02/12/2013 @ 10:14am (PDT)

Well…I did it!  I hopped on the scale.

I was talking to Jeff on the way home from work and let him know my thoughts on stepping on the scale.  He had gained about 15 pounds over the last two months, but I tend to eat a lot more crap than he does.  I figured at MINIMUM, I gained 25.  Worst case scenario, I gained all the weight back plus some.

I didn’t REALLY think I had gained THAT much because my pants were be bursting off of me, but I could tell that I gained weight when we went clothes shopping the other day – Thankfully most of the weight I gained seemed to be in the chest region and not in the stomach region – I was at a size 26 and when I started this, I was about a 30.

Either way, super nervous, and I didn’t want to step on it but needed to so I could see what I was working with.

I thought my last weigh-in was 333 – Turns out that I was incorrect.  My last weigh in was 326 or so.

341.6 was the first weight that came up.  Surely that must have been a mistake – While it was still about 8 pounds from where I thought I was (16.6 pounds from where I actually was), I thought I gained more than that.

I stepped back on the scale FIVE more times and it turns out that the 341.6 WAS a mistake…

I was actually down to 336.4!!!

I only gained 10 pounds bringing my current weight loss to 26.2 pounds.

Needless to say, I am QUITE happy that I don’t have to do ALL the work that first 26.2 pounds took me.  It’s a good starting ground and it keeps me only 36.4 pounds from me getting an iPad!  :)

So now we’re back with dieting…We started Power 90 yesterday…We can do this!

We are changing a couple of things this time around – The first of which is doing Power 90 only five days a week and no level-up for the first 90 days.  If I stick with that, I’ll do it “right” the second time around.  Lord knows I won’t be ready for P90X by then.  :)

The other thing we’re changing is cheat days.  At LEAST one every two weeks but only if I stay under my points. 

If my cheat day consists of just an iced coffee and being “bad” on ONE meal, I’ll allow myself one cheat day per week.  If my cheat day consists of three fried meals, doughnuts, and every other junk food known to man, I get NO MORE than one cheat day every two weeks.  If I go too crazy and notice I’m not losing weight, it might be one cheat day per month.

Overall, I think this will help me stick with things longer but will also allow me to be able to go out and enjoy food that I love and still be able to go out to eat with friends and MAYBE eat a piroshky from Piroshky Piroshky at Pike Place Market.  :)

02/06/2013 @ 12:52pm (PST)

I just read an article about NJ Governor Chris Christie and the fact that one of the former doctor’s at the White House wanted to see him run for President, but was worried he was going to die because of his weight.

Now, I know that there’s a lot of “bad things” that can happen from being overweight, but when did being overweight become an automatic death sentence without knowing someone’s history?

I am significantly overweight, but other than a bout of asthma and high blood pressure, I’m perfectly healthy.

I realize that asthma and high blood pressure are major issues, but as far as the asthma goes, I was admitted to the hospital after a bad case of pneumonia – That had nothing to do with my weight. As far as the blood pressure goes, that runs in my family, it could be that it has nothing to do with my weight.

I recently had a FULL exam done, complete with blood panel and everything, and I am healthy. I’m remarkably healthy for someone of my size.

I’m off all asthma meds, my good cholesterol is high, my bad cholesterol is just a touch above where it should be but considering my weight is damn good, my iron is good (I’ve been boarderline anemic in the past), my blood sugar panels came back great, my heart is perfectly healthy, and while my blood pressure is a bit high, it’s down from where it was.

Contrary to popular beliefs about fat people, I don’t just sit around all day and eat junk food. I struggle with exercise, no joke, but that doesn’t mean I’m not healthy. It doesn’t mean I’m a ticking time bomb.

Jeff, my boyfriend, is still overweight, but I thought I was healthy, he’s damn near perfect! In fact, his only issue is some gall bladder issues that probably resulted after he lost 180+ pounds! He’s still a touch overweight but he’s also not a ticking time bomb.

I’m all about kids learning proper eating habits, exercise habits, and nipping the obesity in the bud, but I’m just sad that now being fat is an automatic death sentence.

