Oh god. Here I go.

Just got home from Zumba. It was AWESOME. For one hour I just work out and dance with a bunch of other people who don’t know what they’re doing and forget everything else that’s going on in my life. If I’m ever going to lose this weight, I know Zumba is going to be a huge part of it.

This crazy instructor worked us all so hard. I’m still in that adrenaline-fueled phase where I feel really keyed up but I know I’m going to crash in like twenty minutes.

The only problem with working out is that I’m always STARVING afterwards. I think I’m going to have  a bowl of chili and a glass of milk. I know it’s not a great idea to eat so late at night, but I also won’t go to sleep on an empty stomach. Oh well. Sometimes you just gotta eat.

So today has been going pretty well so far. I ate a chicken caesar salad (no cheese) at school today and drank water, but even when I say “light dressing” the lunch lady always puts A LOT on. I would bring my own but I’d have nowhere to keep it cold… being on a diet in high school has its limitations.

When I came home at 5 I had a bowl of chili. I love chili because it’s actually very healthy but it has that saltiness I often crave and often turn to potato chips to find.

Speaking of chips, I’ve decided how I’m going to go about this diet thing. I’m going to start slowly, by cutting out things that were once staples in my diet. This week it’s chips, pop tarts, eating more than 1 granola bar or hundred calorie snack pack, and all drinks that are not water or skim milk. It’s not a drastic change but I know my diet is going to be the hardest part of the weight loss process and if I don’t start slowly I’ll give up all together. Working in a restaurant does not help this.

As for today’s exercise, I’m hoping to make it to a Zumba class in 2 and a half hours. Unfortunately I have quite a bit of homework (damn you 3 AP classes!) but if I force myself to focus I know I can get it done.

I was about to go on a rant about the joys of Zumba, but I’ve decided to stop here. I really need to come up with a thesis for my Euro class (British effect on world trade in the 1800s, anyone?) and start reading All The King’s Men for independent reading in English. Wish me luck!

Starting afresh.

Hi, in case anyone stumbles upon this blog I thought it would be appropriate the introduce myself. I’m Jess, 17 years old, and I weight 170 lbs. My ultimate goal? To lose 50. Mini-goal? Look good for college in 7 months. Oh god that’s not long enough.

I don’t really have a plan for this. I can’t do the whole calorie counting thing; it stresses me out and it just makes me feel like a failure every time I go over. I think I just need to eat healthier. I wish I even knew how to do that.

My exercise plan mostly consists of Zumba. I’ve just started taking classes and love it. I’m totally sore right now from my class that ended a few hours ago, but it’s that good kind of sore that lets me know I kicked some ass. I think I also want to try running for those days where I just can’t make it to the studio. I’ve never liked running but… I need to do something. A class two or three days a week is not going to get me where I need to be.

Essentially this blog is for me. I’m going to whine and complain and that’s just that. I’m not trying to discourage any potential readers but it’s just the truth. I feel like I have no one in my life that I can talk to about this… the only person I would even want to is my best friend, but she’s been struggling with anorexia for years. I don’t want to impede her fantastic progress by talking about weight loss at all.

I can do this. I can stick with this. I can do it.