I'm Still Here!

Me minus 30!

When I set this blog up back in the summer I had every intention of posting at least once a week. But I got scared. Really scared. I had attempted to lose weight and get in shape in the past, but I had never stuck with it. The entire reason I shared my story so publicly was to give me an added incentive to stick with it. I even shared my exact weight and where I want to be in a year with everyone. That was the scariest thing I have ever done, but damn, it worked!

I own the fact I started this journey at 223 pounds and I am so proud to say I am down to 190 as of this morning. My goal is 141. Why that seemingly random number? Well, I'm 5'3'' and that would put my BMI at 24.9 which will put me in the healthy weight class. If I achieve this goal by September I will get $100 from HealthyWage.com. (Check out their website--it's totally legitimate. If you join please use my referral code: 4046395052.)

I want to be around for a long time for both my kids and my husband. There are things I want to do that I could not do with so much extra fluff. I want to mountain bike, white water raft, and maybe even start running.

I want to go shopping and by clothing that show off my curves instead of searching for ones that camouflage my weight. While getting healthy is my first priority, I'd be lying if I said I did not want to look really good again. I know that might sound shallow, but it is important to me.

Down 33

Each week or so I post a picture of two shot glasses. The one on the left has a pebble in it for each pound I need to lose while the one on the right has a pebble for each pound I have lost. I moved the 33rd pebble over this morning. I have had so many people ask what my magic bullet it. I wish I had a magic formula, but I don't. However, I will be glad to share what I have been doing that has helped me shed my excess baggage.

First, I eat all of the time. Seriously. You will rarely see me without food. I try to keep breakfast around 200-250 calories, lunch around 400 and dinner to 500-600. I have 200-300 calories worth of snacks. I track EVERY CALORIE I consume using an app called LoseIt. I typically consume anywhere from 1300 to 1500 calories each day.  I eat a lot of salad, nuts, and fruits. (I have discovered that I love dried cranberries.) My weakness is chocolate so I keep a stash of dark chocolate squares with me at all times. They are only 55 calories and they take care of my chocolate craving. The only liquid calories I consume are in the skim milk I have in the skinny lattes I get a couple of times each week.

My second secret is that I exercise all of the time. I get in at least 400 minutes of cardio each week and 60-90 minutes of weights each week. Sometimes I do this at 4:30 in the morning and other times I break it up into two sessions. It doesn't really matter. All that counts is that I am moving and burning calories. I know my metabolic rate has increased because I feel like a human furnace. I'm hot all of the time!

There you go. Those are my secrets which aren't secrets at all. I simply burn about 7000 calories less each week than I need to maintain my current weight which allows me to lose two pounds a week.

I am not on a diet therefore I am not struggling with issues of self-control. If I want to eat something then I eat it, but I do so in moderation. I don't beat myself up for having a cookie or a small piece of cake. I have slipped up a few times, but I have not let it derail my progress. A few hundred extra calories here and there over the course of several months is not a big deal.

The holiday season is in full swing so it's going to be harder than ever to eat right. For what it's worth here is my unsolicited advice:

• If you know you are going to a party where there will be lots of good food then eat light the rest of the day. Just don't skip meals! That only slows down your metabolism. 
• Pack your own lunch whenever you can to avoid having to eat out. This has saved me thousands of calories each week! 
• Back away from the salt shaker. 
• Eliminate breads and flour whenever possible. This can save a few hundred calories each day. 
• Watch how many calories you drink. Fancy coffees and cocktails have TONS of calories, but they are everywhere this time of year. 
• Finally---enjoy the season! 

Thank you for your support and encouragement during this process. It means the world to me. 

My Time

I want to make one thing clear. I do not like getting out of bed. I'm one of those people that knows exactly how late I can sleep in and still get to school on time. A few weeks ago when I decided to get serious about getting in shape I decided the best way for me to do it was to split my workouts into two sessions each day. So I started setting my alarm for 5:20. That would give me just enough time to get in 20 to 25 minutes on the elliptical before school.
The first week was simply awful, but when I was finished I really felt like I had earned my shower. The second week was easier. Now here I am in the third week and I actually look forward to my morning workouts. In fact, I get up at 5:00 instead of 5:20! Contrary to what I believed for years---exercising early in the morning will NOT kill me! I cherish this hour or so. It is my alone time that I value so much. I usually watch 1/3 of an episode of Extreme Weight Loss. I have found it incredibly motivating to hear the stories about people who have lost about half of their body weight in a year. I figured if someone can lose 200+ pounds in a year then I should be able to lose 80 in 10 months. I also take this time to remind myself that the changes I have made are "forever" changes and that it will take time to see the results.

