSE TO USE THOSE TOOLS!

So today - I AM CHOOSING TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND HEALTHY!!!

Someone once said that attitudes are contagious . . . IS YOURS WORTH CATCHING??

So I've been away, it seems . . .

Still not losing, but not gaining - and I am feeling too yucky to go to my meeting tonight.  BUT - I have been doing really well with tracking what I eat and how much I exercise.

I've been using My Fitness Pal to do my tracking because they also have an app for the iPhone.  And it is all FREE!!!

I'm going to try and go in and get weighed on Friday - so I will update you with my progress then!!

Weigh-in tomorrow!

Well - after a week away - I am once again scrambling because of the weigh-in tomorrow. Ugh. I HAVE GOT TO get my mind SET and leave it there. If only I hated food . . .

So - I found this great link for low calorie, delicious foods and thought I would share!

The Diet Detective: Calorie Bargains to Help You Lose Weight Active.com

Stay tuned for updates!

Activity!

I was unable to weigh in this last week, because I had to pick up my son from camp.  So I'm working extra hard this week in hopes to show a big loss.  We will see . . .

I've put my Couch 2 5K program on hold because of this nasty humid weather.  My allergies are causing outside breathing to be not so fun . . . I can't wait until it starts cooling down again.  I still try and get in one run a week.

I'm working through 2 other programs too - one that I have done before.  But it is cool because they now have iPhone apps for these programs too!!!!

One Hundred Pushups
Where you work 3 times a week in intervals until you build up to being able to do 100 pushups without stopping.

The same people who did the One Hundred Pushups now are doing a few other things and one of them is:

200 Situps
You are actually doing "crunches" but it is the same concept where you build up to being able to do 200 crunches without stopping.

I did both programs last night . . . and I can't move very well today.  LOL  But I FEEL GOOD!!

What are you doing to step up your activity??

Update!

Well - I've lost a total of (drumroll please . . .)

18 pounds!  Yes, it is pretty slow - but at least I am losing!!!

I'm going to work especially hard this week to get in at least 30 minutes of activity - EVERY DAY this week.  I have to turn it into a habit.  Plus - the weather is beautiful this week and it is a great time to get some walking in!!

More updates to come . . .

Another pound gone!

Yes, they say slow and steady wins the race - so let's hope that really is the case!  (Ha!  I rhymed!)

I've now lost a total of 17 pounds and I made a few major breakthroughs.

I've finally gotten to the point where I don't feel like I HAVE to have the foods I used to crave.  I'm starting to feel like I can "take them or leave them" which is a HUGE step for me.

I also got in a lot of activity this week.

I love my weekly "support group" and learning about food meetings.  They really help us all keep things in perspective and be supportive of one another.  Plus - the four of us that are left in our class get along really well.

I really want to keep working on my Couch 2 5K program - but it has been raining a LOT - and I'm not one to love running indoors or on a treadmill - I guess I need to get over that.  Just another excuse . . .

For any others out there that are struggling to change your lives and get healthier - don't give up - WE ARE WORTH IT AND WE CAN DO IT!!!

Changes

So, I started yesterday ..well, eating the way that I am suppose to, don't get me wrong I did eat good last week, but the scale told me otherwise! No, I didn't gain. Which is great!!!! But I didn't lose!


It's not like I don't have anything to lose, its just...I didn't do anything to wear stuff off...stuff. LOL


So, I was sitting here thinking about things. On my Facebook status I put....'I deserve good health, I deserve to be able to play with the kids -- not watch the kids. I am to honor my Lord by taking care of my body, he gave it to me and he can take it away. (time to show him I really do want it.)'. So what does this mean? It means I am kicking it into high gear and losing this 'bad armor'. Its an armor that is hurting my life. So, technically it isn't armor is it? Its like having bad breath I suppose.


I would rather be hiding my house than doing anything -- I am THAT embarrassed of myself. Yes, I said it out loud...sad thing is..my friends know this or knew of it. I am a social person, I love people. I am outgoing -- I am not right now, because....people pick on fat people....they do, ADMIT IT..when you were younger you said something about someone being fat.....I don't believe I said a lot because I was on the bigger side..not like now, but still.

