So...I'm officially off the wagon in a big way :(

I don't think I've re-gained much, but I hadn't lost much either. Truth is, I'm too busy right now. So, I see my summer being consumed with being making myself renewed. I definitely plan on losing 20lbs in the next 4 months...totally doable!

Anyway, have you ever had one of those discouraging times when it seems like 12 other people decide to go on a diet exactly when you do and two weeks later are down 2 dress sizes and 45lbs? lol....that's how I'm feeling. Deciding not to do a crash diet produces long term results and a change in my life style. Unfortunately it also means the weight comes off slower. So be it. 

Just keep encouraging me guys, school is out officially on Friday after portfolio review drop-off...then my summer begins...and hopefully ends with a healthier, slimmer, happier me!

One more thing!

Oh, and it's not cute or chic to smoke. It's harmful, not only to ourselves but to others. I'm not being hypocritical, up until the end of January I had been smoking on and off for probably 5 years +, but now that I am giving a healthy lifestyle a whirl it seems pointless. 

I was looking at this photographer who takes peoples purses/bags/backpacks and empties them out in an orderly grid system and takes photos of them and their items. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasontravis/sets/72157603258446753/

What amazed me was the amount of cute, trendy, artsy girls/guys who had cigs in their bags and for a split second it made me want to smoke again...for a second. But then I remembered they are harmful and just icky!  I just wanted to say that it's not cute or chic or sexy or trendy or artsy, just gross! lol

The Little Things...

Well, still plugging away, doing my thang! I'm just enjoying the way I feel, the weight loss is secondary to the healthy choices I'm making! Here's a couple things I've noticed:

1. I don't really enjoy drinking soda anymore. Sunday's are my cheat day so I thought I would get a fully leaded Dr. Pepper. over half of it is still in my refrigerator!

2. I was afraid that cheat day would make me feel like I was missing something. I had a waffle for breakfast on Sunday...it was wonderful, it felt like I was treating myself instead of just having a waffle for breakfast.

3. Soup and salad actually taste good. Lol, I found myself eating my salad the other day while my co-workers were enjoying chicken strips, french fries, pizza, roast beef and gravy; and actually saying out loud "Wow, this salad is really good!" and I meant it!!!

4. Routine, routine, routine. I've discovered that my eating routine is more important than my workout routine. If I don't get my cheerios, banana, coffee breakfast at work I feel off, same with my salad/soup lunch. But my workout is more flexible. On my off day of working out I took my pup for a walk. I still take the stairs everywhere. I walk more, I can find other ways to burn calories, but my caloric intake change is huge to my success.

5. I'm not really a stress eater, however, I am a BORED eater! lol, so now we carry trail mix in the house which is full of protein and fiber!

Ok, so there's my discoveries about life since THE CHANGE haha!

I'm still going. Sometime the scale doesn't reflect what I'm doing, but that's ok. Throughout the day your weight can fluctuate up to 2lbs up or down, so I don't stress over the scale. All these little things I have done are life changing and will lead me to a healthier lifestyle. I may not have lost 20lbs on a crash diet, but in 5 years, hopefully I'll be down 100+ lbs and have the resources to keep it off without it being a constant struggle! It's all about healthy choices and habits!

So, this is kind of cool, if you've never been chunky you won't understand this, but for the first time in probably a decade I found out yesterday that I cannot see my belly over by boobs. ROFL. I was on the elevator at work and I was like "Holy crap, I have to lean over to see my belly!" Ha! It's the small thing...let's all remember that. It doesn't matter what my scale says. I feel a major difference and now I'm beginning to see a difference. Ok, that's all for now!!! 

Have an awesome day everyone!!!

Jordan

For the first time...

Sorry I haven't blogged much lately! It's been crazy! But something very cool happened to me, yesterday I had someone tell me I look like I'd lost weight. It was awesome. She said there was more definition in my waist and that my profile looked slimmer. It was great! I'm not expecting a huge amount of compliments yet...but it was definitely sweet!
 

This is a slow moving process, about a pound a week. Everything I've ever seen has said that's a healthy weight to lose at a time, it's just hard to be super excited every week about a pound, lol! But, it's a feeling, it's the way things feel and clothes look on me now. I haven't gone down a size, lol, I haven't even lost 10lbs yet but I will :) and that's the best feeling of all!

30 Days Strong!

Well, today was 30 days since I started my new initiative. I think I'm down about 4lbs which is almost right where I wanted to be. A pound a week sounds like a good plan.

After I rebounded from my horrible week, I lost all that I gained plus a few more ounces for good measure! lol. I try to weigh only in the early morning so that it's all even and I have a better chance to be accurate. I've also added an extra few mins to my workout time effective today. I'm sure I covered this before but in case I haven't the plan I'm doing is on the Wii Fit. It has been wonderful for me and I can already feel the improvement in my core muscles and my posture. 

So, what do I think at this mini milestone? I think that it's awesome that I'm actually doing it. I've never been this determined before (well, except in school) to better myself. How awesome it's been! I love the way I feel and what it's done to my emotional well-being also.

Ok, headed to school, got to finish up some projects! :)

Laughing Out Loud

Well, I knew the fast food last week was a bad idea!!! lol, but it's one week. It was a bad week for my diet, but still one week. This week has already been much better. I gained instead of lost last week which means I won't meet my 2lb goal for loss but the great thing is that I am DETERMINED and ready to keep going! Besides, getting in to a routine, adjusting to different meals/workouts and breaking lots of old, bad habits is gonna take some time. I've done really well and I'm proud of myself for starting up again this week because honestly, I wanted to quit when I wrote my last blog post. It just seemed easier to keep living the way I was. It's so easy because I'm extremely healthy right now to say "Oh, you don't need to worry about it for awhile! You're healthy," but the thing I HAVE to focus on is my future. If I keep going on like this, I will be unhealthy. That's not an over-exaggeration, it's a fact.

I have been over 200lbs since I was probably 12 years old. That means that I have spent half of my life at least 70lbs overweight and if I'm being honest most of that time I have spent being about 150lbs overweight. That's a whole other person that I have hanging on me causing wear and tear to my bones and joints and also extra strain on my heart and lungs, not to mention the fat that has probably started to build in my arteries and around my liver. 

Lol, ok, enough with all the medical things that are happening. The truth is, I have not been able to shop in a regular department store, well, ever that I can recall. I'm sure when I was little I could but that was my parent shopping for me. I have never been able to go to a mall and just browse through a store that wasn't a dignified PLUS SIZE shop. Just thinking about when I will be able to do that made me tear up. My goal is a long time out but it's a beautiful one. I don't want to be skinny, in fact I never will, just not made to be, but I will be healthy, I will be fit and I will be able to walk into a mall and buy clothes in whatever store I want.

30 lbs in 2010. That's what I want to lose. Seems like an easy goal. But it won't be easy. I get a feeling that with all the changes I have made that first 30 is gonna seem like 100...lol, but I will do it. You all have helped me so much. It's pretty cool that so many people have read my blog and I want to thank you for it! You guys rock!

Ok, time to get in the shower and head to school! Can't wait to develop my film from photography!!!