Day 1 /294 of My Health Journey

Hello All,

I am a 40 year old woman who has decide to take charge of my life, my unhealthy eating habits, and my lazy ways. My husband and I are planning a vacation next summer and I would like to be in the best shape of my life for the event.

I have been heavy my entire adult life and I am a little scared to "peel back the layers" and discover the person that lies beneath. Will I have more confidence? Will I be more outspoken? Will I still struggle and feel bad every time I eat something I know isn't good for me? Will I stop feeling like the fat girl in the room, even when I'm not always the heaviest? Will my husband desire me more? Will I love myself more? Will I be a happier person?....

Let me give you some cold hard facts. I currently weigh 200 pounds (as of yesterday), I am 5'5", and I am clinically obese. I have a compressed disc in my lower back that discourages me from exercising. That's always my excuse anyways. I am also on Zestril, a anti-hypertension medication, due to my high blood pressure. These are statistics that I will be changing.

My goal weight is to be 150 pounds (and have a healthy BMI) by the time we leave for our trip. We are leaving in approximately 294 days. That's 42 weeks and 50 pounds to go. I figure I have a healthy goal of losing 1 to 1-1/2 pounds per week by the deadline. How do I plan on doing this, you ask? Let me tell you my game plan....

First, accountability. I am putting this out there for anyone that would like to follow my journey and watch me succeed. I am becoming accountable to all of you.

Second, Lifestyle changes. I am going to make small changes each week hoping they add up for a huge impact. I am already on the right track in that I don't smoke or drink alcohol, but there are other things I do that hamper my weight loss efforts. (More on that later...)

Third, exercise. No more excuses. Do I think my body will be better off just sitting around watching movies or actually getting up and engaging in some sort of activity? No brainer, right?

And lastly, inspiration. My mom lost tons of weight a few years back and has kept it off. My sister just lost 40-50 pounds over the last year or so for her wedding earlier this month. These people have the same genes I do. If they can do it, I can too! I am using my sister as my inspiration. She has a full-time job, has three boys (and a new husband) to take care of, commutes 30 minutes to work and back everyday, drives her boys to their sporting events, and still finds time to work on herself. She has made herself a priority. Let me tell you this...she looked BEAUTIFUL on her wedding day! She was GORGEOUS in her wedding gown! When I saw the pictures I saw a happy, confident woman. She looks at peace with her life....

I also saw myself in the pictures. I was the matron-of-honor...the only attendant standing up for her.....and I looked huge. What a shock! I thought the dress was pretty (and it was) but I wasn't happy with the person that was looking back at me in those pictures. I literally cried when I saw them. Big tears running down my big cheeks at how large I looked! I couldn't believe that I looked like that. I vowed right there to my husband that I was going to make a change. Lots of changes.....and this brings me to today.

Okay, the changes for the first week will be this....

#1....No pop at all. I am cutting it out of my diet. I am giving up diet pop also. I just don't care for the taste of it, so why bother?

#2...Exercise at least three times this week. I am going to write this into my day planner so I can schedule it the same way I would a meeting at work.

#3....Keep a food journal. I will right down everything that enters my body starting tomorrow morning. I've done this one before and it is really helpful to keep track of my calories.

#4....I will commit to weighing myself every Saturday morning and posting the results.

Well, I think that's enough for today....I will try to post regularly to keep myself accountable. Thanks for sharing in this journey with me....

-Pamela