This week has been going great! I have been totally committed to eating within my points and working out. Today is the last day of the month (and year) and I only need 25 mins of exercise to complete my 1000 minutes! I am going to the gym straight from work and then home to shower. My sister and I are going to the movies with my mom and step dad and then back to their house for dinner and games. It should be fun and fairly healthy. My mom has been a big encourager of Heather and I on our weight loss and therefore tries to keep healthy snacks around her house for when we visit. I’m going to try to stay within my points today but I also plan on having a couple glasses of champagne tonight! yummy…. I found out last night that my YMCA is open a few hours on New Years day, so I am going to go for my last chance workout. My goal for this weigh in Friday is to lose the 3.5lbs I gained last week and an addition pound or so! I don’t just want these 2 weeks to even eachother out but I guess as long as I lose anything, I’ll be happy.

I am ready for 2009! I want 2008 to be the last year I ever had the scale start with a 3, and 2009 to be the last year the scale starts with a 2! I lost 50lbs in 4 months and I KNOW I can loss 78lbs in the next 12 months! All I have to do is stay focused! I know I have said this a million times but that’s because I believe it.

THIS TIME FEELS DIFFERENT! I AM FOCUSED, I AM DRIVEN, AND I KNOW I CAN DO THIS!!!!!! I AM READY TO LIVE MY LIFE!

Saturday’s workout went fairly well.  I planned to do 2 hours but only made it through 1 and a half.  It’s a start, I guess.  I did 1:05 on the treadmill. For the first half hour I walked 4 min and jogged for 60 secs at a 1 incline.  I figure it’s an easier start for someone who’s never run to do the C25K, which is one of my major goals.  The last 35 mins I walked at a steady pace at inclines from 4-6.  I burned about 325 calories and walked a little under 3 miles.  Then Heather got to the gym and we did 15 mins of weights and 15 on the eliptical.  I upped my resistance and pushed my self faster than if I was doing a longer time.  Of course I felt a little guilty because I was really planning for the 2 hours but what can you do about it now? 

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I wrote that part last night before heading to the grocery store but forgot to come back and finish. Opps. We didn’t really do anything yesterday. Slept in, had breakfast and watched tv. Decided against the gym (of course) and went grocery shopping and back to tv. I’m going to the gym today before picking Heather up at work and I’m planning on pushing myself hard, to make up for not going Sunday. I am trying to hit my 1000 mins for December and think I will but missing that week is making it difficult. I need 195 min in the next 3 days.

Oh. My. Gosh. I went to the gym yesterday for the 1st time in a week and it was like I was starting ALL OVER AGAIN! I did 45mins on the eliptical and every second sucked. Then we moved to the sit back bikes for 15mins. Actually to be honest, we started on the stairclimbers but since we didn’t even get thru 1min, I figured it didn’t count…lol. I give the people who can do those for any normal amount of time, a lot of credit. That sh*ts hard! I have to admit that it did feel good to be back in the gym. I just need to rebuild my stamina, I guess. Today I’m spending extra time there. I’m thinking 2hrs, but we’ll see. I also stayed within my points yesterday too. (well I used 3 flex but that’s allowed) I’m grocery shopping tonight, which I love to do. It makes eating healthy easier when you have fresh and healthy food in your house. Or so I’ve heard.

I was thinking about New Year’s resolutions at work yesterday too. I think that my resolution this year is going to be learning to control my anger in un-controlable situations. I can have a temper when dealing with stupid people. What I need to try to remember is that I can’t make stupid people, less stupid….so why does it have to make me so mad? It mostly happends at work and when driving. I’m not just an overall angry person, actually I’m usually very goofy and laugh a lot….it can annoy my sister but I think that just makes me laugh more. So, I will work on taking my happy, go lucky attitude to work, even if people get on my nerves. What are all of your New Year’s Resolutions?

I am so happy for my cold to be gone! I haven’t been to the gym in about a week and I can feel it. I weighed in this morning 3.5lbs up and I’m ok with that. Did I want to gain, no. I did however have a great time this Christmas and the fact that I only gained that much is great! I made it thru without any guilt and that’s great too. I also am now ready to go stong for the next couple months after this week of no exercise and junk food. I lost 50lbs in less than 4 months and I would love to do that again. I could be down 100lbs by summer, which is just an unreal idea in my head, that I want to prove true! I don’t know if the next 50 will come off as easily but I’m willing to put the work in to see.

On another note, Heather and I went shopping on Monday for new outfits. I really need khaki pants for work but the Avenue only had 1 style I liked. The only sizes left were 26 and 20. I started in a 24 so I new 26 was too big and I just bought black pants a few weeks ago in a 22 (which was a little tight) so I thought 20 was too small. I grabbed them just in case and THEY FIT! I was sooooo excited! I also bought a size 26/28 shirt which is a size smaller than normal too! It was the first time in awhile that I have gone clothes shopping and left really happy!

I am ready for this week to be over! Two reasons really, 1) I want this cold to be gone and 2) I’m ready to be on a regular eating and exersice plan again.

