Accountability

I'm very thankful for the group of ladies that I weigh in with at work.  They hold me accountable and I really appreciate it.  Another thing I do that has been really helpful is keeping a page tacked up in my bathroom as home.  I keep a copy of my "Why should I lose weight?" list (posted HERE), and a weigh in chart.  This year I added something to my chart- in light writing (that I'll be able to write over easily) I included milestones that I might want to keep in mind when it comes to weight loss- beach trip, new school year, family photos, etc.  I think this might help.  :)  I hope everyone has a great week- I already set my alarm for super early (to exercise)- and I'm hoping that this will start my week off right.  :)

Two Thousand Twelve.

It is a new year. 

2011 was a pretty good year around here, all things considered.

One of the areas where I still need work, however, is my health.  I lost about 20 pounds this year (well, really nearly 30, but then gained some back). I'm glad to lose.  It's a step in the right direction.  But I need to do more.  I know I'm not on Biggest Loser, and I don't expect to lose like they do- but if some of those folks can lose 20 pounds in a week, then I damn well can lose more than that in a year.  I need to get my butt in gear.

I'm going to make a commitment to myself here.  I know every week may not show a loss.  I know that- I must be realistic.  But at year end, I want to net an average of at least a pound a week.  That would be 52+ pounds gone at the end of the year.  That is a modest goal.  Totally reachable.  I can do this.

I go back to work tomorrow, and will be back on plan.  I'm going to be logging on sparkpeople and exercising at home using a gazelle, aerobics videos (on demand and DVD) and the Wii. 


I can do this!

Update

I was scrolling down and noticed my post about the personal trainer. Well, update: I quit. LOL It was a great experience. I did it because it was "free"- and I am glad I did. I don't know that I would have tried using a personal trainer otherwise. BUT, I did and I learned a lot even in the few sessions we had. In the end though- it was a long drive away (Fayetteville!), I had to get a babysitter once a week to make it happen ($$), and the other time I was missing some of the very little time Chas and I have together. The training itself was great- the logistics of it all? Crappy. Anyway, I am continuing to exercise with a few coworkers after school and it is going well. Knowing that someone is waiting for you is fabulous motivation- and getting it out of the way immediately after school is SO nice. Not only do I get to bask in the post-workout energy rush (unlike working out late at night when I have to go to sleep!), but it means I don't have to give it a second thought when I get home. FABULOUS!!! I've also noticed lately that if we skip a day or two, it's hard to get back into it- so I'm gung ho, full steam ahead, don't skip a beat- for now!! I even worked out at home Friday night on the Wii! I haven't done that in forever. LOL

AAAAAND: Someone at work said "You've lost weight- you look great!" today!!! I think it was more the fact that I had my hair down for once, and had put makeup on- but I'll take the compliment!! :) :) :) :)

I hope my vast audience is doing well, too! ;) Love you all!

Feeling Good. Really. :)

Lately, I've been putting a lot of thought into leading a more healthy lifestyle.

I'd say about a third of my "mental energy" goes towards thoughts of wanting to be healthy for ME. The future- I don't want to experience all the health issues my mom and grandma have. I want to live to be a funny old lady. For now, I want to be able to walk up the stairs or chase my kids without getting winded. I want to be able to plan things without wondering if I CAN - building something... hiking somewhere... fit in the seat on planes or roller coasters... etc. I want to LIVE life, not just watch it pass me by.

Another third goes to wanting this for Chas, too. I want him to be healthy, to live for a long time, to be able to DO without worrying, to LIVE LIFE.

And the last third... or maybe more than a third- this part may take from the other two at times- goes to my kids. I want them to have healthy role models. I did not see healthy living as a kid. Seems like it was either feast or famine at my house. Celebrations centered around food, then diets would be all too common and obvious. There was no activity for the sake of moving, having fun, and feeling good- there was only exercise as a means for weight loss. I know that these things impacted my outlook - I became them! I do not want this for my children. I want them to know how to live a healthy life- to know because they see a positive example: their parents doing so. I do not want my son to be "the big boy", but even more I don't want my daughter to have worse-than-average body issues because of what I've done or how *I* look. More than anything, I want her to grow up and remain the HEALTHY, HAPPY girl she is now, know what I mean?

