Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was a special day. I finally took the advise of my friend Heather and went to the gym early this morning. For those of you who know me well, you know that I am NOT a morning person! This was a difficult feat, but I thank my friend Ebony for agreeing to go with me. We went late last night and after going again this morning, I must admit, I am now at work and I really feel great. I do hope that I can keep it up. I would prefer going in the morning and not worry about going after a long day at work.

This thanksgiving, in addition to being thankful for my family and friends, my home and my job, I am thankful for the weight I've lost this year and the journey that I am traveling. I am thankful for all of you who constantly show your support for what I am trying to accomplish.

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I will do my best to be good, but no promises, after all Gordon is cooking Thanksgiving Dinner this year!

Be blessed.

The Winter Whites!

I am so excited today! Allow me to explain. About two years ago, I purchased a beautiful pair of winter white cropped pants. When I purchased them, the pants were three sizes too small for me, but I purchased them because they were marked down from $40.00 to $6.99 and they were of good quality. I already had similar ones in black and I really liked how they fit me, although those black pants are now threes sizes too big for me and I had to have them taken in recently. When I purchased the winter whites I said, "one day I will fit them", and never really gave much more thought to it. However, since starting this "new lifestyle", I've used those pants as a gauge to determine how much my body has changed with the weight loss.

At first I could not get the pants past my thighs; then once I got them past my thighs I couldn't get them over my rear end. As time passed by and I started to drop the weight, I got the pants over my behind, but I couldn't close them. About three weeks ago, I tried the pants on again and I got them up, closed them and decided, they were just too tight to wear in public, so instead of hanging them back up I threw them down in my closet on a pile of clothes that just don't fit me anymore. I must admit, it was a wee bit discouraging and a testament to how long I felt like this journey was taking.

Well, today, I put the pants on, zippered and buttoned them up and wore them to work! I really cannot believe that I have them on! It's absolutely amazing and I feel great! It really opened my eyes and allowed me to measure my success.

My next goal is to lose 12 pounds by Christmas. I now know that I can do it!

New Goal: Lose 12 pounds by Christmas Eve!

My new goal is to lose 12 pounds by Christmas Eve, that's 2 pounds a week.

Ready, set, go!

25 Pounds!!!

On August 13, 2009, I wrote....."Therefore, I have decided to make my weight loss goals, smaller more realistic ones. Since it seems so impossible to lose 100 pounds (at the rate I am going); I have resolved to losing 25 pounds by Novemeber 7th - that's 3 months. That seems more attainable!"

I am happy to report that I went to the gym tonight, November 9, 2009 and I have reached my goal! I was successful at losing 25 pounds!

It is very encouraging and I am well on my way. Its been a very slow journey, but I guess it took a long time to put it on, so it will take a long time to take it off.

No News is Good News

It's been rough, but I haven't quit. In addition, I've been busy and haven't really had the urge to write, neither have I felt inspired to write. I am actually going back to the gym tonight, haven't been in 2 weeks (since I was out of the country on business). I actually took my gym clothes and sneakers to Canada with me with all intentions of working out, but my days and evenings were jam packed!

I am, however, still getting compliments on how well my clothes are fitting me. The good news is my cousin Stefany so graciously took in about 15 pairs of pants for me at least by one size...so I know there's been some progress, its just been really slow!

I haven't reverted totally back to my old self, although I probably had one too many pieces of baked chicken yesterday at dinner! Gosh, its hard when your husband's a great cook!

I've been successful at laying off of the rice, the bread, the soda and McDonald's french fries for 125 days now. Although I have not been as strict as I was in the beginning, the one thing I can say is that I make better choices when I go out to eat or chose food at the grocery store.

However, I must confess, I did have a bagel with cream cheese and lox while in Canada. I almost lost my mind when I saw it and I couldn't walk away, although I did try...a few times! It was being offered for "free" for all conference attendees and I just couldn't resist. I was careful not to eat too much more that day, so I guess it wasn't that bad....or so I'd like to think!

Anyway, that's it for now....hopefully, I'll have some really GREAT news for you next time I log in! Please continue to send the encouraging emails...its hard out here alone!

