Day #8-Update

It feels like these days are dragging!!! But I have some updates that makes me excited!
I have so far lost 4 pounds.
AND a  few inches around the waist

Current Weight 199 LBS                   Starting Weight 203
Measurements :                                  S Measurements:
Bust: 45.5                                          Bust: 45.5
Waist: 45                                           Waist: 49.5
Hips: 49                                             Hips: 50
Thighs: 27                                          Thighs: 28
Arms: 14.5                                         Arms 14.5

Not bad!

As this week has gone by, I have realized a lot of my bad habits. One of the biggest one is my "commission " I charge the kids. I usually take a bite or sip of whatever I make them, I call it my commission. It started as me checking the temperature, or if it was a Capri sun, to make sure they didn't spill it as they grabbed it. As I have been making their lunches, they don't eat the same things I eat during this diet, it has been so hard not to take a piece of cheese and eat it, or taking a bite of things. I don't think I would have ever noticed that before. That is a lot of hidden calories right there that I was consuming, things I didn't need to survive. It's just weird to notice these things.

For the remainder of this week, I'm going to try something new. I am going to make sure that after every meal I take at least two hours before I can sit down. It's something my mom used to tell me all the time. You make sure you sit down to eat, or else if you end up standing to eat, you will eat much faster, which you don't want to do that. As soon as you are done eating, find things to do that don't involve sitting. Now that I don't work at a desk anymore, I can actually do that. There is a lot I can do around the house that can help me do this.

I'm getting antsy and want to start the workouts now!!! Can't wait!

Day #4- Feeling Good

I'm starting to feel much better!!!

I feel energized and motivated. Although the scale hasn't moved much, I love how I feel. I always had in my head that eating healthy was, well. Let me let Cathy tell you:

The mentality of it is just crazy. When I get hungry, I do think of my favorite foods, which right now I will not ( and can't) have. It's sad to see now in full view what my relationship with food is like. I don't eat to fuel. I eat to satisfy. That is a bad black hole to be in. Mind you, I do believe to go ahead and partake of those cravings, but it definitely needs to be balanced.

The #1 thing I didn't realize, is how many calories I was eating. My life is on the go, all the time. It's really ridiculous. So, stopping to get a bite at a drive-thru happened a lot. I thought, oh just a small dollar menu item will do. Not that I correlate the price with the calories, but for some reason, I thought more of the size. Each (small) double burger is easily 400 calories. I sometimes ordered two of these. 800 calories. That didn't even include if I got a drink, or fries. YUCK!

The other trap I fell in, was : "If I made it myself, then it must be more healthy than a fast food meal." It WAS cheaper, but the health value was just as bad. Example: Frozen Pizza. Each slice is easily 300-350 calories each. I ate close to 3 (sometimes 4) slices, plus what ever drink i had. That's at least 1200 calories in this one meal!

I'm disappointed in my self for not caring at looking at labels. It really is an eye opener to see this now. I wish I cared sooner. But I am glad that I am doing something about this now.

I am feeling a big push to do this. I want to live as long as I can, but in good Health. There are so many theories on Cancer, and other Heart related diseases that are based purely on Nutrition and Physical Fitness. My mom, having died at such a young age, has instilled fear in me. My dad, having Heart related diseases has added onto that fear. I know what it is like to lose a parent, and I do not want my kids to go through that, at least not yet.

Day #2- There is HOPE!

The skeptical in me says there is no way. But, the results are pretty obvious!

My weigh in yesterday was 203 lbs, today was 200 lbs!

(Note: for best accuracy, always weight yourself at the same time of day, your weight fluctuates different times of day!)

Impossible you say? I must be using diet pills you might ask? The answer is absolutely NOT.

I haven't seen my scale say 200 in a long time! So this was exciting for me to see :) Not only that, but it gives me hope that I can ACTUALLY

accomplish this seemingly impossible task.

Now, it is very simple. I have been looking for a way to change my lifestyle without it being stressful. I am not good with stress, because... I gain weight. That would be counter productive!

I also was looking for something that would educate me, and not just say 'here is a menu of foods you have never heard of. It works, good luck."

Really? I have found so many of these, and honestly, the "shopping list" they provide you with is so overwhelming, not to mention the cost.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I asked friends on facebook of workouts that I could do from home that wouldn't take much of my time. Because, lets be honest:

One, I don't like to exercise, hence a big reason why I have let myself get to this point.

