-1.4 Woo hoo!

I'm so excited that I lost this week. I wasn't sure, since the first couple of days were filled with the stuff I couldn't have the rest of the week. But, I did good.

For lent this year, I gave up a lot. I mean come on, Jesus gave his life for us, at the very least, I could give up some of the things that could potentially make my life shorter, for him. So, I gave up sweets (in which I joined carbonated beverages) and fast food. These are things I quickly turn to if I'm in a hurry, hungry, tired, or just convinced that I need something sweet, hungry or not. Instead of filling the listed voids in my life with the listed vices, I will fill them with prayer, fruits, veggies and water. So far so good. And I'm able to teach my very impressionable 4 year old a lesson in faith, discipline and Jesus at the same time! Added bonuses that I didn't plan for, but very welcome!

I decided I won't bore anyone reading this with my food diary anymore, but I am still keeping one, just to myself on paper. In case you want to know what I am doing, since I basically said I'm not going to do anything drastic, to lose weight and get healthy, here it goes. I am not eating sweets, fast food, or drinking soda. I'm limiting my salty intake, and alternating things like chips and pretzels, with healthy portions of nuts. I'm drinking tons and tons of water, and for the occasional caffeine need, I am drinking "awake" tea. Instead of snacking on candies, cookies, or chips, I'm bringing apples, oranges and cheese sticks. Instead of eating hamburgers and fries, I'm eating healthy frozen meals or low calorie soups with crackers for lunch. And for the late night munchies, instead of chocolate cake, I'm eating a bowl of lower calorie cereal like plain ol' cheerios. And when I think I'm hungry, but really shouldn't be, I say a prayer, drink some water, chew a piece of 2.5 calorie gum, and then if I'm still not satisfied, I have one of the snacks mentioned above. During the first week, these small changes were only challenging occasionally, but for the most part, welcome. I feel absolutely great today, with the exception of a minor head cold. I have energy, I'm not bloated, and I feel lighter. I think that it may actually stick this time. Because, I, with God's help, am now in control. I'm not bound by a restricting diet, or counting points. I'm bound by my own choices. And I am the only one who will suffer if I slide. That makes it easy for me!

I also was released by my PT to go to the gym again. I worked out for an hour yesterday, and plan to do so on the days I do not have therapy. I am very excited to be on this mission, with nothing holding me back! I understand that even though the first week was successful, it will not always be like that, but I will keep on keepin' on. And in that, I find peace!

So, week 2, here I come! Can't wait to see what is in store for me.

food diary 2/16

Nothing new to report yet. I'll write more later. Just keeping track of my food!

Banana
Activia
Oatmeal with raisins
gum (2)
nuts
tea
Healthy Choice meal (country herb chicken)
cheese stick
apple
orange
beef pot roast with carrots and potatoes
2 c. 2% milk
1 piece of bread with butter
funsize kitkat
big bowl of chocolate ice cream (last for a very long time)

So yah, I have some obvious things to work on when it comes to my diet. But remember, I said baby steps. I think this has drastically improved from even last week! Notice the absence of Coke and juice! And salty things like chips. And the addition of fruits and veggies. I definitely need to squeeze more veggies into this somewhere. That will happen when I finish everything currently in the cupboards. Fabulous At Thirty is more than just a body makeover, it's a total life make over. I will be working on keeping order in my home, with my finances, and with my health. So, I will not go out and buy a bunch of new stuff when I already have stuff. But, when I do buy stuff, it will be good stuff, I promise.

Until Next Time....

Lori

Feeling especially smart this week

So, it's my first week back to work, after being out for a whopping month and a half. I used to be a morning person, and jump out of bed! Not that I lost being a morning person in my time off, but I certainly stayed up a whole lot later, and my morning just started later. It was my intention to work my way into getting up earlier in the last two weeks, but for some reason, I failed at that attempt. So this week, I'm struggling. I can't fall asleep at night, and then when the alarm goes off at 4:45 for Kenny, I cringe. I manage to crawl out of bed by 5:30, but by then, my morning routine is starting to fall behind. But I refuse to falter on my goals. So, while tired, I've managed to make things happen this week, even though it is only Tuesday. Ask me how I have done on Friday, lol.