Through this reflection, and some life experience, I have come to the realization that I have a food addiction. I came across a list of questions online that tell if you might be a "Food Addict"... Yeah, 16 out of 20 for me. Scary and sad to think of what I've done. I think it also bears noting because this is how I am. It's not just "Geez, Tina, then don't buy oreos"... It's much deeper than that. I don't think that Overeater's Annonymous or Food Addicts Annonymous are for me- they both have a religious base, and it would take much MORE work for me to get to "that place", I think. So, for the time being, I'm working through it on my own.

I'm using SparkPeople.com to track my calories in and out. It helps me track my progress and even tells me where I "should" be. Makes that part much easier. I love it. My name on there is "TinaMarieWelch"- I'd love more people to help keep me accountable. :) I've even gone in and started entering the SPECIFIC nutrition content for items I eat often- food from the school cafeteria, soups I make from recipes, etc. Before I would choose something "close" and I realized today that my entry of "Pizza Hut Veggie Lovers Pizza, 1 slice" was ONE HUNDRED calories less than the actual pizza I ate! OOPS! No more! I'm going to be as specific as I can. In this vain, I also got out my new "kitchen scale" last night. It was an eye opening experience to see how small that 3 oz portion of chicken was. Wow. Portion size is my downfall- even when eating healthy foods, I just eat TOO MUCH of them! No more guestimating or eyeballing portions- real measurement from here on out.

To top it off, I started the year with two exercise games for the Wii- Wii Fit Plus and Wii Active. I like them both, but made excuses every night after work. Truly, by the end of the day, I'm exhausted. The only minutes I've had without the kids are the time I'm physically AT work and the 3 minutes it takes to drive from Abby's school to mine in the morning. It's draining! Exercise isn't the first thing on my mind when they fall asleep at night, to be honest. SO- I started a group at work! A group of ladies is staying after school three days a week to exercise together! Mondays and Thursdays, we meet in my classroom and do an aerobics DVD with the projector and the big screen (it's cool, really! LOL). Wednesdays we are going to walk on the track. I did three days of REAL workouts this week (not the lazy kind I can get away with when I'm alone at home!) and it feels GREAT!

January Two Thousand TEN?!

A new year begins.

I'm trying to pick up where I left off when I last tried to kick my life into "Healthy-drive". I'll be honest- the loss my family has experienced, followed by the holidays was just too much for my willpower to take on. I know that leading a healthy life includes stressful times and holidays, but STARTING then just wasn't going to happen for me.

I've been planning out all our meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all three of us. It's saving us money, time, and calories! :) Just this week I've started getting back into exercising. MaryLu (my mother in law) got me the Wii EA Active for Christmas (I'd told her I wanted it!) and it is kick-butt! After my first workout on Monday, I was so sore that I was hanging onto furniture all the time! LOL Today I tried again, doing "day two" of the 30 day challenge- but I skipped the lunges- I just couldn't do it! Next week, I promise. :)

I'm doing well, but still having trouble with stress eating. I swear, it's like something takes over my hands and mouth and I don't even realize it until I've consumed twice as much as I meant to. It only seems to happen when I'm stressed or worried- so dealing with that is step one, but I think I may need more help than my mommy group can provide. ;) I use SparkPeople.com- but the resources there regarding emotional eating just seem silly. NOT what I need. I read up on Overeater's Annonymous- because in theory it sounds perfect- except that the strong religious tenents just aren't for me. SO, I'm still on the lookout. I think I'll end up contacting a counselor of some sort- just not sure yet.

Thanks for reading, and I hope your year is off to a positive and productive start, too! :)