Oh yeah. LONG way. It’s amazing how gaining weight is like running down hill. It’s so easy to get there but when you want to turn around and go back up, it looks impossible. That’s certainly how I feel about how much weight I have allowed myself to gain and now I have to make that long hike back up to the top of my health and fitness. My bestest friend in the entire world is hosting a weight loss challenge here and you are welcome to join in on the *not so much* fun! Since I’m not feeling particularly creative this morning, I’m going to follow her template as far as putting my goals in writing my first post…
WHERE I’M AT NOW:
Hello. My name is MamaNut and I am 30 years old and carrying 265 pounds not so gracefully. That puts my BMI at 46.9 and is definitely in the obese category. According to whoever comes up with these numbers, my average weight for my height is between 104-141 pounds and I’m not even close.
I could offer excuses such as I have four children and a loving husband that demand much of my time and currently have a part-time job. However, the truth is that I choose what I make time for in my day and I choose to not make time for myself. I choose to eat only one meal most days and not exercise beyond my daily chores. None of this is good. In fact, I started working at a gym of all places a few months ago (in childcare) and have a free membership. Have I taken advantage of that? No. And I have access to personal trainers for advice and have I used that? Not really.
WHAT’S MY MOTIVATION YOU ASK?
Well, the fact that my knee bothers me almost daily and sometimes my shoulder should be enough on its own. I could add the fact that I’m not so fond of my hubby ‘admiring’ how pretty other women are and the fact that I certainly can’t expect my children to want to lead healthy lives if I’m not setting the example for them. And since we homeschool I’m also responsible for their fitness activities and haven’t done such a great job thus far.
Bottom line is that I do want to feel the way I did 10 years ago because I felt great being able to run and play in the park or go hiking or just buy clothes in the latest fashions at any store in the mall. Not to mention that being so heavy has kept me from enjoying high heels.
SO, HOW AM I GOING TO GET FROM HERE TO THERE?
Good question. However, after speaking to the trainers that I have the opportunity to speak with on a daily basis, I’m going to start by making sure that I’m drinking enough water and eating at least three times a day with a goal of five smaller meals. I will use the water chart that I have made for my children and put it up on the wall so that I can mark out each 8oz. cup. I found a ‘how much water to drink’ calculator that is quite thorough and I should be drinking 108.4 oz. of water per day on a healthy diet with 30 min. of exercise per day and 135.5 oz. as I am now. That’s quite a bit of water! I’ve been adding Crystal Light to some of my water to change it up a bit. According to the consensus, just by adding 30 minutes of moderate activity (AKA cardio) and eating at least 3 healthy meals plus meeting my water quota I should be able to shed at least 20 pounds and possibly more because of my size. Now, that’s just for the first month. After that it won’t be such a large number but I’m okay with that. I intend on using some meal replacement shakes to keep me on track as well as the support of you guys. This is what I have set out to accomplish for this month and for me that’s quite a bit!
RESOURCES TO OFFER?
Well, I’ll do a bit of advertising for some folks here. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. 
My Gym: Next Level Fitness Club
A GREAT Trainer: My Coach Oscar I don’t have a personal trainer but I do get some great tips from this one
Information and Calculators: About.com’s Nutrition section
Meal Replacements: EAS Myoplex Lite
NOW WHAT?
Well, now I finish up my post and get to it. I will add pictures later but after I’m out of my pj’s… Let’s battle our weight issues and conquer! (Insert battle cry here)