So, here it goes, I am shooting for 7 lbs gone this week...its going to take a lot of work -- but, I do have 4 kids, why am I FAT!? ...or shall I ask..why did I get fat and take so long to lose it?

That is for another day....and honestly, I don't feel like getting into it. I am just saying.

I am here..not lost!

Congrats, Beth on your weight loss! Girl! it has been a CRaaazzzzyyy couple of weeks!

My deepest apologies! =)

Our 5-year old came down with the stomach flu about 2 weeks ago, Friday, then the following Monday our 8-year old came down with it! (I was a cheerleader when they would make it to the bathroom, there is a reason I am not a nurse!) So...needless to say between those two and the healthy two..I am below 300! Sad, I said it out loud. But I am! 298 actually.

Life has been so crazy lately, then to top it off I ordered 2 HUGE things of strawberries and 15# of asparagus. I must be insane. So Friday afternoon, after the kids are out of school...I will be making strawberry jam, freeze some and make strawberry shortcake! Yes, I am eating strawberry shortcake.

I figured something out the last couple of weeks....I am human! (who would have thunk it!) But, I make mistakes..I like food, thus the reason I am fat..okay, as the Dr says morbidly obese. But that just makes me feel like a beached whale, so I say we call it....a shrinking fat ball...just for humor sake. Life is too short. If I eat a small bit, I satisfy what I want and get what I crave and I won't fall off the wagon too much.

well...what have you learned the last few weeks?

16 pounds!

I finally got past that horrible 15 pound hurtle.  I've been hovering around the same 1.5 pounds for about 6 weeks.  Stress will do that.

But I crossed over to 16 and I am ready to keep moving DOWN!!!

Oh - and yesterday Mary cut about a pound off of my hair - do you think that is what did it?  ;-)

Have a great Wednesday!

Weigh-in Day & Tuesday with Mary CHALLENGE

Today is weigh-in day.  And I'm dreading it.  Because the first half of the week was probably the worst I've had since my journey started.  The good thing is - I FINALLY kicked myself in the butt and I've stuck strictly to meal replacements for the past 3 days . . . the bad thing is - it probably won't show up on the scale until next week.

But this is why - on most every Tuesday - I meet with Mary before my meeting.  We talk about our weeks, different things that have worked, our lives, etc.  And she makes me feel better about myself before I have to face the scary scale.

So I will get to see her in a few hours - and I am glad.

ALSO - Mary challenged all of her FaceBook friends this week.  And I am going to share that challenge here with all of you!!

The challenge is:

Do 50 crunches every day for 30 days. 

I just started yesterday - and I knew I was out of practice, because halfway through - my abs were already aching.  (SAD!)

I used my balance ball for my crunches - but you can do yours however you want (except you CANNOT eat 50 potato chips and say you did 50 crunches!!)

So - go forth and conquer that scale or that road or whatever goal you are setting for yourself.

OH - and word has it on the street that we'll soon be getting an update from Jen . . .  STAY TUNED!

Frustration

Well - I'm still stuck within those same 15 pounds I've been lingering at for weeks.  And I have no one to blame but myself.  I am learning so many things about how to be successful with health and weight management . . . but knowledge doesn't do anyone any good unless they are willing to USE IT.

I was so upset with myself yesterday - I just wanted to eat everything in sight.  Luckily - I didn't feel too well - so that was a good thing for once, and I didn't!

On the bright side of things - I started two new activities.

1.  I am attempting to train for a 5K.  I'm using the Couch to 5K program.

http://www.c25k.com/

This program is cool because you learn to jog gradually.  You start out with a warmup of walking and then you alternate between walking 90 seconds and jogging 60 seconds.  My best friend and I did Day 1 and I thought I was going to die - but we did it. 

