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Friday, January 28, 2011

Myth vs Fact


Myth #1: Fad diets work for permanent weight loss.


Fact: Fad diets are not the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Fad diets often promise quick weight loss or tell you to cut certain foods out of your diet. You may lose weight at first on one of these diets. But diets that strictly limit calories or food choices are hard to follow. Most people quickly get tired of them and regain any lost weight.


Fad diets may be unhealthy because they may not provide all of the nutrients your body needs. Also, losing weight at a very rapid rate (more than 3 pounds a week after the first few weeks) may increase your risk for developing gallstones (clusters of solid material in the gallbladder that can be painful). Diets that provide less than 800 calories per day also could result in heart rhythm abnormalities, which can be fatal.Tip: Research suggests that losing ½ to 2 pounds a week by making healthy food choices, eating moderate portions, and building physical activity into your daily life is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. By adopting healthy eating and physical activity habits, you may also lower your risk for developing:



  • type 2 diabetes

  • heart disease

  • high blood pressure


Myth #2: High-protein/low-carbohydrate diets are a healthy way to lose weight.


Fact: The long-term health effects of a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet are unknown. But getting most of your daily calories from high-protein foods like meat, eggs, and cheese is not a balanced eating plan. You may be eating too much fat and cholesterol, which may raise heart disease risk. You may be eating too few fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which may lead to constipation due to lack of dietary fiber. Following a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet may also make you feel:



  • nauseous

  • tired

  • weak

Eating fewer than 130 grams of carbohydrate a day can lead to the buildup of ketones (partially broken-down fats) in your blood. A buildup of ketones in your blood (called ketosis) can cause your body to produce high levels of uric acid, which is a risk factor for gout (a painful swelling of the joints) and kidney stones. Ketosis may be especially risky for pregnant women and people with diabetes or kidney disease.


Tip: High-protein/low-carbohydrate diets are often low in calories because food choices are strictly limited, so they may cause short-term weight loss. But a reduced-calorie eating plan that includes recommended amounts of carbohydrate, protein, and fat will also allow you to lose weight. By following a balanced eating plan, you will not have to stop eating whole classes of foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables—and miss the key nutrients they contain. You may also find it easier to stick with a diet or eating plan that includes a greater variety of foods.


Myth #3: Starches are fattening and should be limited when trying to lose weight.


Fact: Many foods high in starch, are low in fat and calories such as:

  • bread

  • rice

  • pasta

  • cereals

  • beans

  • fruits

  • some vegetables (like potatoes and yams)

They become high in fat and calories when eaten in large portion sizes or when covered with high-fat toppings like butter, sour cream, or mayonnaise. Foods high in starch (also called complex carbohydrates) are an important source of energy for your body.



Tip: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating 6 to 11 servings a day, depending on your calorie needs, from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group—even when trying to lose weight. Pay attention to your serving sizes—one serving is equal to 1 slice of bread, 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of pasta, rice, or cooked cereal. Try to avoid high-fat toppings and choose whole grains, like:

  • whole wheat bread

  • brown rice

  • oatmeal

  • bran cereal

Choose other starchy foods that are high in dietary fiber too, like beans, peas, and vegetables.


Myth #4: Certain foods, like grapefruit, celery, or cabbage soup, can burn fat and make you lose weight.


Fact: No foods can burn fat. Some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism (the way your body uses energy, or calories) for a short time, but they do not cause weight loss.


Tip: The best way to lose weight is to cut back on the number of calories you eat and be more physically active.


Myth #5: Natural or herbal weight loss products are safe and effective.


Fact: A weight loss product that claims to be "natural" or "herbal" is not necessarily safe. These products are not usually scientifically tested to prove that they are safe or that they work. For example, herbal products containing ephedra have caused serious health problems and even death. Newer products that claim to be ephedra-free are not necessarily danger-free, because they may contain ingredients similar to ephedra.


Tip: Talk with your health care provider before using any weight loss product. Some natural or herbal weight loss products can be harmful.


Bottom Line: There is no "quick and easy" way to drop weight. It took you time to put it on, it'll take you time to get it off again. The best way to lose weight is to eat healthy and exercise (talk to your health care provider before beginning any exercise program, and it's best to talk to your health care provider about what kind of foods you should be eating as well).


