Journey Towards a Healthier Me

Let me start this by saying that I've been overweight as long as I can remember- I'm fairly certain it is part of my genetic makeup. I've tried every "diet" I can think of and usually get too discouraged to continue far enough to see actual results. I like food- and I like to hang out and read books, watch shows, and sit on my bum... not really the athletic person I want to be.

Well, I stepped on the scale at the beginning of the month and my eyebrows shot through the roof while my jaw dropped- holy crap. I am heavier than I've been... ever. I'm almost as heavy now as when I was fully pregnant with my daughter. Oh... My.... God. This has got to change.

Yes, I have excuses out my wazoo. Where I had a decently active lifestyle in Georgia- playing roller derby, enjoying the nice weather all year, etc. Here in Ohio it has been cold, wet and dreary for the last 6 months. I've lived here about 9 months and I have to say... I absolutely hate this state- I'm depressed, cold, and angry- which definitely leads way into me "stress" or emotional eating.. and it doesn't help that in the office where I now work they eat.out.every.single.darn.day! Yes, I have excuses- but excuses don't really get you anywhere.

I've decided to take action and change this- I need to get down to at least where I was before leaving Georgia... yeah that is about 30lbs. I've never been able to do that- and I hope I can do it now.

Step One:
Avoid temptation. Roadblock- everyone at the office (everyone, no joke) eats horribly day in and day out... and it is the best, most deliciously bad food... serious temptation.

Step Two:
Consume more water and unsweetened tea- yuck, unsweet tea, right? Yeah... but you do what you've gotta do. Drinking water is awesome for you and makes you feel full. New goal- drink one full glass before every meal and try to drink one full glass during the meals too. Good luck! Roadblock: before doing this I'd probably drink one glass of water PER DAY. Total. Not a big water drinker. Plus... having to pee constantly is not awesome.

Step Three:
Increase physical activity. Start running several days a week. This is easier than I thought it would be- yes, it sucks- I hate running more than almost anything out there. Seriously. BUT it can be done. Roadblock: Zak has a really weird school schedule and doesn't get home to watch Amory so I can go run until late in the evening and is gone most mornings, too. Working around him, a toddler, and dinner time proves to be quite the unmotivator... but keep going!

Step Four:
Make better eating choices. This is actually easier than I thought- yes, it goes hand in hand with "temptation" but this is different. I am trying to maintain a less than 1200 calorie a day diet. Making better choices and drinking more water is really helping with this. I use My Fitness Pal app on my phone and it does the calculations for me- it is really handy and a lot easier than I thought it would be. So far I've been about 1000 calories 8 days straight!

All in all it has been about 2 weeks and I have a 9lb weight loss- which is more promising than anything I've ever done before. I know it is only going to get harder and I know that I have a long journey ahead, but for now I'm just celebrating my current success. Wish me luck.

This is me starting