So it Begins...

This is the time for brutal honesty. Not only with all of you, but with myself, about myself.  I've had an awesome life.  I have a wonderful family that loves and encourages me in everything I do. Yes, our family has had its typical ups and downs but for the most part it has been great.  I however have spent the last 24 years battling my weight problem.  Like millions of other overweight people, I have tried who knows how many different diet plans. I have found the most success with Weight Watchers.  I first joined in 1990 after my second child and lost 30 lbs to reach Lifetime and got down to within 5 lbs of high school weight.  Over the next 5 years however, we started our own business and I had another baby.  Ever since then it has been a constant roller coaster, up and down and back and forth to WW. In August of 2007 I went back to WW AGAIN and over the next 2 years lost 60 lbs. Then life hit, our business started tanking due to the economy, Samuel and Katrina got married, Kara graduated, Trevor came home, you know, every excuse in the book.  Now two years later I find myself having put back on 45 lbs. But, I still have a wonderful marriage and awesome kids. If my weight is the worst thing I have to deal with after surviving the last two years, I can do it.

So, on July 11 I started on the road to a healthier me.  I figured I "know" everything there is to know about losing weight, I just have to do it.  I have finally been willing to accept somethings that I need to make as permanent changes in my life.  #1 I really have to get serious about exercise for long term.  I somehow have to make it a habit for the rest of my life.  I truly HATE exercise, I've often quoted Garfield and said "I might as well exercise, I'm in a bad mood anyway." So on July 11th, I started running. this is something I have never done in my life.  In school I was always in that group of kids bringing up the end and walking in the mile.  Don't think I'm breaking any land speed records, because I can walk faster than my slow jog, BUT I am doing it.  I started at a half mile, which you may laugh at,but after 3 days I up'd it to 3/4 and then the next week to 1 mile.  The first time I ran down the street after finishing the mile was a bit emotional because it was the first time in my life I had done so without walking.  Today was 6 times of running the mile and it is pathetically slow but I've managed to trim 2 minutes off my time.  I have also been doing about 50 minutes of floor and ball.  Now you need to also understand, I am not doing this totally of my own volition.  Kara is home for the summer and has taken on the role of my personal trainer or my "exercise Nazi".  She has mapped out my fitness plan for the next year with running increases every 2 weeks.  She's awesome even though I don't always "like" her in the moment.  #2 After years of WW I've decided to take a new approach to weight loss.  Changing things in my daily life that I can live with forever.  Spray butter, GONE! Lite tortillas, GONE! Fat-free cheese and Shiretake noodles, GONE! These were foods I associated with "dieting" and I did not like them.  In turn I'm choosing to control real foods that I eat.  I'm also incorporating other changes in my eating habits that I know I can live with.  It's been almost 3 weeks and I'm already seeing results.  So, I plan on using this blog to chronicle this journey I have begun.  I hope to share my ups and down and hopefully you guys can shares yours as well.  I feel that FINALLY I am on the road to a new and healthier me.