2.  I started using the Wii program - The Biggest Loser.  So far, I like it.  Some of the things are annoying - but not enough to keep me from using it.  The first day was yoga.  Between that and the run . . . my body HURTS!!

So those are my activity plans for now!  What are your plans to bump up your activity?

Gonna Make a Change: Guest Post by Mary

The following post was written by my dear friend Mary who is helping me through my adventure in changing my life.  I could not do this without her.  Every week, before my weight loss meeting, I meet with Mary and we talk about our lives and out struggles.  I call it "Tuesdays with Mary."  I asked her to write a guest post for this blog.  THANK YOU MARY!

*************************************************************************

I'm not certain when I actually got "fat" per say, in my memory it seems like it just sort of happened, one day I was fat. I knew I was fat but I guess I always just thought I wasn't that fat, I thought I was just "chunky... big boned ... flabby? Certainly not obese or anything!" I was terribly blind! Somehow from 1986 to 2005 I became this obese disgusting person, I used to see overweight people and think, "boy, I hope I never get to be like that!" When in reality, I was!

Just after 4th grade my family moved to Kentucky, which I was excited about until I found out that the kids down there already had their clicques and I was not invited, down there the kids were not fun, they were very high strung and I hated it there! I don't know if that influenced my eating habits or if my parent's poor example, both my mother and [especially] my father are quite overweight; either way I got up to 228 pounds by 2006.

Luckily in the summer of 2006 we moved back to Indiana and my aunt, Dawn Ayers, told me and my mom about a program that she recommends to her diabetic patients but that anyone could do it!

So I went to a preliminary meeting and it sounded sketchy like the rest of the weight loss gigs that I'd heard about, they all give stories about how people lost so much weight and they keep it off, blah blah blah, but since my aunt wanted me to I decided to give it a try.

The first week I remember trying to cook brownies and chips and pancakes. It was not working, things didn't taste good, I hated the food and I wanted pizza! I remember crying in my kitchen, my mom looking at me being completely pathetic and she assured me that things would be ok, she was going to help me cook. I got really lucky, having her made things so much easier, she would make me chocolate muffins and banana bread to take to class and work! I could make pizza and bread sticks really well and loved them!

Things started looking up after the first 3 weeks or so! I was losing weight almost every week, when I was good of course(!), and I started measuring my legs, thighs, hips, stomach, boobs, upper arms, neck and head, I made a little chart to keep track of my inches lost! It was the little things like that which I looked forward to that really helped! I didn't really exercise though.

I remember one of the lessons was about things you enjoy that you can use to replace eating, I had recently found someone who was giving ukulele lessons at a bookstore in Noblesville, so I did that! My mom and sister and I started an old timey trio and performed for family! Then I also enjoyed scrapbooking, something to keep my hands busy and out of the pantry! Along with scrapbooking comes photography. I had so many things to do! I found it very helpful to try and distract myself! It's things like that I try to use now when I'm having bad weeks!

It was very difficult, the 20 weeks were very informative but I struggled with consistent record keeping, it seemed like as soon as I would do it for a whole week I'd fall off the wagon and it would take me 2 more weeks to try to get back into the habit! That is the one thing that I believe keeps you from gaining back the weight. I am off MRs (Meal Replacements) now, even though I occasionally have some, but the one thing that stays the same is record keeping, I cannot stress how important it is!

That was another thing that I was afraid of in the beginning, I realized that I enjoyed living in my fantasy world where food has no calories and it doesn't matter what you eat or how much! I discovered a darker, scarier world where your favorite foods have the highest calories which means you shouldn't eat them! The simple life of drive thru dinners and pizza deliveries was history and it was an awfully big change, one that I thought I would miss, and maybe sometimes I do, but in the long run it's really not worth it at all!

After a while I started trying new things, I found a new sense of confidence! I went out and did things on my own, I got a job at a scrapbook store, I was going to school still and looking into clubs, I made a friend or two, I felt so much better! I felt like I was worthy of being seen I think. I bought new clothes, which was a bit frivolous but sometimes you need little rewards!

