A Good End for a Better Begining

All in all this year has been good. Do you all see a "brand new me?" Probably not. After all, I've been much thinner than this. Am I different? A brand new me says I will be a different person. Maybe I titled this blog wrong. I actually like who I am but I was tired of being fat. At nearly 60 I did not want to enter my senior years in an unhealthy state. My goal for 2013 was to lose 50 pounds--at least--and to be more healthy. I lost 45 pounds but during the holidays put on 12 pounds. Yuck! I hate that, but I must admit I am happy to be 178.6 pounds at the end of this year. It sure beats the 210 I started with this year. Though I am a little disappointed in the weight gain at the end of the year, I have to say I am pleased to still be down 32 pounds. I feel better, I look better and I think that makes for a better me. Not necessarily a brand new me, but definitely a better me.
On the eve of the new year, I hope to return to my diet, exercise more and remove more of this unsightly weight. I hope to increase my activity levels and to improve me! I want to be less of a procrastinator and maintain more control over my eating without having to buy "diet" food. I have a way to go but, I will get there.
Happy New Year! Here's to a Brand New Better Me in 2014!

Can You Over Diet?

Hmmm, I'm just wondering out loud. Can you over diet? I know there are people who start a diet and manage to keep it up forever but I am sick of it. Seriously, I cannot seem to get back on track. I haven't been horrible but enough so that I have gained 7-8 pounds and cannot take it off. I am managing to not gain anymore but it has been a struggle. The worse part is that I am not really indulging on things. Well maybe the wine at night. I really need to stop that--at least during the week. Then there are the potatoes and pasta. I just keep telling myself, "get through the holidays and then you will be ok." That sounds good but I am not eating "holiday" foods. Maybe it is the hectic part of this year that keeps me from watching and planning. I'm going to blame it on that. I will be happy if I just maintain this weight and then start again in January.
I think my new years resolution should be to give up excuses!! Ha ha.

Enough is Enough

Oh my, but I have been bad. I knew I was going to be bad for Thanksgiving--that was a given. I did not plan to be bad for a week or two, but I was bad--very bad. Why can't I just have fun for a day? Why can't I just stop at one piece? You would think after 9 months of rigid dieting I would not need to over indulge just because. I seem to be out of control. I start off good in the morning and by evening I am thinking, "it's just a glass of wine" "it's just a little piece" "its just one thing" but it isn't just a glass of wine it becomes 2 or 3 glasses of wine. And it becomes 2 or 3 big pieces--I don't know that I know what a little piece is. It becomes 2 or 3 things. Then I justify everything because I went to the gym or I plan to go to the gym in the morning. OMG! I need to STOP!

Ok, I am done with my little pity party. I have been going to the gym more regularly but I need to be more active during the day too. My new commitment to myself is to have a minimum of 6,000. steps on my up band and 10,000 if I go to the gym. I must exceed the minimum if I want to indulge in any treat. There I said it. In addition, if I am not going to remain on this rigid diet I need to at least watch the calories as well as the nutritional value of the food I eat. Isn't that why I dieted to begin with? The whole idea was to learn to eat more healthy while I lose weight.

Well, I need to get busy and plan my week. I'm back on . . .

Nothing New

It was sad month in Georgia and it is all my fault. I have been totally out of control. I gained 8 pounds since the last time I posted. I am so disappointed in myself because I have worked too hard over the past year to do what I have done. I tried, but I could not stop myself.

On the upside it is all good. I have gotten a hold of myself and turned things around. I lost 3 pounds this week so I only have 5 pounds to get back to my New self. At this point I am just trying to maintain for the next couple of weeks/months. I need to get through the holidays and then start to focus all over. I think things will turn out good since the new year is upon us and it is time to renew our new years resolutions. 

I am excited about another new start. If I can just lose the last 5 pounds I will be starting the new year at 165 pounds. I hope to lose another 20 pounds. 2014 should be a much easier year for me. I look so forward to it. I am looking forward to feeling better--although I already feel better--and shopping!! OMG I have hated shopping for the last 15 years. It has become fun again.

