The Next 30 Days.....

 

Here comes a "messy" part of my life:

 

Yesterday, as I wheezed my way from the elliptical to the treadmill at the gym,

I realized that I was the most unhealthy looking person there.

I could almost hear every one's thoughts...

 

"What's the fat, old girl doing trying to run?"

 

"She should stop, the jiggling is out of control!"

 

Yes, strong, young, and limber-bodied over achievers who've had exceptional self-discipline. 

I know.  I'm not in your circle.  But do I want to be?

 

Nope.  I mean don't get me wrong, if came easily, and I didn't have to work for it, then Oh, heck yeah, I want in.  But there's more to life than being a show-stopping hard body.  Let's be realistic.

 

I want cake.

 

I want chocolate.

 

I will eat bread.

 

But I am certainly the heaviest that I've been in FOREVER.  I am currently 10 pounds under my full-term pregnancy weight with Thoughtful.   I had gained a considerable amount with him.  It was grossly impressive. 

 

I'm not really that vain, I promise. It's not that I care what people think of me. It only started with appearance and the fact that my clothes don't fit.

That got me thinking. I am in my 30's and I have acne. Why? I've been going to bed every night stuffed like a goose. This makes me feel less than desirable with Hubs (honesty here), and let's face it, that is a crucial part of a good marriage. I'm sluggish and tired every afternoon. My allergies are worse than ever.   I'm in tears on my scale, down to fitting into 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of jeans. This is just the stuff that I can see.

What's happening inside? I recently lost my beloved PaPa to heart disease. What's going on with my arteries? And blood sugar? And everything else in my body chemistry? I know its all out of whack. This is why I can eat a full dinner and wake up hungry at 1:00 AM. I've messed myself up!

 

I've looked at Weight Watchers, I know it works, but I've successfully done it before.  I'm bored with that.  I've looked at Visalus shakes.  I sampled one this week, (finally, after having in the kitchen drawer for roughly 3 months).  I don't like it.  And I thought about HCG, but I refuse to take pills or drops to accomplish this job.

 

What am I going to do? 

I'm going to change....

my thoughts about food (the addiction),

the sedentary life,

and what I buy at the grocery store.

 

I'm making my own 30 DAY CHALLENGE!!

 

Today is Sept 1.  I've weighed, and measured myself.  No before picture though, I can't bring myself to do it.  I don't have actual goals of losing weight by certain dates.  I've failed that way in the past. 

 

My goal is to do the following through at least Sept. 30:

1.  Exercise daily, even if its just walking and jumping jacks.  Burn baby burn!

2.  Faithfully track my caloric intake, using www.myfitnesspal.com .

3.  Weigh and measure myself on a weekly basis.  (Saturdays)

4.  No candy, cereal, cake, cookies, muffins, crackers, chips, drive thru's, added sugar,

Diet Coke, sweet tea, mayonnaise, or fried anything.  (seems stringent but its only 30 days)

5.  Limited red meat (I have to be careful with this one as I tend to run slightly anemic),

potatoes, pasta, whole wheat bread, and coffee.

6.  Only eat when I'm hungry.

 

Sounds easy enough right?  Good grief, I wonder why in the world I am writing this post...I need the accountability.  Plus, I want to prove that it can be done.  I can lose fat in a healthy, natural way, getting my vitamins and energy from whole foods. 

 

My plan:

1.  Stick to the rules mentioned above.

2.  Bring healthy food choices with me when heading out, preparing for hunger whenever it strikes!

3.  Homemade smoothies for breakfast.

4.  Salads for lunch, with chicken, and lime juice and cilantro, rather than dressing.

5.  Lots of fruits and veggies to snack on.

6.  Fat free/sugar free pudding pops for treats.  Also yogurt, homemade hummus,

pudding, and sugar free jello.

7.  Healthier suppers for the family / heavy on the veggies.

 

That's it.  I hope that I can do it for the next 30 days.  Cheer me on, or leave me comment with a great recipe.  My cookbooks are in dire need of a healthy makeover!  Thanks for following along!  I'll post again next Saturday!