It's a Sunday...

I have lost 4 pounds doing nothing more than drinking water and cutting out cokes. I am very proud of myself at this point, however, I haven't been very active at all. I have been eating decent (last night, at Walmart, I was tempted to buy some Oreos but didn't because I knew that meant I would eat the whole bag). I am about to go on a run/walk, which will be great! I got alot of rest last night and feel like I have some energy, which I didn't feel like I had yesterday, so that should help being active.

Thursday Success

As it turns out, yesterday didn't leave alot of time for work out. I only got about 20 minutes for lunch because we had so many trainings and meetings going on, then with us having the kids last night and visitors in from out of time, it was just a time crunch. I will say that I did make it to Walmart and walked around Walmart 3 times, and I also didn't sit down for a very long time as I usually do, so I am OK with that. I also ate very well yesterday, so that was good for me. Today we are going to Cowboys Stadium for a meeting at work, I am sure there will be alot of activity going on and that will be fun. I have been keeping with my water intake. Just cutting out the sodas, I have noticed a difference in my waistline. Many of you might not know but soda, even diet, is one of the major contributors to a pudgy belly. Get rid of those sodas now! Drink water or tea as much as you can. Tea is a great alternative because it's high in anti-oxidants. Just don't drink it Texas style, with a bunch of sugar. Although I will say, real sugar is a better alternative to sugar sweetener. I also learned yesterday that sweet potatoes are great fat busters! They are also high in vitamins, which is why they are considered a super food. I used to eat about one sweet potato per day, back when I was in my most in shape self, not even realizing what these were doing for my body. It's good to know!

I am very aware of all of this now, things that I am putting in my stomach and how much I am exercising. I am glad I have been writing all of this down. Thank you Scotty for being a loyal reader. Hehe.

My Lazy Day

Yesterday wasn't such a great day for me. I didn't get up and do any exercise. I didn't come home and do any exercise. And I didn't eat very clean either. It wasn't that I ate badly, just not very nutritious. I am trying not to get too down on myself because of it, I told myself I would work out 5 times a week, I still have today, tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday. But I hate that my laziness or tiredness gets in the way of progress. I think I just hate working out so much in the beginning that it's hard for me to get motivated. I am up this morning, and I am taking my tennis shoes to work for a lunch time walk so I can get in my 45 minutes of activity for today.

It's funny...even though I know what I need to do, it's so hard to do it. Very interesting.

My First Pilates Day

Well, I am proud to say I got up this morning and did Pilates. I should have gotten up 20 minutes earlier, but I didn't. I do think once I start getting on a regular workout schedule it will be easier for me to go to bed earlier. I have a Pilates DVD which allows you to pick from 5 10 minutes workouts, each designed for something different. I started out with the one for flexibility, followed by the one for abs, then burn. It's quite embarrassing how un-flexible I am. And it leads me to understand why I have such a hard time with certain activities. Things were popped, wobbling, it was hard for me to find balance, much less do the exercises she asked me to do. I kept thinking to myself, "running would be easier than this!" But, since it was so hard, that is the reason I need to continue doing it. I have never been a very limber person and as I get older, lack of flexibility could actually be unsafe and lead to injury. So, here I am, eating my Raisin Bran, proud of myself for getting up and doing it, but not looking forward to tomorrow's pilates. However, I am looking forward to seeing how much my flexibility can improve over the next few months.

Day One

I was very upset today. My current weight is 169 pounds. This is the heaviest I have ever been in my life and I can't tell you how dissapointed I am in myself about it. It's very discouraging to think that I have allowed myself to get in this position. When I ask myself, why? The only reason I can think of is pure laziness. I have a fiancee who loves me and my body, who encourages me and supports me and thinks I look beautiful exactly how I am. I let myself use that as excuse for a while. "Just be happy with yourself the way you are!" I would say. Well, I know that I am not happy with me the way I look right now. I know that if I just asserted a little effort on a daily basis, I would fit better in my clothes and feel more comforable in my skin. If your weight is something that concerns you all the time, enough to feel like you could do better if only you tried, it's time to start doing something about it. And yes, I am sure all of you know I have a wedding coming up. It's not about that. It's about me and how I want to be, and being the best version of myself that I can be, mentally, spiritually and physically.

The one true motivator in my life is accountability, to myself and others. I want to make myself accountable to my goals and want others to help me in my goals as well. Even though I never thought of myself as competitive, I really am. But I compete against myself. So, I need your encouraging words as I start this journey. I am going to journal, every day, my thoughts about how I am feeling, what I am eating, and when I am working out. Hopefully, this will help keep me accountable to myself and get to looking the way I know I want to look.

Current Weight: 169
Goal Weight: 145
Total weight loss goal: 24 pounds
Goal Date: 120 days from now

How will I do this:

Drink at least 2 liters of water per day.
Cut down sodas to 2 per week.
Cut down calories to 1,800 per day.
Do at least 45 minutes of physical activity 5 times a week.

Today will be my first test. I have been drinking alot of water today and had only one small glass of diet soda. However, we had pizza in today for a team meeting, and I caved in to the temptation and had two large slices. Of course, this was before my trip to the scale. This evening, I am very much looking forward to going to the track and having a walk/run to get the heart pumping! I seem to do better when I have music playing, so I am taking my iPod and getting myself active. As tempting as it is tonight to go home, get on the couch, eat, and watch Dancing with the Stars, I will not allow myself to do that until I get in some sort of physical activity. In the morning, I will be doing some pilates before work!