I look forward to spending the holidays with my family and starting anew for 2014. If you do not hear form me for a little while do not panic. My computer has crashed and it will not be back for at least another week. With the holidays I plan to be busy.

I'm Going the Wrong Way!

Ok, something needs to change! I am back up to 171. I don't even want to get on the scale today. I seem to have lost control and cannot get my act together. I have seen this happen before. At this stage of the game I think I need to give it up. Don't worry--it's a temporary fix. I need to try to maintain for a while and then start dieting again. I think I get bored with dieting after 6 months and it just becomes work, so I plan to just maintain through the holidays and then kick back in for the new year.

Over all I am quite proud because I was up to 210 at one time. Even 171 is a great place to be after all this time. I will continue on the medi-fast for the next week so I can get back down into the 160's.  After Thanksgiving I will try maintaining by eating only white meat and mostly veggies. I will avoid the snacking and definitely keep out the fast food. I do know I need to have fruit and veggie snacks or some of those 100 calorie packs of nuts. I think this will get me through the holidays and I will be ready once again in 2014 to hit the diet race.

The Struggle Continues!

I don't know how to get back on track. Yesterday was probably one of my best days in a long time. I have now put on 6 pounds. I know I need to be good for a few days and the cravings will go away but, I keep giving in to them. At least all the candy is out of the house. Oh and the ice cream is gone too. I finished that off. I made John take the left over Halloween candy to work. Not until I grabbed two--just in case I needed them. Of course they disappeared in a matter of minutes. The good thing is all the junk is gone. Yesterday I was hungry all day. I even had an additional "meal." I figured one of my medi-fast meals was better than giving in to a candy or ice cream.
I know I can do this because I have done it before. I just need to stick to it for a few days and I will never even miss the junk.
Ok, I am back! I talked myself into it and I am going to get back on the diet wagon and take the last of this excess weight off. Yeah!!

Procrastinating Doesn't Pay

Well, I have been holding off writing because I don't seem to be going anywhere. Hmmm. I'm still having trouble sticking to this. At least I am not gaining. Of course I say that and I have gained about 3 pounds. Then I take it off and I am so excited I cheat. I really wanted to take off another 10 pounds before the holiday. I have got to get more motivated. I have Mom and Kathy coming to visit this week. Then we are going to Delaware for Hunter's birthday next week. Then my niece is coming to visit for a week in November. I have some of John's family coming for Thanksgiving. Damn, this makes it sooooo hard. I have got to give up the excuses.

I went shopping with Christy and bought the cutest outfit. Thanks to Christy's great taste. I feel so good when I wear it. I really want to go shopping again but I need to lose some more. This is crazy!!

I feel like I am on a vent. I told John I wanted a bottle of Port. I just felt like having a drink--and I will say I have been pretty good with not drinking. So once every 2 months is not bad. What does John do? He brings home the huge--gallon size bottle. I constantly tell him not to do that because then I just want to drink it until it is gone. He can only think on value. It is cheaper. I guess I just have to go out and buy a drink at a bar rather than have a small bottle at home. Did you know alcohol stops the protein from doing its job of breaking down the calories? I might not be 100% on that information but I do know it works against the fat burning. It's the only thing that really keeps me from drinking.

I did go for a hike with Tony and his friend and we hiked for hours going up and down a mountain. OMG! my legs are still so sore. I really need to keep up with the exercise but that one day was more than I usually get in a week.

Well, I am going to get better about blogging on here so I can continue losing weight. I think it helps when I am telling everyone--well both of you who actually read this.

Water Weight--Excuse or Real!

This week I really did not do very well. I actually gained .2 pounds. Not horrible but not good since I am trying so hard to be good. Any time I cheated I made sure I got a workout. That's only fair--right? Sunday, I noticed that my jeans felt tight in my right calf. I thought that was odd. I never noticed it before. I immediately thought--water weight. Why I think I am retaining water in just my right calf is beyond me. My daughter said it is probably muscle and that I need to stretch the muscle to make sure I don't bulge in one area. Hmmm. What do I know. What I do know is that Monday I had to weigh in and I immediately blamed it on water weight. Not going to tell my coach I haven't been really good this week. Not that I'm lying. Am I?  Well this morning I weighed myself and sure enough I was down a pound and a half. It must have been water weight. Of course I have not put on my jeans to see if my calf was smaller. I'll have to test that out tonight when I get home. Now I am curious. Of course now I have to question, am I retaining water in my right calf? That seems odd. But then why is my right calf larger than my left calf? I give both legs an equal work out as far as I can tell. I try not to be biased to one side of my body.

