6 Weigh-In Wednesday

Well the scale hasn't budged. Not once ounce. But I am not giving up.

I will not give up. 

I have been walking 2 miles a day a few times a week and it feels good when I walk back in the house knowing that I burnt a few hundred calories.  I have missed that feeling.  And I am regularly tracking my food and staying within my calorie limit, splurging a little but not in excess on Saturday at the graduation party.

I'm sticking with it, I know the scale will start shifting soon...so I just continue to strengthen my foundation. How did you do this week? Are the changes you are making starting to show?  Stop over and share with the Sisterhood!

*Love my necklace I won from Renee several months ago.  Its from Kristen's Shop! I'm pulling strength from it today!

3 Bring it on

Ever have someone say something to you that lights a fire under you and makes you want to push even harder to prove them wrong?  Well the fire has been lit my friends, and it only fuels the hunger to get back on track that I found last week.

It's time to get reacquainted with a few friends that I have been neglecting the past few months. Hello friends!  Thanks for being so patient with me! 

I walked 2 miles last night, sure my legs are tight this morning and I make a grunting noise when I get up from my chair, but I did it..  It feels good.  That pride, as self-centered as it sounds, is what keeps me going.

So to those who are lighting my fire...I say bring it on.  It's only going to push me closer to my goal!

8 I can be in control of my destiny

It has been a rough couple of weeks for me, and along the way the scale has crept back up.  Add a business trip (which I choose to translate to free dessert with every meal) to the mix and you have one fluffy lady! I don't feel good and have lost that spring in my step.  Something has got to change.  And last night something clicked.

Watching The Biggest Loser last night, the story of D (the one who walked with O'Neil) really struck a chord with me.  She talked about how her Mom passed away at 56 and her family had a history of high blood pressure and diabetes, but she was going to change that and break the cycle.  My Mom died at the age of 56, having obesity and other health problems for the majority of her adult life.  I will be turning 33 this summer and it scares the hell out of me (pardon) to think of only having 23 years left on this earth!  Especially if I become a mother.

After my mom passed I had a fire inside of me to get healthier for her, I owed it to her to live a long and healthy happy life since she wasn't able to.  That is still in my heart, but now I have been energized with the fact that I want to do it for me.  I know I can lose weight, I just need to get back on track and refocus.  Everyone can cheer you on but until you have that feeling inside of yourself to push you to make the change, it won't happen.  I got that feeling last night....and it feels great.

It feels good to know that I have made the decision to start living for me again.  Taking it one day at a a time, and right now one hour at a time...but I know I will get back into the swing of things again soon and be back on my way to being healthy again.  I often tend to be a cheerleader for others before I cheer myself up.  I'm working on that and it isn't easy, I end up feeling selfish alot of the time.  But something switched last night and I felt like I wanted to prove everyone wrong who has thought that I can't change how my future will be.  I can....and I am going to start TODAY.

So enter the latest Shrinking Jeans challenge and just at the right time!  

(how do these ladies and gent know!)

So for the next 21 days I am going to focus on:

1) Taking my vitamins everyday. 

2) Drinking at least 2 liters of water everyday

3) NO sneaking food.  (This is a dangerous habit that I have gotten back into over the last few weeks, like it doesn't count if no one sees me.  Yeah, that's obviously a lie.)

*Thank you all so much for your support thru my downhill slide, I have tried to keep up with some of you thru Twitter and your blogs.  Your sweet emails and comments have meant the world to me.  I know we all struggle at times, but when I am down  I feel like not wanting to pollute everyone else's clean water with my yuck.  But that often is when you need it the most.

5 I Workout Because...

I workout because I want to have some definition to my body. I am ...how do you say....curvy.  If I can whittle down my midsection....I would be well on my way to posing for a mudflap. Well not really, but you get the idea.

I workout because when I push myself to do something I have never done before, I feel great when I accomplish it!  All the pain and energy drain are pushed from my mind and the smile can't be contained!  I want to tell the whole world what I have done! (and if you are my facebook or twitter friend...you will probably hear about it whether you want to or not)

I workout because I am capable of  it.  There are so many people that have a condition that inhibits them from doing anything physical.  Who am I to take my health for granted?  While I may not be able to run a mile...I can walk it.  Some people will never be able to say that.

I workout because I want to enjoy Saturday cookouts and tailgates.  And history has proven that watching what I eat during the week and splurging on the weekend doesn't show positive results unless I have burned some extra calories.

I workout because it helps me to relive stress.  When Jillian tells me to punch it out....oh I punch it out!  Sometimes I line up the TV so she is my target, other times I'm punching at emotions.  Either way I feel better after I'm done.

Why do you workout?  Come share what drives you to push yourself physically with Shrinking Jeans.  You never know....what you write might be just the thing to push someone else to start exercising!