One of the biggest steps was I started dancing! I had always loved Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and I wanted more than anything to take a ballroom dancing class! But they were so expensive I never had! And besides, who wants to see a whale clomping around the dance floor? But now things were different, I felt so much better about myself and I could say it's exercise! So I found a coupon for 4 free lessons down on Keystone. It was so much fun I absolutely adored ballroom! I didn't have a partner but it didn't seem to matter, I just danced with the instructor! After my free trial was finished I tried to find a cheaper place, but I found it all to be very expensive. Luckily I found a bulletin offering Scottish Highland Dancing near where I lived! I called and signed up! I was the only adult.

I had private lessons for about a month because her other interested students never showed up! I was kind of glad. Later she asked if I would help her with her little kid class in exchange for free lessons! "Absolutely!" It was fun, we met up 30 mins before the kid class and had my lesson then I'd help with her kids! Then the real fun, she asked if I'd do the recital! I'd be the ring leader for the kids! I was so nervous, but I said I would. The outfit was not flattering, but I had to match the kids, the best part was the photo shoot, I felt so cute in my new body! As much as I hated exercising it did help and finding something you enjoy doing helps 100%! It was exercise disguised as fun and dancing! The recital was awesome, such a high, I loved it!

I had also started doing theatre, The Little Mermaid, it started an entirely new life, I suddenly had dozens of friends and a busy schedule and very little time to eat! However we did go out a lot, there was more temptation, but with calorie counting I made it through.

Honestly, I didn't do the final steps the right way, I just started eating regular food when I wanted to, I think if I'd done it right I may have done even better! But I have always calorie counted. And I've yoyo-ed once or twice because of a relationship or two, but recently I got back to my lowest weight of 150, I was 149 for a couple days, but I don't count that!
There is no way I could have done it with out this program, that feeling of despair, of being trapped in a fat body, the vicious cycle of fast food and junk food and laziness and mindless eating is all behind me! I'm no where near perfect, but I have the tools now to keep maintaining and working toward my goal of 140 pounds. This is the best program, it worked for me and many others that I know from class! It works because they give you the lessons and the tools to be successful! It's not a miracle drug or a gimmick, it's simply a lifestyle change! It changed my life! I recently fulfilled a goal I had set for myself back at the beginning of my program 4 years ago, I never ever wore shorts, the last time I could remember wearing shorts was elementary/middle school, I wanted to feel confident enough to wear shorts, and I did just a couple weeks ago I went out in public, to class at IUPUI wearing shorts!

It just gets better from here, and even when we slide a little or step off the narrow path we always have the tools to navigate ourselves back on track!

Weekly Weigh-In and STEPPING IT UP!

Well - I weighed in and was frustrated.  I had a pretty low calorie week - but still only lost .4 pounds.

I had to be honest with myself - I HAVE NOT BEEN DOING ALL I CAN TO BE SUCCESSFUL!!!

So my mantra this week is STEPPING IT UP!

Stay tuned later today - as I have a guest post from my dear friend and inspiration Mary.  Every Tuesday - I meet with Mary for an hour or so before my weight loss meetings.  I call it TUESDAYS WITH MARY.  And I'm considering having her post on here so that all of you can also have a TUESDAY WITH MARY to inspire you!

I hope all of you are doing all you can to be successful!  If not - STEP IT UP!!!

Weekly Weigh-In and Comfort Foods

Well - I'm getting back on track.

I'm learning so much at my weekly meetings, so many things about myself that I need to focus on (or STOP focusing on) in order to be successful.

I hope to share some of these revelations with you in the coming weeks.

This week - I lost the pound I had gained.  So in all actuality - I haven't really changed weight in the past 2 weeks, but I had not been working very hard either.

I have to learn to find comfort in things BESIDES food when stress gets me down.

One of our assignments was to make a list of all the things we can use for comfort.  Here are some of the things I've come up with:

• Take a bubble bath
• Walk the dog or pet the cat
• Get out of the house and take pictures
• WRITE (blog) about my feelings
• Play an ACTIVE game on the Wii

This is just the beginning of the list I will use to get out of my rut of using food as a comfort.  I think it is amazing how everything in our culture (and many cultures) is celebrated with FOOD!  And usually - it isn't healthy food! 