Two, I am so busy, with being mommy, working and now adding school to that list!

Three, I am lazy. Yes, that L word is pretty much the biggest culprit in my life.

A friend of mine, Amber, gave me the address of www.pinkmethod.com

I'm not here to advertise for them, but if the program works I will be definitely recommending them!

I like the program because it is real. There are no pills, no monthly subscription requirements, and the material was pretty inexpensive.

They send you a Journal, and the work out DVDs. In the journal, there are Two Parts. The first part has 6 chapters of educational information on foods, and how the program works, and why certain foods were chosen.

The second part of the Journal is where you actually get to keep track of everything, including what you ate, goals, and recipes used.

Not only that, but it is a "fill in the blank" so that it is entirely guided. I LOVE THAT! Sometimes when you do something new, you get lost. I feel with this I will always know where I am and where I am going.

(I don't like to use the word diet, but for the purpose of this post, I will....)

The diet has a couple of parts to it as well. To start the program, you go through what they call the "Pink Reset". You do this first before starting any of the workout DVDs. The goal is to eat well, lose the first 10 lbs so you begin your workouts being lighter. This usually takes 7 days, but they recommended people over a certain amount of weight/height to take longer. In my case, the chart recommended to be on this diet for 14 days.

After this first goal is met, you change the diet to what is called Pink Primary. Both of these diets are well put together, reasonable meal items, and are both purposeful. The Reset, in my mind, is there to reset the way you think. Both about yourself and food. It gives you a chance to get results fast. Then, once you got some weight off, the next meal plan helps you with the energy needed for the workout, and muscle building.

The workouts have 3 levels. The first one you do for 3 weeks, it is a 20 minute work out. Level 2, is also 3 weeks and has a 30 minute workout. The third level is 3 weeks, and has a 40 minute workout. The way in which you do these, with the meal plans plus the resting periods makes complete sense how it helps you shed those pounds, but the intensity increases so that you aren't doing the same workout over and over again.

There is so much about this program that I haven't mentioned here yet. I am totally sold because it is real. It is educational, and at the end of the 9 weeks, it tells you how to maintain your weight. The journal is sassy, and tells you about the "sexy you". In a way, when you accomplish a goal, you feel good about yourself. Its not just about the way you look. A lot of this process is how you feel. And I feel that I can actually get this done and not be so tired, and look pretty decent at the same time :)

New beginning- Day #1

It's been a while since I have blogged about my journey to a healthy ME. A lot has changed since the last post. I changed jobs, and work schedule and am also now going to school again. Now anyone who has done any of these things one at a time now how it can be stressful. Well, knowing me, I tend to do things the hard way in life and have done these changes simultaneously.

The repercussion of these changes were pretty hard on my body. Freshman 15 anyone? I stopped eating as healthy as I was before and the stress alone did not help. I have been so exhausted I have been unable to get any normal day things accomplished. Dishes, laundry, vacuum... You know, those annoying tasks that if you don't do often, it becomes chaos. Well it has been chaos at the Andersen home lately.

About 3 weeks ago, I decided I was tired of being sick and tired. Tired of looking in the mirror and not liking what I saw. Tired of being to tired and overwhelmed of my tasks not getting finished, or started for that matter. Tired of not doing anything about it. My husband and I decided we will be making a change. Together, we got our house organized. We uncluttered and made it possible for our big family to be successful in this small apartment we are in. Then, we decided that we will take matters into our own hands and do something abut our health.

Our journey begins today, I will be journaling my success. There is no room for failure, because I am set to do this, because I need to. My family needs me to. Three weeks ago I weighed 208 lbs. Pounds I gained from vacation in October and of course the holiday food season. If we look back, before I stopped blogging I was at 196 lbs, and if I remember correctly,I was down to 192 at one point.

For measuring and comparison purposes I will be updating my weight often for at lest the next 9 weeks.

Here is my beginning stats as of today:

Weight: 203 lbs

Since weight doesn't tell you the whole story of weight loss, I am also keeping track of measurements:

Bust: 45.5 inches

Waist: 49.5 inches

Hips: 50 inches

Thighs: 28 inches

Biceps: 14.5 inches

Because size of clothing matters to me, here is that also

Pant size:18(tight fit)

Shirt size: XL-1X

I'm considering pictures so I can have a before and after shot for comparison, which I will probably share, eventually :)

My goal is to weigh at a range about

130-140 lbs.

I'm excited for a new me! Here is to a ne beginning!