I have had such a rewarding experience with blogging. It has open the door for me to express myself in ways I would have never thought in a million years. For years I have been very enclosed about my weight issues and the struggles I encounter on a daily basis trying to lose the pounds. Blogging has given me a sense of strenght to openly comfront my issues and seek the assistance of other in other to overcome my battle with obesity.
The best part of blogging is reading and commenting other classmates blog posts. I have become suprised at how many people experience the same day to day issues as you. From balancing and raising a family to losing loved ones through Cancer to having a concern about current events. I have grown to respect blogging and the way it captures readers throughout the world. I will continue to express myself through blogging.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Goal
My current weight is 318 lbs. I am 5 feet 8 inches. My goal weight is 200 lbs. The weight that I should be according to regular health standards is between 145 and 165. Now I was always a big girl. I was 145 at the age 11 and I don't ever think I will be there again. Besides I want to be a weight that I feel I will look good at. I don't want to look anorexic, with my skin all hanging from my bones and my face all sunken in. That was one of my biggest fears that deterred me from going through weight loss surgery. Looking at some celebrities like Starr Jones and Al Roker can be a little scary. I feel that if I can get to 200lbs in one year, I will look good and feel good. I just pray I can get there.
Now that you know my history, my diet, my exercise, and my goal now it is time to get started. I will physically start the diet on Monday October 18th. It is always funny how many people start on first day of the week or the first day of the year. It will give me time to say goodbye to the old habits and hello to the new ones. I am very excited about this and will continue to blog even after the class to keep everyone updated.
Now that you know my history, my diet, my exercise, and my goal now it is time to get started. I will physically start the diet on Monday October 18th. It is always funny how many people start on first day of the week or the first day of the year. It will give me time to say goodbye to the old habits and hello to the new ones. I am very excited about this and will continue to blog even after the class to keep everyone updated.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The Exercise
I have absolutely no time to go to a gym and doing simple things like walking and simple exercises will cause me to lose interest and stop after a certain point. So my idea of a great workout for me would allow me to do exercises from the comforts of my own home , use the type of music I like to listen to, and is exciting enough for me to continue to workout on a daily basis.
I decided to invest in a Nintendo WII. I feel this would give me everything I am looking for plus it would involve the whole family. I found that the two games I like to use for working out is "My Fitness Coach" and "Gold's Gym Cardio Workout". My Fitness Coach has a variety of workouts for different areas of the body and it allows me to use my own music by turning the sound down. I really like Gold's Gym Cardio Workout because I am a fan of kickboxing and after reaching my weight goal, I plan to make kickboxing a hobby.
My goal is to get up at 6am every weekday morning and workout for an hour. So far I have managed to get up at 7am and workout for 30 minutes. But I feel as long as I get up and workout, I am off to a good start.
I decided to invest in a Nintendo WII. I feel this would give me everything I am looking for plus it would involve the whole family. I found that the two games I like to use for working out is "My Fitness Coach" and "Gold's Gym Cardio Workout". My Fitness Coach has a variety of workouts for different areas of the body and it allows me to use my own music by turning the sound down. I really like Gold's Gym Cardio Workout because I am a fan of kickboxing and after reaching my weight goal, I plan to make kickboxing a hobby.
My goal is to get up at 6am every weekday morning and workout for an hour. So far I have managed to get up at 7am and workout for 30 minutes. But I feel as long as I get up and workout, I am off to a good start.
Friday, September 10, 2010
The Diet
After thourough research and history of trial and error, I decided to create my own eating and workout plan. I have tried various eating plans and used bits and pieces of my favorite plans to create my own personalized eating plan. To you it may sound a bit complex but to me, I strongly feel that it will work. Here's the run down:
Weight Watchers: I decided to use there point system because it gives me a good measurement tool to use when deciding what foods to eat and how much. I decided to go with 32 points which is 1600 calories.
1 point = 50 calories (approx) (32 points x 50 = 1600 calories)
Medifast Diet: I decided to use there eating format. So instead of Six shakes and a meal, I will replace it with two 300 calorie meals and five 200 calorie foods of my choice.
Drinks: Water, Coffee, and Crystal Light.
Schedule
Morning: (200 calories)
Morning Snack: (200 calories)
Lunch: (300 calories)
Afternoon Snack: (200 calories)
Dinner: (300 calories)
Evening Snack: (200 calories)
Extra Craving Snack: (200 calories)
Because I am on a strict budget, eat foods that are on sale and within my daily calorie limit. Jewel Osco has good sales some of the time. I also shop at Ultra foods or Food 4 Less. Some of my favorite foods that are on sale most of the time are:
Yogurt, Bananas, Campbell's soup, Lean Michelina's, Dole Fruit Cups, Turkey Hot Dogs, 100 Calorie Snacks, Fruit Snacks, Animal Crackers, Tuna, and Chicken Breast. These foods are mostly low calorie and very convenient to eat on the run.
