ugh.

Yesterday my best friend came into town. I have not seen her for over a year....So naturally we went out to eat! Not a very good combination when you are trying to lose weight. We literally sat and ate and talked for about 2 hours. Since food was just right in front of my face and we were just chatting away, i was eating a good amount of that time! eeek. I haven't weighed but I am sure I am up a little bit. Oh well. It was really great to see her, and I really can't dwell on it too much...It's really not that big of a deal. Today is a new day, and luckily I don't have any more old friends coming into town.

(ps- I did have a salad for my main dish if that makes a difference:)

Back to the TOP

I figured It was time to update my blog since my blog was all the way at the bottom of the list....saying it hasn't been updated the past 3 days. Too Long....So here I am, Back at the top! (for a little while at least)

The first week of this competition has turned out great! I LOVE all the ladies competing, i LOVE reading the other blogs, and i LOVE the support all of the readers give to us.

I was really happy with the results of the first week. Here's the Rundown:

* Worked out 5 days. 2 Days of weight training, and the other 3 days were Cardio (two of which were Zumba...my ULITMATE favorite!)

* Did not eat ANY processed food, or junk food...i.e- chips, candy, soda.

* Completed at least 1 thousand calorie workout

* Did not eat any restaraunt or fast food

* Drank my Green Smoothie religiously everyday! (i WILL do a blog post about this soon:)

* I DID allow myself one treat this week....it was in the form of a frozen treat...picture this... Oreos crumbles and pressed onto the bottom of a pan, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and whipped cream drizzled with chocolate syrup. YUM. I was craving it all week. And I ate it and did not feel one ounce of guilt!

ok- so that's the run down, it does sound a bit extreme...however along with WLB, I have a competition also going on with my sister that involves MONEY! ( we even went out to buca di beppo for a friend's bday and I WATCHED as everyone else ate) now that's commitment :) Most of those things mentioned in the above list are some of the stipulations for our own little competition....that wouldn't be a normal week. However I would LOVE to make that the normal week for me. Can you imagine how healthy my body would be!?

Well, here's to another week...hopefully it will be as good, if not better than the first!

My little Cheerleader(s)

For me, it is so important to have a good support group in place when working out. It helps me stay accountable, motivated, and on the right track. I understand that we don't always get the support we need from home, or from friends....which can make this whole "working out and eating healthy" quite tough! Trust me... I understand!! My husband is lean, and can eat about anything which is awesome for him, but way detrimental to me. He doesn't need to watch what he eats, which makes it tough. Luckily, I have a sister who has some of the same goals... but for the most part, I have had to get my support from different sources! Probably the CUTEST source I have is miss may! GO MOM!
"Wow...this cheering thing is tough...I need to take a small water break"

Trust me, this is not how her face looks when I drop her off at the gym kids club.... which makes it 100% harder.

So, for my biggest support group i use a site called "My Fitness Pal" (www.myfitnesspal.com)

I LOVE this site. I can't even tell you the impact it has had on me. I tra

ck my calories there. For some, this may be a daunting task...and at the beginning for me it was.... I don't track every day 100%..but it has definitley made me more aware of what I am putting into my body and the nutritional breakdown of each item. Besides the calorie counting, I have made countless friends on that site. They offer tremendous support. Many of them have the same weight loss goals or work out goals. Sometimes, I find myself checking MFP more than facebook! :) You can read (and see pics) of success stories....which is a HUGE motivating thing. To actually see real people like me, experiencing success. The people on MFP are the most positive, encouraging, group of people!! Seriously check it out. I can't even name the amount of time I have been picked back up when I have been feeling defeated. If you do join MFP....add me as a friend :) I will be your number one fan!!!

G.O.A.L.S

I think to be successful in anything, you have to set goals. In this case for me...it's weight loss goals. I like to have my long term goals and my short term goals. I feel like the battle of losing weight is so overwhelming. Especially if you have a lot to lose. When I first started losing weight I didn't like to think of the WHOLE amount I had to lose. It became very discouraging... and almost always the first thing that popped into my head was that it was impossible.

Then I started working out, and losing 1 pound at a time, and I find that as I just take it pound for pound, day by day it is SO much easier for me. I don't have to look at the big picture but rather just what I am doing for that particular day!