No matter what the reason, I have to conclude that I was retaining some water at the time of my initial weigh in because I am sure I did not lose 1 1/2 pounds over night. But thank goodness I am finally back to 167.8. Now I can work toward that 10 pounds before Thanksgiving. I think I can do this.

Time Flies When You are Having Fun!

Wow, I did not realize it has been a month since I last posted. Shame on me, in so many ways. I know why I did not post--I have been bad. Really bad. It started out with little cheats and I never got caught. I couldn't do anything wrong. I started out having a cheat meal every week and I continued to lose. You can't go wrong with that, right? The problem evolved from this little cheat. I started to cheat more. I was at least holding steady. That just led to more cheating. I was having fun. Drinking, having ice cream, eating hamburgers and hot dogs on buns. I couldn't stop myself. Well, I finally got caught. I went on vacation and continued my bad behavior and gained 8 pounds. OMG! What was I thinking? Seriously. I went up to 174. When I came back from vacation I knew I had to get back to reality and get started on my diet. This first week I lost 6 pounds! It feels good. Oh to be on the losing streak once again. Now I am pepped up. I am ready to lose more. I am on a roll and feeling good!

Pleasantly Surprised

Well, it has been really difficult to get back on track. I was pretty good for most of the week but not as good as I should have been. It made me nervous to get on the scale. I only have myself to blame. Lucky me, I weighed 167.3. I don't know how but I did it. Next week I want a full pound.
I did make it to the gym this week but I probably won't make it any more than that. I have such a busy schedule this week. Where does the time go? Really? I have got to work more on the working out. I really want to start doing yoga on a regular basis. I think it is one of the best forms of exercise but the only places near me have classes during the day. I need something early in the morning before I start getting ready for work. Maybe I will start with the videos again. I think I just talked myself into it. I need to dig out the yoga videos and my matt and work on that during the week. I'll let you all know how I do next week.

So Bad!

It has been a month since I have signed in and I am at a stand still. I have lost continuously until the past week or two. I am stuck! Today I weighed in at 169.7. I was down to 166.3 at one time and here I am going back up. It's not going to happen. I am not going to let it. I feel so good and to be honest I have not looked this good for a very long time. Why would I want to ruin it? Well, today I am back on. The diet must prevail so I can continue on my path to a new and better me!

I just had one of the best weekends in a long time. I spent it with my family in sunny South Florida. Although it was a whirlwind weekend, I am now home and back to the daily grind. Ready to get on track again.

I need to get back to the gym as I have missed for 2 weeks now. I totally forgot to set my alarm this week. I am scheduled for next Wednesday with my trainer so I need to make a better effort at going even when I do not have to meet with the trainer.

I am going to get back to a losing streak! Game on!

And the Diet Continues!

Ok, it is starting to get to me. I thought I was doing just fine. I even told myself, "I can continue this forever." Before I left for the 4th of July weekend I had managed to take off a couple pounds. I was thrilled and more motivated than ever. So why am I feeling almost defeated? We traveled to NC and I did great. Stayed with the diet all the way there. Stayed on it for the most part on the 4th. We went to a park for fireworks and there were vendors. It just so happened they had a Thai food vendor. How great is that? I had chicken on a stick with rice. I tried to limit the rice. I was still feeling damn good. Friday we spent most of the day at the beach and I stuck to my little meals. For dinner we had Fettucine and shrimp. I thought, no problem--it's just one meal. Oh, we had ice cream later for dessert. Again, I felt pretty good because I had planned to have a cheat meal. Saturday, I had filet mignon for lunch with corn on the cob. Not bad. We left that afternoon and I thought, "I could go for an ice cream cone." We stopped at Burger King and had an ice cream cone. Sunday, I did pretty good eating my little meals all day. We planned to have some Mahi Mahi for dinner with green beans and corn on the cob. When I ran in the store for the green beans and corn on the cob I noticed an apple crumb cake and thought, "I have to have this. Just one last cheat." Naturally I had to get some ice cream to go on top.
I cannot believe I only weighed 169.9 this morning. That's a good thing, but I am craving all that "bad" stuff I had. Why do I do that to myself? It just makes it that much harder to get back on track. Maybe I will go shopping this week to get me back on track. Nothing makes you want to stick to a diet like trying on clothes and realizing you really are not where you need to be. Not just yet. I do feel better. But I'm not there yet. In all honesty I am only half way there. I have a long way to go so I better get my act together.
You win some and you lose some. I plan to win some by losing some!