My overall eating plan is to eat foods that I like and are easy to get to at any time of the day. On my next blog I will tell you my exercise plan.
Weight Watchers: I decided to use there point system because it gives me a good measurement tool to use when deciding what foods to eat and how much. I decided to go with 32 points which is 1600 calories.
1 point = 50 calories (approx) (32 points x 50 = 1600 calories)
Medifast Diet: I decided to use there eating format. So instead of Six shakes and a meal, I will replace it with two 300 calorie meals and five 200 calorie foods of my choice.
Drinks: Water, Coffee, and Crystal Light.
Schedule
Morning: (200 calories)
Morning Snack: (200 calories)
Lunch: (300 calories)
Afternoon Snack: (200 calories)
Dinner: (300 calories)
Evening Snack: (200 calories)
Extra Craving Snack: (200 calories)
Because I am on a strict budget, eat foods that are on sale and within my daily calorie limit. Jewel Osco has good sales some of the time. I also shop at Ultra foods or Food 4 Less. Some of my favorite foods that are on sale most of the time are:
Yogurt, Bananas, Campbell's soup, Lean Michelina's, Dole Fruit Cups, Turkey Hot Dogs, 100 Calorie Snacks, Fruit Snacks, Animal Crackers, Tuna, and Chicken Breast. These foods are mostly low calorie and very convenient to eat on the run.
My overall eating plan is to eat foods that I like and are easy to get to at any time of the day. On my next blog I will tell you my exercise plan.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Start of a New Beginning
I have always been a big girl since elementary school. By the time I was a freshmen in high school I weighed about 175 lbs. The small words of encouragement such as, "You have such as cute face" and "You don't even look like you weigh that much" wasn't much help. Now as an adult, over the years I have managed to mask my insecurities and cries to be healthy and have a nice figure with excuses like "Its baby fat" or "Its just water weight" and the most famous one "I'm just a skinny woman trapped in a big woman's body". I have made countless attempts to lose weight through pills, fasting, shakes, and shots. I have even went as far as going through the weight loss surgery process. This time I told myself no gimmicks and no shortcuts. I will do this the right way with healthy eating, exercise, and determination. I know it will not be easy but if I really want the lasting results that I am seeking I will have to do whats right and not whats quick.
In order for you to understand my journey, I want you to first understand my lifestyle. I am a 32 year old, married, mother of 4. I currently work and attend school full time. I just had a baby a year ago and my life is totally consumed with family, work, school, and goals for the future. With such a busy lifestyle, it is hard to find time to workout and plan healthy meals for the week. I need a plan that will allow me to workout early in the morning and eat simple, quick, and healthy meals. I addition to these requirements, I am on a strict budget so the foods in the program will need to be affordable and capable for the whole family to eat.
Now that you know my lifestyle, I will tell you some of the obvious and not so obvious reasons why I desire to lose weight and live healthy. First of all , life is too short and tomorrow is not promised to me. I want to live as long as I can to raise my children and play with my grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Secondly, I want to be able to walk without my legs aching and my body feeling like its about to collapse from the inside. I want to have increased energy and stamina. I want to be able to think clearly, increase my memory, and age gracefully. Last but not least, I want to prevent myself from getting illnesses such as cancer , diabetes, or high blood pressure.
This is the first time I have ever communicated this to anyone and like the saying goes "In order to get what you never had ,you must do what you have never done". I am looking forward to sharing this experience with everyone and next week I will inform you of the program I have chosen along with my current measurements and weight loss goals. God Bless!
In order for you to understand my journey, I want you to first understand my lifestyle. I am a 32 year old, married, mother of 4. I currently work and attend school full time. I just had a baby a year ago and my life is totally consumed with family, work, school, and goals for the future. With such a busy lifestyle, it is hard to find time to workout and plan healthy meals for the week. I need a plan that will allow me to workout early in the morning and eat simple, quick, and healthy meals. I addition to these requirements, I am on a strict budget so the foods in the program will need to be affordable and capable for the whole family to eat.
Now that you know my lifestyle, I will tell you some of the obvious and not so obvious reasons why I desire to lose weight and live healthy. First of all , life is too short and tomorrow is not promised to me. I want to live as long as I can to raise my children and play with my grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Secondly, I want to be able to walk without my legs aching and my body feeling like its about to collapse from the inside. I want to have increased energy and stamina. I want to be able to think clearly, increase my memory, and age gracefully. Last but not least, I want to prevent myself from getting illnesses such as cancer , diabetes, or high blood pressure.
This is the first time I have ever communicated this to anyone and like the saying goes "In order to get what you never had ,you must do what you have never done". I am looking forward to sharing this experience with everyone and next week I will inform you of the program I have chosen along with my current measurements and weight loss goals. God Bless!
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