I know probably many of you guys have come to that conclusio

n a long time ago, but for me it was so mentally liberating! To me, it really is a mental battle...sometimes more than a physical battle. I feel like if I eat one bad thing in a day i'm doomed. I might as well just give up for that day. Or, wait until MONDAY to try again! The everyday choices....to work out? or not to work out? what to eat? why did the scale not move? But the more you do it...the more you see results, and that is motivation!! So that is why i have to have my short term goals...little things to reward myself with when i hit a certain milestone. One Pound at a Time!! :)

Here's my cheesy Acrostic poem!

G-et out of the house and workout

O-nly put healthy foods into my body

A-llow myself occasional treats, so I don't go completely overboard! (key for me) if I feel deprived, I WILL fall off the wagon

L-ook for ways to add variety to food (recipes) and workouts

S-tay on track...an occasional slip won't defeat me!

The Characters

So since I am on this 7 week journey of health.... I decided maybe I should introduce some of my favorite people, or I guess the people that you will be hearing about most often. The ones that deal with my healthy( and sometimes not so healthy) habits on a daily basis! First of all, we have My sweet husband Colin. He is going to school full time, preparing to take the MCAT, and hopefully within the next year be into medical school. He studies hard, but doesn't leave time out for play, or spending time with us!!

Next we have miss may (mayli). She is seriously the most spunky little 2 year old I know! She has such a sweet personality and is the light of our life. She says and does the funniest things that just keep us laughing. She is the center of attention and she KNOWS it!

Well I thought I had more introductions to make. B

ut apparently not. I guess I could go into all of my parents, siblings (i am the youngest of 7), and nieces and nephews (23) but we would be here for a while so I'll spare you!

I feel so much better now that I have made proper introductions :) And I guess it would only be fair to tell you a little about myself. I am a stay at home mom. I do work part time from home which is a huge blessing. I started my weight loss journey on march 28th.... and have lost 22 lbs in just a little over 4 months. WLB is another way to keep me accountable and going towards my final goal!

MONDAY, Monday, monday....

Why is it, that with every new thing that I start always has to be on a monday. Of course it would be illogical to start anything on a wed, thur, or even the weekend. There's just somethin

g about that fresh day...the start of the week. It gives you the whole week to accomplish that thing which you set out to do, "starting monday."

My husband teases me about this quite often. Mostly pertaining to weight loss and working out. He just doesn't get it, while I try to explain the best I can to him that you just don't start anything this monumental in the middle of the week! It's a mindset I put myself into...like, I have the whole weekend to eat what I want an

d then I will start fresh monday. You can't just say one day you're going to do something, and then actually follow through. Who does that !?

Where's the preparation!? (apparently I'm just a glorified procrastinator...but we've all been there right?)

That is why I am sooo glad this competition is starting on a Monday. I have no excuse. Really. I have had all weekend to prepare, eat, and have fun. And Colin laughs! But what he doesn't know it the mental clarity this gives me to be starting fresh, renewed, and ready to take on the challenge. Not only to make me a healthier weight, but also have more energy for my family. Especially more energy to our relationship. I think he will appreciate the change, and come to see the value of "starting on a Monday."

I guess the more I think about monday's, the less I am convinced that they are so great. School always started on monday. Work always starts on the dreaded monday. In the Netherlands and according to wikipedia Monday is the most common day to commit suicide. (weird) I gue

ss I am digressing. The whole point is, I guess I can see my husbands point of view when he said that if you always wait until monday to start something it will never happen. I can appreciate that, but no matter what happens... I will always start working out and eating healthy on Monday

Win, Lose, Or Blog

So I was chosen to be a contestant on season 5 of win, lose, or blog. It is a "biggest loser" type of competition...competing with 7 other ladies to see at the end of 7 weeks who has lost the most fat %!! I am really really excited to be participating this season and think it will help me stay accountable and motivated!! Woohoo. For the next seven weeks I will be blogging over there at winloseorblog-ginny.blogspot.com....come read my posts and help me stay accountable! The official start date is monday, so that is when I will begin posting. Bring. it. on!

ALSO- Win Lose or Blog is always having AWESOME giveaways for the readers too!! :) Another added bonus to follow along!