I’m probably never going to be “skinny”. I don’t want to be. I would like to be healthy and I would like to do certain things that just aren’t possible for a person of my size – Like riding a roller coaster, sky diving, zip lining, etc – But until I get there, don’t treat me like I’m going die just because I’m fat.

I’m losing weight and working on a “Lifestyle Change”because *I* want to – Not because my boyfriend wants me to, not because society says I should, and certainly not because I think I’m a ticking time bomb.

End rant.

---------------------------

Added 02/08/2013:

Now this doctor is complaining because Chris Christie called her and yelled at her. She is rethinking his ability to be President one day because he wasn't very nice to her.

REALLY?!?!

You're going to talk about someone's weight that you've never met and the fact that they are going to die and you're upset because he yelled at you?

Hate to tell you, but I once yelled at my OWN doctor that I had gone to see when he told me the first thing I need to do was lose weight. This was a doctor that *I* chose to go see but before he took my family history or ANYTHING, he was telling me I should lose weight. I solicitated his opinion but he formed a judgement about me based on weight and I yelled at him.

I saw GOOD FOR HIM for yelling at you! You had NO RIGHT to talk about someone based on their looks alone.

---------------------------

Added 04/15/2013:

Because I think Chris Christie is AWESOME, I wrote to him and asked him for an autographed picture.  HE SENT IT!

My dad got me into collecting autographs and pictures from Presidents and other government officials - He has Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Governors as far back as Eisenhower.  I have them as far back as Gerald R. Ford.

Chris Christie's is the first one I've gotten from a state I don't live in.

YAY!

02/05/2013 @ 8:25am (PST)

HOLY MOLY!  It’s been almost two months since my last update.

I wish I could say that I’ve been good and that I’m down another 40 pounds, but that is most likely NOT the case.

Here’s what went on:

I flew out to Seattle, did not make the best choices, but didn’t go crazy either.  I had some fried fish on Saturday with the interviewers but other than that, all healthy food.  (We’ll talk more about Seattle later).

I came back home and then we pretty much left for my parents’ house for almost two weeks. 

Needless to say, we were NOT good there.  Like…At all.  We ate a TON of crap – Jeff made Beef Wellington with his homemade 5-cheese grown up Mac-and-Cheese and Red Velvet Cheesecake for Christmas Eve dinner…Then his chicken alfredo for Christmas dinner…And that wasn’t even all of it!  We probably gained all the weight back just in those two weeks.

While we were at my parents, I began negotiations with the Seattle company to start a job!!!  We countered back and forth a few times, but we both agreed!  Jeff then began packing and we left Michigan on January 9th!

Needless to say, during the packing, the journey and since being here, we haven’t worked out or dieted at all.  I have no idea how much weight I’ve gained because Jeff just found the scale.

We were going to start working out last week but I had some…Er…Personal issues and had horrible cramps and felt like crap for a week.  Then we were going to start yesterday, but I’m getting sick.  I LITERALLY had no voice yesterday or today. 

That said, as soon as my voice comes back and I’m feeling better, we ARE going to get back with our “Lifestyle Change” but it’s going to be difficult.

The first three to four weeks are always the hardest for me and I’ve been out of it so long that I don’t want to do it.  The problem is that I HAVE to – My asthma has started acting up again and only part of it is because of the elevation change.  I would imagine that I’ve gained back all my weight and the elevation change is only the icing on the cake.

We did decide to change things up a little in order to actually stick with it – Because this is a new city with new food and new things to do, we are having a “cheat” day once every two weeks where we won’t count calories.  We won’t go crazy and eat five fried meals, but we are going to eat something local, that we want to eat, and not worry.  The kicker is that we only get the cheat day if we don’t cheat during the two weeks.  I think this will really help me stick with, but we’ll see!  :)

As soon as my voice is back, I'll be updating my weight tickets (as found at the top of the screen) and then getting back with this.

My new goal is to lose (and keep off) 50 pounds the end of July.  It'll be tough, but I know I can do it if I put my mind to it - It's only 10 pounds per month...I CAN DO IT.  :)