If you are in the same boat as me and you are trying to get in shape, but you find that there are always other things to do, I strongly encourage you to get your butt out of bed and do it first thing in the day. In the afternoon and evening I always had other things to do----fix dinner, help with homework, clean the house, go grocery shopping, plan lessons, grade papers, bathe the dog, get my car detailed---you get the picture. Nothing stands in my way at 5am. (Nothing that some ibuprofen can't handle anyway!)

Tracking My Progress

I am tracking my weight loss on a spreadsheet and I am using a tracker, but I wanted something more. I needed something more tangible so I came up with a plan. I purchased two votive holders (shot glasses would have worked, too!) and some pretty pebbles. I counted out 85 pebbles to represent the pounds that I need to lose. Each time I lose a pound I move a pebble. This morning I was able to move my 9th pebble over!

Click here to see more ideas ideas for visually tracking weight loss.

My Motivation

Losing weight is never easy. I am so lucky to have a wonderful family and friends who have offered their support over the past couple of weeks. I know they will continue to support me throughout this long process. A week ago my daughter decided to join my on this journey and I could not be more proud of her!

We have decided that our big reward to ourselves for meeting our goal will be a trip for just us. We have a long time to figure it out, but right now we are considering going to the Grand Canyon, Florida, or Washington DC.


She and I are both using the LoseIt app because it allows us to track our calories as well as our workouts. We have both set very realistic goals that we hope to achieve by the end of June. We have talked about how this is all about permanent changes in lifestyle and making healthy choices most of the time. We are not dieting. We have both eating and exercising like we plan on doing for the rest of our lives. We are both on the right track as well. I have lost over 9 pounds over the last 15 days and my daughter has lost 2 pounds this last week.

My Plan

My plan to shed around 85 pounds over the next year is pretty simple: create a caloric deficit of around 7000 calories each week. To do this I will eat better and exercise more.... A LOT MORE!

I started by eliminating the empty calories in my diet. This meant giving up my daily iced or frozen coffee as well as the 16 ounces of soda that I consumed on a regular basis. Those two changes alone save me at least 700 calories a day. SEVEN HUNDRED CALORIES! (That is 73 pounds a year!) I no longer drink any calories. Since I'm only consuming 1400 to 1500 calories a day I want to spend them on food! Ice water is my new BFF. Not only does it taste better, but I can burn up to 70 calories a day just to warm it up! (That's like an extra 6 minutes on the elliptical!)

I decided the best way for me to lose weight was to do it slowly, steadily, and naturally. I knew that in order for me to lose weight and keep it off I needed to make permanent lifestyle changes. I use an app called LoseIt to track every single calorie I consume. This not only helps me track my calories, but I can track my exercise for the day as well. I can see very quickly if I have had too many carbs or if I've consumed too much fat for the day and make decisions for the rest of my meals based on that information.

The biggest (and most difficult) change has been increasing my physical activity. I decided my goal would be to exercise at least 40 minutes every day. I decided to break up my time into two different workouts. I have been waking up early to get in anywhere from 20-30 minutes on my elliptical trainer. I never thought I could enjoy early morning workouts, but they make me feel GREAT! I usually get in another 30-45 minute workout in the late afternoon or evening. Breaking up my workouts has allowed me to work out much longer each day than my 40 minute goal which has allowed me to lose nearly 8 pounds in two weeks.

My goal is to lose about 2 pounds a week for the next 43 weeks or until I lose around 85 pounds. While I am ahead of my goal, I don't think I can continue to lose four pounds a week. (It isn't healthy!) I want my changes I make to be healthy and responsible. Like I said earlier, these are changes that I will have to live with for the rest of my life so I need to make sure I can live with them!