What is up With the Last Pound!

Why is it the last pound or two is the hardest to lose? Not that I am so close to the end--I still have a long way to go. But, it seems every time I close to the ten pound line I am stuck. Not really complaining because I did great this week. Just wondering why I always get stuck before I go over the line. Last week I had gained 2 pounds but this week I lost 4 so that is a good thing. But I am at 170.7 pounds. Really? I couldn't lose that last .7 pounds? And now we are going away for the 4th and I'll be lucky to get over that hump. But, I am determined. I am not going to give in because that last hump will put me in the 160's, hooray!!!!

Still Losing After All This Time!!

I am actually amazed that I am still losing. This week I have been cheating most of the week. It's not like I am eating bread and/or potatoes, indulging in sweet delights--no, I have been eating corn on the cob. All week. And I still lost 1.5 pounds. Woo hoo! Less than 3 pounds and I will be in the 160's!!! I cannot wait. I am hoping to get to 160 by Nancy's birthday. Then I am going off the diet and staying in maintenance mode until after the holidays. Then start again to get the last 15-20 pounds off. I am getting tired of being so good, although I must admit, it has been worth it.

It Pays to be Good!

Oh yeah! I never deviated from my diet this entire weekend even though I was with my family! I honestly didn't think I could do it but I did. I think it helped that I received so many compliments. I was so good that I even used the stairs instead of the elevator--well, not every time but a lot of the time.
Today I weighed in at 175.8. I hate the point anything. I want to be 175. But, I'm really not complaining. It's just when there is a point something, I feel I am not really at 175. I am 175.8. Technically that is 176. Still not bad but I am so anxious to get this weight off and eat normal--somewhat normal.
Would you believe I have lost 25.2 pounds and I still can't go down one size in my pants? That is a disappointment. Christy and I drove up to NC and I was so excited to stop at the outlet mall to buy some new clothes. I did buy 3 shirts but all the pants were the same size so I didn't buy any. Of course this was at Chicos and they don't have a lot of sizes so I'm going to shop some more soon.

Today I am MAD!!

I did not lose anything this week. Not even an ounce. I am so mad! I did not cheat. This is so frustrating! Why does it have to be so freakin difficult to lose a pound? I guarantee I can put a pound on in one day without doing anything wrong. All I want to do it is lose one pound in a week. It looks like I will have to drop down to 500 calories a day in order to lose more weight. Good golly, Miss Molly! I have been sulking for hours and I just can't get over it. All week I was so excited because I was so sure I was going to be under 180 but instead I am still at 181. Maybe my anger will kill some of the f'n calories I consume. One more week of this bullshit diet and then I am going to lose it if I don't lose weight. I know I have consistently lost weight so far, but I need to see those numbers going down constantly. Even John cannot believe how little I eat and not lose anything. Hell, he has lost almost as much as me without even trying and he eats nachos and salsa almost every night while I ignore him.

OMG!!

Another Great Week!!

It's so funny that I can actually feel myself losing weight. Seriously. I knew before I ever got on the scale today that I had lost at least 2 pounds. Sure enough, I lost 3 pounds. That's right 3 pounds flushed away. I am so excited and I feel so good. Only seven more pounds and I get a treat. I still haven't decided what it is going to be but I think I have ruled out the alcohol. I'll just want more. Same with a sweet treat. I think it is going to be an ethnic dish. Italian, Chinese or Indian. I am only talking about one meal.
I made curry last night but it just wasn't the same without rice and naan. I probably should avoid Chinese because I will definitely want an egg roll AND fried dumplings. I feel like I am on such a roll I should be some what "good" when I cheat. No point in throwing all this hard work out the window. I don't want to gain 2 pounds from one meal.
This is really exciting! A good week like this makes me want to keep it up!