What are some myths/facts you've heard about weight loss?

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Injuries & Fine Tuning

Weight: 198
Exercise Hrs: 0


Another week...and still no exercise to speak of. Sigh. The leg is improving to the point I am going to try and start riding the stationary bike. Last week when I thought things were getting better...well they were and then they weren't. I wrote the post on Wednesday night and things were getting better. I went to work Thursday and wore heels. Somewhere over the course of the day I managed to strain my ankle causing it to swell up and (since I was doing a fair amount of walking) then my thigh and knee started hurting again. :( My leg was swelling and hurt a lot.

In the end I am just starting to feel better. I went to a conference on Tuesday and walked around for two hours. Then Wednesday I was walking all over the campus at work. So even though I am saying 0 for hours of exercise, I did do some.

Food. Well, I realized that I was being too restrictive which is why I couldn't stick with the diet. I needed more calories per day to be satisfied and not starving my body. After checking out a few websites I bumped my calories up from 1200 to about 1500 a day. A small but very helpful change. Most days I am managing to actually eat fewer calories due to the little bit of "exercise" I am getting. So, there it is. I can't say I am doing well yet, but I think once I can exercise again I will see some progress.

How about you? Any fine tuning to your original plan?

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Another week....with results....


Hi everyone! Well, it’s been a week since my last post and I have good news. I’ve dropped a few more pounds.

Starting weight: 210 lb

Last week: 204.6 lb

This week: 201.2 lb

It racks up quickly when you gain it but takes a lot longer to shed it. I’m happy though. I’m still going to the gym 5 days a week and don’t want to go most days but I make myself.  I’m pretty much doing all cardio on the treadmill and elliptical.

Today along with my usual 3 mile walk and 5 to 10 mins on the elliptical, I tried to run. I only made it 1/10th of a mile before I felt like I was going to collapse. I would like to be able to run a mile non-stop by time summer gets here.

I remember Shiloh Walker tweeting that she started running 1/8th of a mile when she first started and now she can run 3 miles. Also, she’s got a really bad case of asthma. She said “If I can do it, Anyone can do it.” When you say you can’t it just means you don’t want to. (Sorry if I got that exact words wrong Shiloh….I got your point though)

Friday I have an appointment with Megan, my trainer. She’s going to help me set up a strength training routine and also talk to me some more about nutrition. That’s something I’m really interested in learning more about. I’ve set up a quick start program with her. It’s 3 training sessions for $99 dollars.

She was telling me yesterday that she allows her clients to have 4 cheat days a month and also expects them to lose between 6 and 8 pounds a month. So far I’m on track. I only allow myself to have one meal a week that is a cheat. Normally it’s half a cheeseburger with some French fries or a couple slices of cheese pizza. It’s amazing how good it tastes after eating healthy all week. :)

That’s about it for this week. As far as my quitting smoking, I am now 26 days smoke-free. Yay!!!

Before I go....I thought I’d list a few songs that are currently on my workout mix on my iPod.
  • Hey Baby (drop it to the floor) – Pitbull (feat. T-Pain)
  • In My Head – Mayday Parade
  • Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas
  • Club Can’t Handle Me – Flor Rida  (feat. David Guetta)
  • We R Who We R – Ke$sha
  • Break Your Heart – Taio Cruz (feat. Ludacris)
  • Only Girl (In the World) – Rihanna

 What songs do you listen to when you workout?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Failing the Challenge

Weight: 198
Exercise Hrs: 0
Calories for the week: ????k/9,600k


Well, the week was a bomb. I ate badly thanks to a misunderstanding with DH. Apparently he thought I was only dieting during the week. Pppfffttt. Still not exercising, and yes I gained a pound back. Sigh. Mostly the week sucked because I still haven't exercised, but I hope to get that moving in the next few days. The good news is...I still haven't had a drop of alcohol since the 5th! Woo hoo! Boy am I gonna be an easy drunk on Valentine's Day. LOL!

So, the week wasn't so great for me. But this is a new period and I am going to move forward, stay focused, and try to slowly start my exercise up. The leg is feeling much better and that means I am going to try a slow and easy return to exercising. My first goal is to get on the stationary bike and start pedaling. A few days of that and I think I will be able to move on to Billy Blanks and my regular workout schedule. Hopefully once I do that I will start to see some weight come off. Until then, there ain't much to say except I'm still fat.