Birthdays - CAKE AND ICE CREAM. 

Graduation - CAKE, ICE CREAM, and FATTY FINGER FOODS!

Church Functions - PITCH-INS OF EVERY KIND OF IRRESISTABLE FOOD POSSIBLE!

Reunions - Unhealthy food, usually accompanied by alcohol!

WE NEED TO CHANGE THIS!!!

So, as Michael Jackson said [paraphrased]:

I'm starting with the [wo]man in the mirror . . .

I'm starting with ME!

One step at a time.

What other things can you use to celebrate or take comfort in, besides food??  Leave it in the comments!!

I HATE STRESS

And car problems . . .

And excuses . . .

And emotional eating . . .


But all of these are reasons for not posting last week.  I will definitely update with my weigh-in next Tuesday.  I didn't get to weigh in this week.

I'm trying to come up with some great exercise PLANS. 

The one thing I'm learning about is "negative self-talk" - i.e.  THE VOICES IN MY HEAD!

You know, the ones that say "It's okay, you can just have one.  Oh, one more won't hurt.  Oh, go ahead and eat the whole bag - you deserve it."  Dumb voices.

Or that evil voice that says "you'll never be skinny.  You don't deserve to be healthy.  Just keep eating.  Food is the only thing that makes you feel better anyway."

Yikes.

I am learning to turn those things around.

I DESERVE TO BE HEALTHY, DANG IT!!!

Stay tuned . . .

Weigh-in

Well, sorry for the delay, my deepest sympathies! This past week wasn't THAT bad. I lost 3 lbs as well!!!! So, I am at a total of 9 lbs lost, in what over a month? Not too bad, NOT amazing or anything, but its better than gaining it.

I have one of my Biggest Loser peeps that I met who has a goal of losing 50 lbs by July 15th....so I figured, I would jump on board.

1. I have the weight to lose.
2. How else am I going to get determined to lose that fast!?
3. If I am going to do that...I should NOT be on Facebook so much!?

Hi, my name is Jennifer and I have addictions....maybe too many. *sigh*

Well, here is to an amazing week and Izzy....take ONE day to have a high calorie day and get that fat burner worker. I think mine will be Sunday...easier that way.

Okay..well I am up and outta here!

What are you going to do today, for you?

Izzy: Weekly Weigh-in

After a bad emotional week, I guess I've learned enough to not overeat so badly to sabotage myself.

I lost another 3 pounds this week for a total of 15 pounds.  This week - sticking to the plan, more activity, and more water.

How has your week been, Jen?

Weigh-in results: Izzy

4 week weight loss total - 12 pounds.  That isn't too bad.

I have a long way to go - but they say that slow and steady wins the race!

Jen ~ Weigh in

I am so sorry for the lack of information! How dare I? :)

This past week was a lazy one. I have lost NOTHING. Go figure, though, I shall not complain. I'd rather do nothing than not gain! :-D See, I am easy to satisify.

I will say one thing. Rick, my dear hubby, and I are in a competition this week. 100 oz of water a day + steps. If we don't consume our 100 oz we subtract 1,000 steps. Intense, huh? So far..nah, I will keep it a secret.

Its interesting to say the least.

I am also entertaining the thought on joining Weight Watchers. Why? because I like the thought of them telling me I can have so many points and I can figure out from there on packages what I need to do. =)

Whew....yes, I am long winded. Have a splendid day ya'll and cheers! (with water, of course!)

Weigh-in is looming . . .

Well, I weigh in tonight.  I'm hoping to have lost at least a couple more pounds.  My biggest success this week was getting in quite a bit of activity for me.

On Thursday, an old friend and I walked . . . and walked . . . and walked . . . for about FOUR HOURS.  But it is easy to do when you're chatting and not thinking about the exercise.  But I seriously need new walking shoes!!!