I AM DOING THE HAPPY DANCE!!

OMG! I cannot believe today's weigh-in showed a 3.7 pound loss! It's so funny because all week I kept saying I felt like l lost 5 pounds. I knew that wasn't the case but I had hoped for 3--and I was beyond pleasantly surprised. I don't expect that much each week and as disappointing as 2 pounds might seem it is really best. But an occasional bigger loss is like getting a bonus in your paycheck.

One thing this diet is doing for me is making me leave the table when I start to feel full. I do believe my stomach is shrinking and once I am down to my weight I will be able to eat smaller portions. That is one of the keys to keeping it off--I am sure. Eating right and exercising are the other two keys and I seem to have no problem with lean and green. I also go to the gym--so I just might have this.

Feeling Good!

Well, I may not have lost as much weight as I had thought but I must say I am feeling good. I feel thinner. I bought a few things from Chicos in a smaller size and I have been getting dressed for work each day--even though I work from home--and that makes me feel good. I have to remind myself because I get lazy and like to sit around in my pjs all day working on my computer. Getting dressed makes you feel good.
Tomorrow is the big day--weighing in--and I am excited. I will be happen if I lose 2 pounds. I might want it to be more but realistically 2 pounds a week is great. That will put me under 190. I have not been there in a long time.
This diet has actually been good since I have everything prepared for me. I just grab some "meals" and head out the door. And now that I have removed the sugar from my diet I no longer crave sweet things. I can watch someone eat cake, ice cream, cookies. . . without wanting to indulge myself. How exciting is that. Another thing that has been great is that I can say I have had enough before I am full. Before this diet I wasn't full until I was stuffed.
We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm sure I did 2 pounds--at least!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

This is my breakfast--nearly every morning. I have 3 silver dollar pancakes--served on a salad plate so they look bigger. This is probably one of the best meals. I also get to use sugar free syrup. If this stuff does not teach portion control I do not know what will. Coming soon--pictures of my other meals.

To Weigh or Not to Weigh

Since I started my Medifast, I am not supposed to weigh myself everyday--like I usually do. It is torture to refrain. I "feel" like I have lost weight and I want to see it to confirm it. On the upside of that it is a pleasant surprise when you see bigger numbers. We all know that the first week is always the best. Such a drastic drop is encouraging. The following weeks the numbers decrease and it can almost be discouraging. After all we are eating the same tiny little meals and doing the same exercising. I constantly have to tell myself 2 pounds a week is great. After all that would be 8 pounds a month. Nothing wrong with that except for the fact I am pretty sure I can pack it on a hell of a lot easier than that. Surely I could add 10 pounds in just one week so why can't I take it off that easily? This is pure torture.
Let me tell you a little about Medifast. While the food is--well let me say digestible. It isn't too bad. I especially like the bars and drinks but they do not feel like meals. Now granted I get 5 a day plus my dinner but I licked more off a spoon than I get for an entire meal--normally. I do not feel like my stomach has shrunk yet. It has been two weeks and yet I am still hungry between meals at least half the days. I keep telling myself I can continue this for 3 months. Three months of torture would definitely be worth it in the end--right?
By the way my weigh in day has been moved to Monday's because I accepted a challenge with Medifast and that competition started this past Monday so I have to weigh in Monday's from now on. Also, when I did weigh in this Monday there was actually an increase of .3 pounds since Thursday. I don't know how but John seems to think it is just water retention. I hope so.

It's Over!

The Ides of March have come and gone and I did not make my goal. I started out in the usual way--all gung-ho, ready to take on anything. I lost 5 pounds and gained 2. Actually I gained 5 and lost 3 making a final loss of 2 pounds, but really does it matter?