So come and share with the group: What challenges have you faced since 2011 started? How have you dealt with them? Until next week, may your weight loss efforts be more fruitful than mine!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Progress


Hi! I’m super excited today. I’ve lost a little more weight! Although it’s not coming off quickly, it is coming off.

Starting weight: 210 lb

Last week: 206.8 lb

This week: 204.6 lb

I’ve been faithfully going to the gym everyday except for Saturday and Sunday. Those are my two days off. I try to walk the treadmill at least 3 miles each day and do the elliptical 10 minutes or more. Some days I really don’t want to go but I make myself. What’s the saying? No pain….No gain….

Today, I walked my usual 3 miles with an incline of 3 and then I was able to make it 30 minutes on the elliptical machine at a higher setting. I loathe the elliptical but it does work more muscles than just walking.

Anyhow, I’m supposed to work with a trainer again in a couple of weeks. She’s going to help me get a strength training routine together and also answer nutritional questions I have.



After the first of the year I changed my eating habits drastically. I haven’t had fried food in 2 weeks. I drink at least 4 bottles of water per day and I’m eating more fruit and veggies then I ever have.

To try and stay on track, I’ve decided I’m going to have one day a week where I get to eat one meal that’s not strictly healthy. I love pizza! It’s my favorite food ever and I can’t imagine not ever eating again.

Anyway, that’s what up with me this week. How’s your week going so far?

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Guest Blogger - @nettagyrl

Hello all. My first time as a guest blogger, but not new to the blogging world. I am excited about the start of 2011, though it has started off a tad bittersweet for me. My mini personal sadness has created a fire in me. I am turning 40 this year and I want to do many things, such as travel, run a marathon, and just feel better about myself in general.

So I’ve decided it starts with me getting my butt off the couch and exercising and cutting back on alcohol and food. I’ve been on so many diets that I am refusing to call this a diet, instead it is a lifestyle change. I’ve started walking this past week and already I feel tons better. I just ordered the Power 90 exercise dvds and will workout with my 19 year old. I want to do this right. I was on the shake diet in 2005, which consisted of me drinking 5 protein shakes a day for 6 mos. I lost the weight but I was not exercising and I had a serious body image issue. So now I am taking it one day at a time to get to where I want to be.

I am glad to be able to talk about it and bring you along on my journey.

http://zestynachos.blogspot.com
http://eroticinterlude.blogspot.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-5465-Erotica-and-Romance-Books-Examiner

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Two Weeks In...

Weight: 197
Exercise Hrs: 0
Calories for the week: 9,062k/9,600k



Created by MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Well, I am still nursing my leg back to health so I have a big fat 0 for my exercise. I of course have walked around work when required which did some light calorie burning, but I have done nothing that I am willing to claim as real exercise. I am hoping to get things started slowly this week. Maybe a walk or bike ride after work...very slowly!

Food-wise I have done pretty well. I must say I missed food! I was surprised at how nice it is to eat lunch and not just slurp it down in 30 seconds. I have stuck with soup and salad this week for lunch and quickie toast for breakfast because I am on a crazy schedule due to training.

The good news is, despite my lack of real exercise I have lost 3lbs! Woot! Woot! It feels good to see progress. It certainly makes the ban on alcohol worth it. I feel like that has made a difference. If I continue to see a decline in weight I may consider extending the ban...well, I'll talk that one over with DH since that would include Valentine's Day. :) Even if I don't extend it, I will be seriously curtailing any drinking and really avoiding the extra calories unless there is a good reason to have a drink.

I am not sure what the calories consumed metric is good for, except showing that I am staying on target. I'll see how that goes and decide if I really want to track it.

MyFitnessPal.com has some great tools for you to use if you are trying to loose weight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools

I think that is all there is to report for now. I will see you all next week, and remember to keep at it!


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Elliptical is evil!


Yes, you read that right. I have a love/hate relationship with this machine. I finally took the plunge and joined the gym here in town on Sunday. I figure for $10.00 bucks a month it’s going to be worth it. They have all kinds of different machines available provided you go when everyone else isn’t already there. Since I’m a SAHM (stay at home mom), I try to get to the gym between 11:00 and 2:00. It seems there aren’t as many people there during that time.