5 ~Dear Self~

Self~

Happy 2011! Remember the 2 things you wanted to do in 2010?  You wanted to get pregnant or compete in a half marathon right?  I know you are so proud of how things turned out!!!  You never thought you would be able to do it once the rubber hit the road, but look at yourself now!  No seriously...go look in the mirror, I'll wait.

You started out last year not sure if you were going to be able to start a family and look where God has led you.  I know deep in my heart, that whatever the results would have been you would have been ok with them, because you know the big man wouldn't give you more than you could handle.  But this is where you are supposed to be, and I hope you realize this is how it was always supposed to be.

You are starting out the year on the right foot this time, and that is thanks to all the hardwork that you put in last year.  You stuck with your exercising and eating healthy thru the whole year....do you know how hard that is?  Of course you do, because this is the first time you have done it!  You are stronger, leaner and healthier then you have ever been.  You worked hard and you deserve to be proud when you look in the mirror.  Your body has done amazing things this year, some things you can can see, the others you can feel and will be thankful for in years to come.

I know you never would have thought that your blog would have brought so much joy and enlightenment into your life.  You are so much more in tune with how you feel and even better, why you feel. You were so lucky to be able to meet up with so many of your new friends, including some of the Shrinking Jeans ladies (who are freakin hilarious btw!). I hope you continue to blog for many years to come.  Seems like there are more and more people who are interested in what you have to say, you never know you might write that one post that will touch someone like so many of your new friends posts have affected you over the last year.

You have had an amazing year at work! You went above and beyond what they thought you were capable of. You rocked it girl!  Sure there were some scary times, but the economy has finally started rebounding and continues to climb back upwards.  Who knows what the future holds, maybe a transfer, maybe a promotion...but please know that the groundwork you laid and impressions that you made on management will keep you in the forefront for many years to come.

The biggest thing you should be proud of is your marriage.  Sure you had some arguments and thought you were going to lose your mind at times, but you are more in love with your husband then you have ever been.  You learned to really listen and appreciate all the idiosyncrasies of each other that make you who you are.  I think bringing back "date night" was a huge thing, so props to you for thinking of that.  You are still best friends and have been together almost 10 years....without each other you would not be complete.

Basically, you rocked this last year!  High Five!  I am so proud of you and hope that 2011 is an even better year!  What do you want to accomplish this year...think big!  You can do it!!!

~This was written as my submission for The Monday Project at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

7 I TOTALLY Rock- The Monday Project

Did you know that I ROCK?

I do...sometimes I may not feel like it, but others times I'm thining to myself....I TOTALLY ROCK!
Well here's how I see it....

I ROCK because I am taking control of my health and not letting it re-take control of me.

I ROCK because last night I did 2 workouts instead of 1...and burnt almost 450 calories!

I ROCK because I tend to be the happy smiley girl, glass half full right?  You'd be surprised how it can make someone else happy by just sharing a smile.

I ROCK because I have managed to marry a good man who would never hurt me and gives me backrubs before bed several times a week, even though sometimes I can be pissy and stubborn.

I ROCK because I  provide the income for our family, and am thankful to have been born a smartie.

I ROCK because I haven't had a breakdown because of the above....sometimes feels like a lot to carry.

I ROCK because I talk to my Grandma every single day...we have a great relationship and I am blessed to have her in my life.

I ROCK because I am part of a wonderful group of women that I am so thankful to call my friends...the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans!


How do you ROCK?  Because I know you do...so go share your reasons with the Sisterhood!

16 Motivational Wall - The Monday Project

Here's a look at my Motivational Wall....I am going to stick all of these on a board and keep it on my bathroom door so I can look at it everyday!  Here are some reasons why I chose the things I did:

~Reminder to believe in myself

~Some of my favorite characters...powerful and good ladies

{ok so Strawberry Shortcake ins't a superhero, but she makes me smile}

~A picture of me at my best and at my worst...and the weights to go along with it

~My first 5K time that I intend on easily passing this year

~Former Ohio State player James Laurinaitis...because he gets everybody pumped up for 4th down

{this is my 4th down-game on!}

~The Columbus Half-Marathon...something to push myself towards

~My 3 biggest supporters {my husband, my grandma and my mom}

These images provoke so many feelings inside of me....motivation, strength, support, power, love and hope.
I hope your wall makes you feel like this too!  Come link up with the Sisterhood and share what motivates you!

7 Flashback

One of my besties was moving some pictures over from myspace to facebook and tagged me in this one from our Sex and the City premier (via small Ohio town).  I was going to delete it but instead thought I would keep it as motivation to never let myself get back to this point again. 

May 2008...weighing close to 190 lbs.

I think its interesting that I am the only one dressed in black....guess I thought it was slimming.  Not so much.