November 17,2011

I almost have made it to 35 lbs. As of this morning I have lost 34.2lbs. YAY!!!! GO ME!!!!!  I am so excited. I really feel that my goal of 50lbs  this year just might happen. I know I have had up and down days but overall I am doing better than I have ever had and it really really helps having accountability in my life. One thing I have discovered is the reason behind my severe headaches I use to get. I have suffered for headaches for about 3 years that they would be so bad that I would miss work or leave work early and all that would work is sleeping. Most of the time not even Advil or Tylenol would work. But since starting herbalife and eliminating sugar and carbs I have only had 2 headaches and both of them have come the morning after not sticking to the plan. The first one was the day after our anniversary after I ate a high carb meal and wedding cake and than the second time was this week after having a sugar splurge. My body just cant handle the sugar and the carbs. I am so glad to have learned that and now I don't have to suffer from headaches any more. Next week I do my 2nd month measurements and will probably do a weigh in that day so that I can get an official 2 month weigh in. Be looking for it and I will post an updated picture as well.

End of Week 3

Tomorrow officially ends week 3 of the change! I feel great have more stamina than I have had in I don't know how long. Today I did some shopping with my niece K and instead of parking in front of a store and than moving the car to each new store we walked. The old me would have gotten in the car and moved it because I didn't have the energy to do it or didn't want to and wanted to be lazy. When I got to the grocery store instead of looking for the closest parking spot I parked way in the back and walked all the way up to the store and I felt great. It was wonderful. Those jeans that I managed to get buttoned back in like week 1 I was able to wear tonight to church. While after a little while they started to feel tight it was good because I haven't been able to button them 3 weeks ago and definitely wasn't able to wear them for long periods of time like no more than 5 minutes 2 weeks ago. Rings are still staying loose. Not sure when I will have to quite wearing them. Although I might have to stop wearing my right hand ring because it tends now to pinch if I clap my hands because of how loose it has become and that it moves pretty easy. Oh well and unfortunately that ring is not sizable so once it becomes to big for my ring finger maybe I can get it onto my middle finger or my thumb if not I will have to look at reordering it if I can find and and keep this one as a reminder of what I have accomplished. One thing I have noticed is certain things that I thought would be really hard and a temptation are not even an issue. The other night we went to Outback and than an old favorite was to go by Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and get hot fresh doughnuts and we went but this time only for the hubs and my niece and while I had to feed hubby it didn't even smell as good as it used to and the same today when I went thru the drive thru to get my niece lunch at Mc.Don.alds. It wasn't even a temptation. I learned my lesson from after our anniversary and that is not to stray. While I won't officially weigh in until Monday as of this morning I am down a total of 19.5 lbs and I can tell. It's crazy. I also won't have reached my personal goal of 10 lbs this week but I am satisfied with the 4.5 I have already lost would love to lose at least .5-1 more lb just to be at the 20 mark but I know it will come and that I am doing it right. 

If anyone has any questions about the whole plan and change let me know and if I don't know the answer I will find it out. Until next time....Good Night!

Day 17

Well so much for a daily entry. I will definitely try to keep updated one to two times a week. Well today was weigh in day and I am down another 5lbs. That's 15 lbs in just about 2 weeks. I have definitely learned that I don't and cant go back to eating the way I was, and I learned it the hard way.

Yesterday was the hubs and I's 1 year anniversary and we went out to the restaurant we ate at on our wedding night. I was like it's my anniversary I am going to just eat how I would eat and this morning I woke up with a headache and horrible indigestion. I couldn't believe how easy my body got use to eating healthy and without any real types of sugar (besides fruit and what little little carbs I eat). I was like no way no how am I going back. I couldn't believe that I use to feel that way all the time.

Good news, I think that within the next 3-4 weeks I will have to find a replacement wedding ring as my wedding ring is getting so loose that its pinching against my finger and engagement ring. While right now my engagement ring fits still. They are actually 2 different sizes because my wedding ring we purchased off of amazon and my engagement ring is my mom's that was purchased 34 yrs ago are slightly different sizes although they are suppose to be the same size.