My good friend and partner decided to try Medifast. I told her she was crazy. What is the point of having someone "make" the food? You have to learn to plan and prepare. She didn't care. She knew a friend who lost 75 pounds and looked and felt great. This girl's husband lost over 100 pounds. They owed it all to Medifast. This is how it works. You eat "their" meals 5 times a day and make your dinner. Dinner is called Lean and Green. Six ounces of protein and vegetables. The vegetables do not have to be green but they cannot be sugary or starchy. All this sounded stupid to me. Everyday I would pick her up and we would do our running around. Every two hours she would grab a snack out of her purse and eat. There was no planning, no preparing--just grab her snacks and go. Dinner of course she had to cook. My friend lost 5 pounds the first week, 3 pounds the second week and she said she never felt better.

So now it is confession time. I ordered my Medifast and it arrived Wednesday afternoon. I hesitated to start Thursday because Mom was coming up--but I did it anyway. It's not bad--the food. The portions have been extremely small. Really? Why would I ever eat such small portions? How could it ever fill me. Well, I am drinking more water which helps. And you eat every two hours. This is only day 2 but I feel like I have lost 5 pounds--I haven't--yet but I feel like it. I don't want to think about doing this long term but if I could just lose 20 or so pounds it would be a great start.
Call me a cheat but I have got to get this weight off. I am sick and tired of being fat. My fat days are over!!

The Ides of March is Upon Us!

What does that really mean? While trying to decide on a new post, I thought of this saying. We see lots of advertising using the term “March Madness.” Is that what the ides of March is all about? Chaos and madness? I have always thought it had a negative connotation but in advertising I would say mad is good. Crazy sales!! Low prices!! It’s a good thing, right? So I would say it is a good thing when talking about dieting. I am going to go crazy with my diet! I am going to lose a ridiculous amount of fat—that’s crazy!

Well, I actually had to look it up. Did you know back in Roman times the ides of March merely was a reference to the middle of the month. That’s it, the 15^th of the month. Well I guess you could say the middle of the month is upon us. Look out March the 15^th is coming and I am getting ready. I am going to lose 8 pounds by then. That’s right 8 pounds. That might seem a bit much for 2 weeks but you know how it is when you get as big as me. The first week is always fantastic—if you really do it right. I should be able to lose 5 pounds in the first week. Three pounds the second week might be a bit ambitious but I am going to do it! Cuz I am crazy!!

By the way, the negative connotation that comes with the ides of March came from Julius Caesar’s assassination on the 15^th of March. Shakespeare’s reference in his play “Julius Caesar” “portrays the atmosphere of madness, pleasure, and pandemonium.” (from wikipedia). So that seems to sum it all up. The middle of the month is upon us and we are going to go crazy with our diets and it will be a pleasurable atmosphere.

Help, I'll Fallen and I Can't Get Up!

Oh, I started off with a bang. Then I let life get in the way. I think the problem lies in that I did not form new habits before my life went crazy already this year. I was doing great and then I took a "quick" trip to NYC to pick up my stepson to move to Atlanta. This was the last weekend in January. I did great on the way up--I did not eat any fast food. The way home was another story. Then I could not seem to get back on track. Then I had a "quick" trip to South Florida to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday. Good times and good food seem to go together and I was already off the wagon--so. Anyway, now I have 2 of my grandchildren visiting and I am trying to plan good meals but they are very picky eaters so we are eating hot dogs, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese-- things I have trouble saying no too. Tomorrow they will be going back to their daddy and I will be headed to Florida, again. I need to form better habits but it is so much easier when I can just work and be home at night. I do believe I will form better habits but it is going to take more than a few weeks. I have gone to the gym between trips but I have gained about 7 pounds which is just crazy. On top of all this I now have a cold and girl scout cookies are going around--if you know what I mean.
I hate to sound like I am making excuses but it really is easier when you don't have to travel, have company, get teased by the girl scouts. Although I am going to try to be good on my trip I already know I will not turn down desserts.
Hopefully when I get home next Tuesday I will be feeling better and ready to start anew. I am hoping to put all these excuses behind me until Summer when the traveling starts again. By then I hope to be down 25-30 pounds and with better habits I plan to continue to eat right even when I travel. I know this is not going to be easy but I also know it will be easier with a few months of planning and no travel.

Results!!