Saturday I worked at a very slow store and of course, being Christmas, they had a bowl on the counter full of chocolate. I had a piece because it’s Christmas and then another because it’s Christmas and then another because I already ate 2…… this went on ALL DAY! I am proud to say that I didn’t eat the whole bowl, only because the girl who works the next shift would have wondered where all the candy went. However, I hate that I couldn’t just eat 1 or even 2. That would have been OK, if I had made that choice. It’s too late now but next time I’m put in a situation like that I hope I can remember the guilt before I scarf down too many!

Sunday was my first party of the week. We got together with my Uncle, Aunt and Cousin at my Mom’s house. We had a good time, like always. Opened gifts, had dinner and played trivial pursuit. I think overall I ate well. I had a small serving of cheesey potatoes, a meduim piece of ham, a good size serving of broccoli and then filled the rest of my plate with salad. I ate a couple cookies throughout the day and for dessert I had half a piece of pumkin pie. This was eaten between 1:30 and 8:30pm. I feel that I did pretty good. My Aunt is also doing weight watchers and does a program called GR BOOTCAMP (GR - grand rapids, Mi - where we live) It’s a 3 times a week, 1 hour workout with a small group lead by a former army sergeant. This Tuesday is a free day and my Mom and I are going to join her. She says that every time the hour is done, she is shaking from working muscles she didn’t know she had! I just hope being sick doesn’t ruin my chance of getting in a workout with a trainer for FREE! Wish me luck!

Yes! Yes! Yes!  I did it, 50lbs lost by Christmas!!  Apparently the Wendie Plan really works.  Heather and I both lost 4lbs this week.  I have about 11lbs to go before hitting my second mini goal and I am ready for the next week to be over.  I have 3 Christmas parties this week to make it through without gaining all my weight back.  Being sick, it’s going to be hard to get to the gym so eating well will be my only hope of maintaining this week.

*cough, cough* Well, I’m getting sick. I hate being sick. The worst part about it is that today I have to go to the gym for my last chance workout. I WANT to go and kick my butt at the gym, but I also want to go home, take a shot of some meds and sleep til morning. I just keep think, “I’m so close to 50lbs!” So, I’m going to do both. First a butt kickin’ workout, then sleep…….

On a side note, Heather and I are going to try switching from Weight Watchers to Calorie Counting using The Daily Plate. We decided to wait until after Christmas to try a new system, this way we have time for a little research and don’t have to learn a new system during the holidays. Any good advice on this new change is always appreciated!!!

Can you say 2 point Christmas cookies?! Woo Hoo!!! Heather and I made our family christmas cookies this weekend and were preparing ourselves for 5-6 points per cookie. We decided to substitute the sugar for splenda, in hopes to save a point or two. It turned out that the whole batch of cookie dough was 75 pts and the frosting was 55 pts. By the time I was done rolling and cutting, we had 48 cookies! We didn’t use all the frosting and only dipped our fingers into it once, which is an accomplishment in itself. So, long story short, we now have 24 - 2pt Christmas cookies each! We also got all our christmas shopping and wrapping done. Crazy!
Another thing new this week is that we are trying The Wendie Plan. For those who don’t know what that is, what you do is add up all the points you’re allowed for 1 week and divide them up UNevenly. Basically you have some high days and low days of points. It is suppost to help rejump weight loss and get your body out of a routine while still only eating the same amount of pts for the week. Yesterday was our Very High day and I ate what felt like too much but still within my pts. I guess it all makes up for it when I have my Very Low day on Thursday. We are just trying it this week and if I gain, I’ll know not to try again. I’ve also been drinking more water and making sure to get 60 mins in at the gym. This is the 1st month since joining the Y that I hit the 500min half way point at the half way point of the month. I think I’ll actually hit my 1000min goal for December!

Today was our 14th weigh-in and I lost another 1.5lbs!!!! That puts my total at 46lbs and I am extremely excited to be so cose to 50lbs gone FOREVER! I had a good week sticking to my points and getting to the gym. This week I had my best “last chance workout” ever. (Heather and I watch The Biggest Loser, obviously) We both try to get to the gym on Thursdays for a LCW and I really pushed myself this week. I started with 25 mins of weight machines and then went and did 1 hour on the eliptical. I bumped up my resistance and burned 900 calories and did 4.5 miles. The best part about it was I didn’t even feel like I was ging to die!
OK. That’s my good news, now on to my negative side. Sometimes I look in the mirror and think, “no way am I going to take this body and shrink it. I wear a 30/32 top (I was “blessed” with a big rack) and a 22/24 bottom and I really think one day I’ll be in an aveage size??” I just don’t see it. I still see the same person in the mirror so far even though my family says I look smaller, I really don’t SEE it.
I do feel it though, less pain in my feet, longer stamina at the gym, that sort of thing. I know it takes time, maybe 2-3 years or more. I also know that if I were to quit, in 2-3 years I would be above and beyond the weight I started at now and almost 30 years old! No thank you. So even though I don’t see it, I will push and prove myself wrong because YES, I CAN DO IT!

Today was weigh-in day, once again, and I’m down another 3lbs!!  I also started doing my measurements a few months ago and I am super excited about the inches falling away.  It has been hard to blog right now because we currently don’t have a computer at home.  Just wanted to let everyone know that I’m still eating right and working out.  I am currently 44.5lbs down and getting stronger by the day!