Anyway, I started working out on Monday and have been everyday since. (I know it's only been three days lol) 

Monday, I got to work with a trainer and got all my measurements and my weight etc.  The club offers a free evaluation with a trainer once a month for three months. My trainer’s name is Megan and she’s really nice but man did she ever wear me out.

I went from practically no exercise to right into a ½ mile warm up walk, to 10 minutes on the elliptical machine (I’m telling you that machine is evil), to doing free weights, squats and pushups.  That woman wore me out within a half hour. By the time I left there, I was covered in sweat, out of breath and ready to crash.

During the time Megan and I were talking, she asked when how often I planned on working out. I told her Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. She proceeded to tell me that I needed to work out 5 days a week and two of those needed to include strength training. There went my plan of getting by with 3 days.

She also gave me some good nutritional information. I have already made major changes with my diet at the first of the year. I quit drinking soda, eating junk food, fried food and overall just about anything that isn’t good for you. I’ve never been much of a breakfast person but make myself eat a big breakfast. I try to eat cereal that is high in fiber, a glass of milk and a piece of fruit. I am eating six times a day. I eat three regular meals and three snacks throughout the day. I can definitely notice that I have more energy which is a good thing and I feel much better.

I have approximately 70 pounds total to lose to get to my goal weight of 140 pounds. Things are off to a good start. On Monday, I weighed in at 206.8 pounds meaning that I have dropped 4 pounds in a week’s time. I just need to make sure I stay on track with both healthy eating and getting to the gym 5 days a week.

Do you work out? How often do you work out and how long do you spend doing so?

PS: Back to the Elliptical being evil. If you’ve never been on one, you need to try it out. The ones we have at my gym not only work your legs and butt but also your arms. Some don’t do the arms. There are a couple like that at my gym that nobody uses. I can only go 10 minutes on a setting of 2 and 2. It totally wears me out. I’m hoping by next week I can make it 15 minutes along with my usual 3 to 4 mile walk. We shall see. Hope your having a great week!

PSS: I am officially smoke free for 12 days now!!!! :D

Friday, January 7, 2011

Eating & losing weight

I was pondering on what to write about today when Tyhada asked on Twitter which diet she should follow: low-fat, low-carb, or low-calorie? So, thank you Tyhada, for giving me the idea on what to write about today.

Low Fat Diets
When people begin to watch their weight, they typically start buying things marked "low fat" believing that they're going to watch the pounds start melting away. While it is true that you should consume less fat, it's not true that things marked "low fat" are necessarily any better for you. In fact, many manufacturers will put more sugar, sodium, etc into the product in order to replace the taste they feel is missing by reducing the fat content. So you have to watch the calorie content as well as the sugar and sodium content when buying food.
Bottom line: Good idea in theory, but doesn't actually work unless you're counting everything else as well.

No/Low Carb Diets
Cutting carbs is a good way to drop weight quickly, or jumpstart your diet, and/or get over that hurdle if you've plateaued. But if you cut out carbs altogether (for a long period of time), your ketone level can rise exponentially, causing a potentially fatal case of ketoacidosis. Studies have also shown that remaining on the no carb diet for extended periods of time can damage your heart. It can also cause constipation, diarrhea, halitosis (bad breath), headaches, and fatigue, which are relatively minor symptoms in comparison.

When Monkey was 2, her doctor sent her to the nutritionist, convinced that I wasn't feeding her enough because she was slightly underweight. There's a whole story to this, but in an attempt to make a log story short: she's always been a small child, but after a series of bad ear infections that landed her in the OR to have tubes placed twice, she lost a bit of weight and had trouble putting it back on. Anyway. The nutritionist had me give a list of the foods she ate as well as portion size. He determined that the referring physician was "an idiot" and asked me if I wanted to talk about anything else. I asked him about a food plan for me, since I was having problems dropping weight despite exercising and eating right. He recommended a low carb diet. For meals, I could have 45 carbs. For each gram of fiber I ate in the meal, I was allowed to subtract a carb, thereby giving myself a higher amount of carbs per meal if I loaded up on the fiber. For snacks, I was allowed 30 carbs. It may not seem like a lot, but believe me, it is. When you're eating that much fiber, you feel full. While following this diet, I did manage to drop 20 pounds. But I'm not sure it's a diet I could follow forever.