I walked more on Saturday while hanging with my sister and her family.

So let's hope it pays off!!!

Jen?  Jen?  Are you there??  ;-)

MEET JEN!!!

I said that changes were coming . . . and they are HERE.

Everyone . . . MEET JEN!!

Now, don't look so shocked, Jen.  I told you I was going to do this!  Jen, meet EVERYONE! 

::crickets::

Okay - so maybe we can grow our audience now.  LOL

Jen and I are going to be accountable to each other in our journey to BETTER HEALTH through this blog.  We look forward to sharing our struggles and our successes.

And maybe, just maybe, something we say can help someone else.

So - click here to learn more about JEN.

If you are Jen's friend and you're new to this blog and want to learn more,

click here to learn more about IZZY.

(Or click on the links at the top of the page!!!)

Changes are coming

For me and for this blog!

I've lost about 8 pounds so far, and my rear is a tad sore from my balance ball . . . but I'm excited about everything!

I hope to have the changes posted by the end of this week!!

Stay tuned!!!

Balancing Act Begins - Weigh in tonight - and a Jamie Oliver plug!

Well - I am now sitting on my balance ball chair in the office.  It is going to take some getting used to.  AND I need a higher quality air pump so I can pump up the ball to its full capacity.  It is forcing me to sit up straight.  Which is good.  But it is different.  My rear is a tad sore - but I just shift my weight around or bounce up and down on the ball and I don't care!  It is kind of fun.

I'll keep you updated, and try and get some pictures soon.

Tonight is my first weigh in on my new program.  Wish me luck!  I did pretty well most days - but I had a few low willpower days.  But I'm still plugging away.  I will get there.  Taking it one day at a time.

Finally - I have a new hero. 

Jamie Oliver. 

I have to admit that I had never heard of Jamie Oliver until the past month.  I was watching TV and saw an advertisement for his new TV show "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution."  I recorded it and watched it.  And I watched it again.  And then I heard he was going to be on Oprah.  And I recorded and watched that as well.  And when I was struggling with a pizza craving, I sat down and watched him again.  He inspired me to leave the pizza alone and eat something healthy.

Here is a quick intro to his show:



I got so excited when I watched this. These days, everything has to be fast and convenient. Very few homes have the capability of one parent staying home to cook for the family and take the time to make it healthy - so everyone relies on quick, easy, and dare I say - FAST FOOD. Parents also rely on the schools to feed their children lunch, and sometimes even breakfast. But the schools are limited to the choices and regulations laid out by the government.

If we can change the way America thinks - maybe we can all get somewhere. We can all get healthier. Health insurance and healthcare prices will go down. Getting our food under control could solve a lot more problems than we are aware of.

So - if this excites you too - go to Jamie's site and sign the petition that you support his revolution!

Join the Revolution!

Balancing Act Starts Tomorrow!

Today I put my balance ball chair together at work.  Unfortunately - you have to pump the ball up to 80% and then leave it before you can pump it up to 100% and start using it.  :-(

So I will be able to update you on that tomorrow!!

I weigh in tomorrow evening.  Not sure of my thoughts.  I did pretty well the beginning of the week - but I'm learning that hanging out with my extended family gives me reasons to eat when I shouldn't.

I can do this I can do this I can do this I can do this!!!

Quick Update

Still staying pretty much on plan - not getting all of my water in every day - but I'm getting a lot more than I was!!!

I had 2 major success this week.  1 - I made hamburger helper for my kids and it smelled SO GOOD - but I didn't even TASTE it!  That was HARD!!!

2 - I was craving pizza very badly last night - but I stayed away from it and made a healthy version of pizza using my meal replacement.  YAY!!!

I got my balance ball chair - but I'm going to wait and put it together at work on Monday.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Day 1 complete!

My "assignments" for this week are the following.

Eat 5 HealthOne Meal Replacements per day.
Track everything I eat.
Drink 96 oz of water per day.  (2/3 of this must be JUST water - the other 1/3 can be non-caloric liquid in another form)
Get 20 minutes of exercise a day.