This past week was crazy and many of my meals were thrown off. In fact I think I skipped 2 or maybe 3 and than sunday ate bad. This week back completely on track and aiming for another 10lb week but really I will take anything just as long as I am not gaining. (right LOL).

I am so proud of "A" she has lost 34lbs in the month since she started. She is really noticing the difference in her jeans and some of her shirts. Can't wait until I really start seeing those results I know it will happen.

Day 2

So after talking to "C" (health coach) last night and talking about the pill gag reflex she gave me a couple of ideas. I tried one today with putting the pills in my shake and blending them in. That seemed to work really well will have to just gag them down at dinner, since I don't get a shake for dinner. Did notice it wasnt has hard to get all the water I needed to drink in as I just kept a 32 oz gatorade bottle filled with water and tried to drink one at each meal and than drink a glass with each snack it really makes it easy to get it all in. One thing I have noticed already is that my wedding rings fit a little looser. I know it't only been one day but I think that my fingers aren't as bloated already. At least they didn't feel as tight this morning as normal mornings do. I also am dedicated to starting this out with excercise. Although it isnt much right now. I am hoping that in the next year sometime I will have lost enough weight and built up enough stamina for a 5k. This is something I have been wanting to do for the past few months and I am hoping that I can do it. So in the next few months will have to start running. That is one of my goals to accomplish with all of this is to be able to run more. I think I will enjoy running at least I did as a kid. Tonights dinner will be chilli and boy I am looking forward to that. I am glad that at least for dinner I can have some of my favorites.

Day 1 Part 2

So here I am at the end of my first day. It went really good except for the whole gag reflex thing with the pills but managed to get them down. Dinner was awesome. I had 6 oz of grilled chicken on top of a spinach with broccoli, califlower, and carrot salad with a little cheese and light ranch. I also had grilled squash (one of my favorites). I made though mac and cheese for the hubs to have with his grilled chicken and lets just say that the mac and cheese did look rather yummy but I stayed strong and finished my first day and I feel great. I also got my 30 minutes of excercise in today. So all I have to do it get this multivitamin down for the night and than possibly a snack later on if I feel hungry. So far so good although I definite change and I am pretty positive that I got my 100 oz in. I think I might have drank more than 100 oz. Quite a difference from previous when I would barely maybe get a couple of drinks in period for the day. Although the water and the multivitamin helps make you feel full thats for sure. So I am excited to continue on. It also is a huge plus that the shakes are absolutely amazing. They taste like a real shake. Well until tomorrow...

Day 1 Part 1

So I am officially started on my new journey. This morning for breakfast I am enjoying a Cafe Latte shake and a glass of raspberry tea with 32 oz of water (have to get 100 oz in the day). I also have to take a multivitamin and a cell pill (cant remember the name off the top of my head and its in the kitchen). The Cafe Latte shake I am a little disappointed was hoping it would taste a little more like coffee but it is chocolatey in flavor so its not a huge disappointment. One thing that has decided to rear its ugly head is my gag reflex with taking pills. I have never, I repeat never, like swallowing pills and I have a very sensitive gag reflux. I mean like I dont even take anything for a headach ususally because I dont like swallowing pills. Now it hasnt bothered me in ages. I thinks its been about 5 years since I have gagged with a pill and of course today this morning trying to take my cell pill I got it swallowed and of coursed gagged on it. I really hate it and I knew the minute I put it in my mouth it was going to happen so I have yet to take my multivitamin. I am trying to wait to get my mouth and stomach in line so they work together and it is not such an ordeal. Another thing I will definitely have to buy and keep on hand is lemons. I love lemon in my water and I can do that so happy because it makes drinking water so much easier for me. This part the water part will be a big challenge as I do not drink hardly anything during the day. I mean like nothing. I started paying attention and one day I realized that from when I woke up at 730 that morning I did not drink anything until like 230 that afternoon and than yesterday I woke up around 8-830 and didnt drink anything until 130. However I am doing better today. I have never been so excited about anything like this before either. I have the support of first my family (husband, roommate(yes she is family), and inlaws, I havent really told my parents yet living in two different states and different schedules sometimes makes it hard to talk) and a great health coach Claire who I can call and ask questions anytime. It also helps that my roommate is doing the samething and we are learning together. This program is also one that they really work with you and will eventually be able to help you do to even maintain the work you have done the rest of your life.