The NuLean diet that I was on over Thanksgiving? It's a different version of the Atkins diet. They give you a ton of vitamins and a protein shake to keep you going, but you're not allowed to be on it any longer than a month at a time. I lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks and dropped like 5 inches, which was great, but I felt like I was starving all the time. Probably because I didn't know that I was allowed more than just lettuce, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli, but still. Even eating all that fiber, I was hungry. Why? Because I got bored of eating the same foods all the time and my stomach got upset at the mere thought of shoveling more cabbage into my mouth. 2 weeks is the limit for me, and honestly I'd only do it if I was having trouble getting over the plateau again.

Low Cal Diets
The average person burns 2000 calories a day. This person, of course, gets up and moves around occasionally and doesn't just sit on the couch or in bed all day, but you get the point. The law of calorie burning goes like this: if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. Sounds easy, right? Well, it kinda is...

With the invention of the cellphone/computer app, counting calories has become the easiest diet I've ever been on. Even easier than counting carbs, which I've yet to find an app for. You have to set a realistic calorie per day goal (anything less than 1000 per day is bad for you and can seriously harm your body if done long term) and follow it. When I first started working out with my trainer, he put me on a diet of 1950 calories a day, then reduced it slowly while my body got used to taking in fewer calories. I try to eat about 1650 now, but I've been a bad girl and blaming it on the holidays, so I've been going over that. *shameface*

It's a lifestyle change -- not a diet!
Dieting has become kind of a bad word these days. "I can't eat that. I'm on a diet." Actually, your diet is what your food intake consists of, not what you're eating (example: when Tom Hanks was stranded on that island in Castaway, his diet consisted primarily of fish and crab). Eating a cookie every now and then won't kill you. In fact, if you don't give into temptation now and then, you're far more likely to eat the entire bag of cookies, rather than the 1 or 2 you would've eaten otherwise. So what should you eat? Here's a handy-dandy list that my trainer gave me, with a few of my own comments thrown in (cause I have something to say about everything, don't I? lol)

Meats - you want to stick to lean proteins. Chicken, turkey, fish... some pork. Occasionally. Red meat? Once a week. Maybe. Eating too much red meat clogs your arteries and makes you a walking heart attack waiting to happen. Substitute the ground beef for ground turkey when you want a burger. Only have a steak once in a while. There are thousands of recipes out there to make chicken, fish, turkey, and pork new and interesting while still being healthy. Try them. Oh, and the fish? Salmon is a great source of Omega-3s, but they're also a fatty fish. So no more than once a week. It's a good idea to stick to the white fish like tilapia.

Fruits - Bananas, no more than once a day. They're a good source of potassium, but like salmon, they're fatty. Apples are great, as long as you only eat one at a time. Eating 2 apples is like eating a Hershey's chocolate bar with the amount of sugar contained in them. Yes, it's a natural sugar, but it's still sugar. Everything in proportion. Fruits are good for you, as long as you don't go overboard.

Veggies - You know how your mom always told you to eat your greens? She was right. Green veggies are fantastic for you. They're high in fiber, low in calories and carbs, and give you energy. There are other colors in the vegetable spectrum, of course (purple eggplant, green zucchini, yellow squash...) and you should eat those as well, but be like Popeye and gobble your spinach down so you can grow up big and strong (though not with those weird arms).

Dairy - You need it! But instead of reaching for the whole milk, try cutting it down to 2%. You might not like it initially, but it cuts out quite a bit of milk fat and calories. Cheese is good for you, but don't eat too much of it or you'll stop yourself up. Yogurt is good for your figure as well, not to mention the added benefit of what it can do for your digestive system and your girly parts.

Breads & pasta - Contrary to popular belief, they are not the devil! You just need to stay away from the bleached and enriched versions. You want whole grain wheat bread and pasta. The bread that says "# grain"? (ours is 7) Grab it. Learn to love it. Just don't go overboard cause 1 slice can be 100+ calories. Whole wheat pasta does take some time to get used to, I'll admit. It's a different texture. But it's so much better for you. I've been eating it for about 4 years, and now any time I have regular pasta, I get a stomachache.