I am really starting to see a BIG difference in how my clothing fits me. As I dig into old plastic containers in the back of my closet and in my garage, I am amazed at how I am able to bring back some old, but still fashionable and stylish clothing! There are even certain pieces that were previously too tight, that at the beginning of My Journey finally fit, that are now loosening up! Ring the alarm, this is exciting news!!!

So here’s a little update…..Last night at the gym, I tried a new elliptical machine. Last week when I first tried it, it was so hard, I could only manage to do one minute on it, and even that was killing me. Last night, I was able to do three minutes! I am so proud of myself. For those of you who may not know, an elliptical machine is a stationary exercise machine used to simulate walking or running without causing excessive pressure to the joints, hence decreasing the risk of impact injuries. It takes some getting used to, however it is a very difficult and intense workout. After about 2 minutes on it, I feel like I am about to pass out! However, I am not giving up, I am going to take my time and build up my stamina. Outside of my favorite exercise machine, the treadmill, I also lift weights using this machine that has two very thick ropes attached to a pulley that is attached to weights. I don’t know what it’s called, but I do know that I lift about 50-60 pounds, doing about 2 reps of 50 at a time. This machine works my arms, helping to reduce the size of my ‘unwanted, underarm wings’….where I am also starting to see some improvement. I never really realized the powerful impact of exercise, or the way weights actually tone your body. It was so foreign to me. I am so amazed.

As far as my eating habits are concerned, I am pretty comfortable where I am. I usually start the day with a piece of fruit and some coffee. By the time I get to work, I have two hard boiled eggs. Half way between the hard boiled eggs and lunch, I usually have either string cheese or yogurt. For lunch, it’s the regular, spinach and chicken, unless I get really creative and have cabbage and chicken! A few hours later, just before I leave the office for the day, I’ll have some more string cheese, or a yogurt or sometimes 10 Baked Lays potato chips. My challenge is the time between leaving the office, going to the gym on potentially an empty stomach and my last meal being around 9 or 9:30 after getting home from the gym. Any suggestions? I certainly welcome your thoughts.

Well, that’s it for today. As always, I ask you to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. Also, please keep the feedback, encouragement and words of wisdom coming…I thrive off of it!

Stay tuned….there’s more to come…..as I move forward on, My Journey.

Sixteen Pounds!

WOW! I lost sixteen pounds and I am not trying to find them! I feel great! I have more energy now than I've had in years. I am starting to wear clothing that I put away and haven't been able to wear in more than 5 years. I feel better about myself and I am starting to like what I look like in pictures. I stopped taking pictures about two years ago, in fact for a long time, people would always ask me, "Does Madison have a Mommy?", because I would never take a picture with her or if I did, I just thought I looked fat and I would keep the picture to myself. I would always take pictures of Madison with her daddy because, well, he is just handsome and photographs better...and he doesn't look FAT! When I did take pictures, I'd crop them and doctor them up and still, I was NEVER satisfied. My face was always too fat and there wasn't enough cropping to cover up my triple chins! Even when I started this blog about my struggle with weight loss, I was too embarrassed to post a picture of myself. Well, today I am posting a picture because I am proud of how far I've come in My Journey. I am not where I want to be, however I am not where I used to be and to me, that's progress! I am sixteen pounds closer to where I plan to be! Eventually, I'll post my "before picture", when I've lost enough weight and I don't feel that embarrassed about it!

I took this picture today using my Blackberry camera phone, so it may not be as clear, but what is clear is that my face isn't as swollen and my chins are slowly disappearing! Another fun fact is that I am loving the direction my hair is going too! My curls are growing and they are so much more defined. I cut my hair last August and it seems like it's taken an eternity to grow back, however I see such a big difference in length especially since my trip to San Diego in January! Initially I cut all of my hair off because I wanted to grow my natural hair free from all chemicals (straighteners and such). At first, I regretted ever cutting it, but now, I am loving it! It goes right along with my weight loss journey and I am confident that by the time I lose the weight, my hair will be right where I want it to be as well!

I am so proud of myself for losing 16 pounds so far! It's taken longer than I expected, but it's MY PROGRESS and it's MY JOURNEY!!! As long as I am sticking to it, I am ok with it! Stay tuned and please keep the feedback and encouragement coming...I thrive off of it and it keeps me on track!