I wanted to explain my title in this blog. I have always felt like my weight has held me back from a lot of stuff in life. Things that at 25 I shouldnt have to worry about like flying (I have done it before but the last time I flew I knew I had to lose the weight as it was uncomfortable to sit in those chairs and looks I got), going to amusement parks and riding rides (theres always that fear that I wouldnt fit and I would be embarassed and have to be turned away), and also buying clothes having to spend so much more money on clothes to just fit or finding clothes that fit is sometimes really hard, not to mention the lack of energy at times and the now more frequent back pain from the constant of carrying this weight around all the time, and the more serious health risks I am at because I am overweight. So losing this weight (which is myself) that has been my constant companion in life will really be a big thing as I have never known myself as a thin healthy version of myself will really be losing the self I have known my whole life, but I will also be finding my life and everything I have missed out on because of this weight issue. That is why I am excited and That is something to be happy about.


So here are my starting measurements and starting pictures.

Measurements 9/24/2011

Upper Chest: 57 in.
Chest:            69 in
R. Arm:         17 in
L. Arm:         17 in
Waist:           68 in
Hips:             71 in
R Thigh:       28 in
L Thigh:       28 in

A New Journey

Tomorrow I start one of the biggest and best journeys in my life. Tomorrow I begin to find my life as a healthy person. For those who might follow this blog let me give you some background history. I have always struggled with my weight since I was I would say about 3 years old. I have always been heavy. For most of my life I just dealt with it and didnt ever do anything to fix it until I was 17 years old. At that point I started weight watchers. It was a great program and I dropped about 25 lbs in 6 weeks. I never felt hungry or anything, but because I was a minor I had to have a parent go with me to the meetings. Well we went on family vacation and missed 2 meetings and never went back. So back on when the 25 lbs. and probably some more. Than I graduated high school and moved in with my granny. I have the most amazing granny in the world who is also the most amazing cook in the world. So while there and eating homecooked farm meals plus being a freshman in college and eating quick things (like fast food and college cafeteria) also packed on the lbs even more. I than had to quit school and kept living with my granny but I also started working in the next closest town which was about 30 minutes away so a lot of times I would grab something for breakfast and lunch in town at a fast food joint and than eat a homecooked meal at home. Or sometimes grab all three meals depending on what I had to do at night before I would get to come home. So more weight packed on. I decided to eventually move back to Florida. I lived with a family at first and ate as sporadic and crazy as they did. I rarely had time to prepare any meals at home and a lot of times it meant that I was grabbing fast food during the day and eating late meals at night. About a year after moving back to Florida I starting dating a guy who also struggled with his weight. Together we started eating healthier we counted calories ate low fat food, ground turkey, and such; in about 3 months I had lost 30lbs. We got thrown off because of some holidays and birthdays in a short amount of time so while we still tried to eat healthy some of it went back out the window. So I stopped losing weight but didnt gain it back again yet. Then about 8 months after dating we broke up and I gained back the weight I had lost and then some more again. At this point I just had given up I had decided I was just destined to be overweight my whole life. I meet and married my husband in 2009-2010. I was at my heaviest I had ever been and was so amazed that this man could love me this way. He really has been the encouragement to lose this weight that had plagued me my whole life. I want to be around in 30-40-50 years with him and I want to be able to have uncomplicated pregnancies and not have high risk pregnancies because of my weight. My most amazing roommate started a new lifestyle change with herbal life about 2 weeks ago and she has lost about 24 lbs and 16 in. (overall not just from her waist). She has really encouraged me as well. So I will start this tomorrow with her and keep going to a healthy weight. So I will be posting pics and updates as I start this journey. I will also be posting healthy recipes.