Try a new recipe with the Meal Replacements.

Yesterday - I completed everything on the list!!!

Today I'm getting off to a slower start - the lack of caffeine is giving me a headache - but I'm surviving.

I got the Biggest Loser Wii game and I look forward to trying it out tonight.

Look what I ordered . . . (BALANCING ACT: Preview!)

I've heard that a lot of people have started doing desk work while sitting on a balance ball.

Here is a great article on why YOU should try this too!

Some of the best points . . . it is FUN, you are constantly moving and this causes CALORIE BURN, it is good for your back, and you can squeeze in mini exercises throughout the day!  Oh and did I mention . . . it is fun?

So - I ordered one.  And it should be here next week.

And I'll update you on whether or not I fall out of my chair a lot.  Wish me luck!

Survived first weigh-in

Don't even want to talk about how far I've sunk . . . because today is a new day!!!

I've got my water, I've got my meal replacements . . . now if I can just wake up . . .


Make it a great day!

Well - here goes!

My first meeting is at 7:00 tonight.  I get to weigh in and see how bad I've gotten . . . and then learn how to fix it.

Hi, my name is IzzyBeth - and I love food.  For all the wrong reasons.

But I'm ready.

Ready to change.

Ready to get moving.  Get healthy.

2010 = New Izzy

(And yes, I'm convincing myself here . . . I've been a little down in the dumps today and I need the encouragement!)

Stress strikes again - and I'm STRIKING BACK

So - I started a new weight loss plan in January and promptly had to put it off - because I was unable to make it to meetings or afford the meal replacements.

I begin again tomorrow night.  I'm setting myself up for success.  I've had my blood drawn so the doctor in the program can tell me how sick I really am (just like on Biggest Loser).  I've set the Wii Fit up downstairs so that I work out before AND after work and not bother those that might be sleeping.

And today and tomorrow I am eating some of my favorite things and telling them goodbye - because my health is more important than food.

I'll try and update this more often - because it helps me stay on track.

Wanna know more about the program I'll be doing?  Check it out here: http://www.myhealthone.com/index.php.

Here we go!!!!

Loss

So far, I've lost about 7 pounds on my new plan.  It's a start!

I need to get going on drinking my water!  I know that will be a big help - I just can't seem to gulp it down!!!

This week - that's my goal.  96 oz of water a day.  Who is with me????

How to survive Girl Scout Cookie Time!

Read this great article about surviving Girl Scout Cookies!

I already ordered mine - but I actually had a box of thin mints last year that survived in the freezer until last month!  Woohoo!

Still hanging in there . . .

The first few days were pretty easy - but for some reason, now I'm getting hungrier each day.  It's probably stress. 

I really like the meal replacement powder that this program uses (HealthOne) - because it tastes good and it is very versatile.  You can use it in cold drinks, hot drinks, or bake it!!  You just have to keep track of any extra calories that you add in!  When you use all 5 meal replacements, you're getting all of the nutrition you need for the day and it should fill you up!

I've made my own version of an iced mocha (YUMMY), a brownie in the microwave (YUMMY), cinnamon and sugar "toast" (YUMMY) and pizza.  Well, the pizza needs tweaking. 

Now I need to get all of my water in and start exercising.  But I'm getting there!!!

The newest plan

Yep - I've tried just about every diet, food, and exercise plan available.  Now I've gone to the experts.

On Sunday, I started a new plan through HNT.  This is a medically supervised plan.  For 20 weeks, I will use meal replacements as my main source of food, along with weekly meetings and accountability.

I'm making a CHANGE.

So far - it is going well.  This the first meal replacement I've ever used that can be used as a shake, or baked for many other things - AND IT TASTES GOOD!!!

I'm excited!  I'll keep you updated!

Coming soon!!

I'm coming back soon!!  I've survived a lot of stress - and still dealing with most of it, but am jumping back in the saddle.

More to come . . . stay tuned!