And since it is my first week to work....first week back in any sort of a routine, why not pack my schedule super tight and set all of the "realistic" goals for myself! lol. Way to go! But, I keep on chugging away. I've been eating well and taking my vitamins, which I think has helped me feel better, and I've been doing a little workout in the morning, which I think has helped my energy. And I have discovered "AWAKE" tea, which has kept me awake on my less that 6 hours of sleep nights, at work.

Sadly, it is only Tuesday. And it feels like it should be Thursday. But, since it is only Tuesday, I have a lot of exciting things coming up in the next couple of days that should keep things interesting, and hopefully I'll be tired enough to sleep. I think my body is, but my mind, not so much. Perhaps I should introduce some yoga moves into my bedtime routine.

Here is how I have done so far:

Monday, 2-15 Food diary:

Banana
Activia yogurt
Piece of bread with PB
Apple
Pack of nutrition nuts
Healthy choice steamer meal (basil chicken, YUM!)
cheese stick
orange
cup of AWAKE tea
mac n' cheese
green beans
1/2 of a pork chop
2c 2% milk
2 fun size twix

Exercise:
Upper body in the AM
Therapy in the AM
100 crunches on the ball in the PM

Other unstated goals accomplished this week:

Dishes done after dinner
Stuck to dinner menu two days in a row
Brought and ate lunch at work, for 2 days!

So all in all, it's been a good week. I'm thankful for each day that I have to work on these things. After all, they are each days that the Lord has made, so I have to rejoice and be glad in it. So I am rejoicing!

Game on!

Today is my official start date. That also means you get to see me for the first time. And I will also unveil my starting weight. I will also outline my plan. So, let's get started!

First, here I am:



Week 1 plan:

Do upper body workout in the morning. An hour of PT on the knee before work. Log all of my food. Eat 5 fruits and veggies everyday. Do 100 sit ups in the evening.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but when I try to do everything all at once, I fail. So I'm taking baby steps. I want to see what will work and what will not. I want to set myself up for success, not failure. I am going to make this work!

Days until 1/2 marathon training begins: 69

So here we go! On the road to being...

Fabulous At Thirty!

F A T

For the last 20 years, these 3 letters have been a HUGE part of my life. I never saw myself beyond that 3 letter word. I looked in the mirror and saw FAT. The kids at school called me FAT. Boys didn't want me because I was FAT. I couldn't find cute clothes because I was FAT. That word defined me.

In the last few years, I have grown out of that word. Now, I am still FAT. But I have learned that I am beyond that word. I am strong willed, full of love to give, actually loveable, a good friend, a good wife and a good mother. I have confidence in myself, and ambition to better my life. I have worked hard for about a year to lose the part of me that is defined by those 3 letters. It has not been easy. I have worked out, dieted, you name it. It's not easy. And I have no willpower. So that makes it even easier, lol!

So, I have decided that this is it. If I can't do it this year, I'll go to the extreme of weight loss surgery. And since that is not an option for me, I'm going to do it! In January, I had surgery on my left knee. A latteral release. I'm currently rehabing it, and can hopefully get back into the swing of things by Spring. My first huge milestone will be on August 1st, when I walk in my first 1/2 marathon. I'm going to go about it differently this time. I'm not going to diet and count calories, and fall for every new fad on the market. I'm going to eat sensibly, journal what I do, exersise, pray and have fun!

This blog is going to serve as my outlet to share my struggles, my success and my thoughts and feelings. I'm going to share what works, and what doesn't. I'm going to be brutely honest. I'm going to post pictures monthly. And best yet, I going to own the 3 letters that have defined me for much of my life. I'm going to be Fabulous At Thirty!