I am finally seeing some results! It's not much but it is enough for me--for now. It is very difficult to continue working so hard when you don't see results. The idea of passing up the foods you love, getting up early to fit in a workout, the workout itself, is all frustrating if it seems in vain.

Finally I am showing signs of losing weight. I know it is not visible to anyone else because it is such a small amount of weight loss but I can feel it. Isn't it funny how we can wake up one morning and feel like we just lost 20 pounds. Excitedly we get on the scale to discover we did lose weight but, only 1 pound. Although it is a great feeling to feel like you have lost a ton of weight, the results of only 1 pound can be frustrating. I can't say it has totally discouraged me from going off my diet but it is a disappointment sometimes. I have to remind myself that it comes off slower than it goes on. We all know this but that doesn't keep us from thinking we are going to do something no one has ever done before--lose it all over night. Admit it, you think it sometimes. Well, maybe not all of it but a lot of it.

I feel like I have a good start and this is the year I am finally going to get rid of this excess weight for good. It is taking every waking moment to concentrate on my "lifestyle change." One thing that really helps is logging in everything I eat. There are lots of different websites and apps that help you. I have discovered--thanks to my friend Diana--"My Fitness Pal" that is www.myfitnesspal.com What I like best about this site is at the end of the day I hit the complete button and it will tell me what I will weigh in 5 weeks if I continue like I did today. Everyday the weight changes based on what you eat and the exercise you do. It is really encouraging at the end of a good day. On bad days, you can look at what you did wrong and know you have to correct it. Yesterday was an especially good day for me. I want to do everything the same for the next 5 weeks.

Yoga

Don't let Yoga fool you! Seriously, it is a workout. Gold's Gym has a class called Cenergy. It is a Yoga class. I decided to take this class because I need to be more balanced. Have you ever met someone who has been doing Yoga for years who was in bad shape? Yoga shapes and tones you, stretches you, increases your flexibility, balances you and it is a form of meditation. I think this is what threw me off all these years. I always thought of Yoga as a form or meditation and not a form of exercise. Certainly not something that would keep you in shape.
Keep in mind all those things Yoga does for you--takes years of regular Yoga. During my class yesterday I am sure the teacher strained from laughing out loud. I believe I was the only round student in the class. When you tell me to lay on my stomach and raise my arms up and my legs up don't expect a lot. I am pretty sure most of my body remained touching the floor. Standing up and grabbing my toe and stretching out my leg is another thing that does not happen gracefully. To be honest--it doesn't happen. I must say I struggled the entire class but I did it. I was having trouble keeping my laughter from bursting out. I know I looked ridiculous and I am putting it mildly. I struggled and strained throughout the class and kept one eye on the clock. I was eager for the torture to end. I even sweat some. As I drove home I thought, "damn, I feel good!" Really, I felt awesome. I was all stretched out and felt great. Today, I ache all over. I never expected this. I feel like I worked so freakin hard yesterday. Now I cannot wait to do it again because I know I will feel good when I am done.
Years from now it will be easier but it will still stretch me, shape me, tone me, increase my flexibility, improve my balance and I will be more relaxed.

ZUMBA!!

I am starting this new year with a new routine, Zumba!! I went to a Zumba class once before and really liked it but it never fit in my schedule. This year I am going to make it fit. This year will be all about me. I have got to get a hold of my life and do things that benefit me. That's right, this year is going to be a selfish year for me. I am going to think of me first. Zumba in now on the calendar-- and I cannot interfere with that. If I don't take care of me who will? Number one for this year is to take off this weight for a healthier me. I have to plan my meals and I am starting off with no fast food for the month of January. I know it won't be easy but I need to be tough and make new better, healthier habits.

Zumba is a Latin dance aerobic exercise. Who doesn't like to Cha Cha or Salsa, maybe a little Samba or Merenque (it's spelled right--I checked) I could do this at home but I would stop when I got tired. There is no wimping out when you are in a class. I am sore already but going to another class today. It's all about shaking your bootee. I noticed some of the girls in the class had those belly dancing hip scarf's. I can't wait until my hips are small enough to tie one around me. Wait til I get in better shape. I am so wearing one of those.

Looking so forward to a selfish me in 2013!!