Nuts - Raw almonds (ones that haven't been toasted, salted, honey roasted, etc) are good for you. But they're high in fat, so you should stick to a handful at most. They're a good snack in between meals because they're high in protein and fiber, which makes you feel full.

Remember the Food Pyramid? Turns out the guys knew what they were talking about when they created it. Go figure.

I know this was a long post, and thanks for sticking around for it. Next time it won't be as long, I promise!

What kind of "diet" are you following? What are your favorite healthy (and non-healthy) foods?

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Reflections, Beer, & Cupcakes...

It’s 2011, a new year. I am not making any resolutions about dieting and weight loss per se. Instead, I am examining past behavior, seeing where I have failed in the past, and looking for ways to change the patterns that led to failure. In addition, I am planning to make some changes in how I report progress…shoot in how I track progress. Okay, I am actually going to track progress this year. :D

My dad is a historian. As a result, I am a firm believer that a failure to understand history is to doom one’s self to repeat it. I don’t want to keep making the same mistakes, so I must look back and reflect on 2010. Where did I go wrong? What could I do differently and maybe find success? I think there are a few key areas where I broke down or was faced with an insurmountable challenge. I made some bad food choices, I failed to diversify my exercise plan, and I am guilty of using crutches.

First, I have some well documented weaknesses in the food department. Most notably beer and cupcakes. No! I don’t often- well, ever –have them together. Gross! I do like a beer or three with my dinner. As of Monday (Jan 3rd) I am off the sauce for 30 days. After that I will keep all alcohol to a minimum. I will be very selective about when and what I choose to indulge in. Cupcakes. This one is trickier. I don’t know how to deal with this except to indulge the craving once in a while to keep it at bay. My real weak spot is when people at work drop a dozen in the kitchen. Those are the days I will have to dig deep and suck it up (no, I don’t mean the cupcakes!). I’ll need my #Twitloss community on those days to help keep me focused on the goal.

Second, is exercise. Gah! I detest this. I have to keep a stable of options available to myself to mix it up. So, I am expanding the Tae Bo tapes and Shimmy episodes to incorporate my stationary bike and running. DH is setting up his free weights, so I may throw a little strength training into the mix too. I just need to work out 45min a pop four days a week. That’s the goal.

My last mistake is the use of crutches. Not actual crutches, but metaphorical ones. First the Topamax. As we speak I am weaning myself off it. I have had no weight loss and no reduction of headaches. I have had all kinds of stupid side effects that I will enumerate in another post. (This one is plenty long as it is!) The next crutch to go: Diet Shakes. They don’t work. I am going back to food and focusing on healthy choices. I want more fruits and vegetables, chicken, fish, and whole grains. I am hoping these choices will lead to both weight loss and a healthier me, because right now I am feeling very rundown. I feel physically like a 75 year old despite being only 35. That is not good!

Reporting will also start happening this year. I have a new tool. Ha! I know, I know. I am trying out MyFitnessPal (free in the Android Market). Supposedly it will work with my barcode scanner on my phone and I can track exercise and water intake. I’ll let you know how it goes. My goal is to report each week on total calories consumed vs. total burned and how much exercise I did. At the bottom of this post I will update all of my measurements, show changes from my start in 2010 (don’t expect much), and then provide quarterly updates.

Here is where I stand:

Year Height Weight Waist Hips Thigh Bicep
2010 5'9" 197 41" 47" 281/8" 141/4"
2011 5'9" 199 402/8" 461/2" 28" 136/8"

So I can't say that 2010 was a wild success for my weight loss efforts, but I didn't do as bad as I expected. And I certainly see it as a springboard into this year.

Now, I've laid out my plan for 2011. How about you? Got any plans for success in the new year?

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Happy New Year!

Hi! I’m new here at the Twitloss blog and really excited to be a part of this wonderful group of ladies.

Here’s a little about me….

I’m a single (divorced) mama with three amazing kids. Yes, they really are amazing. They can drive me crazy in no time flat when they start bickering but I wouldn’t have them any other way.

I’ve been divorced for almost 4 years now. After the divorce was final I decided to lose some weight and get in shape. I joined weight watchers, dropped 30+ lbs and was starting to look and feel better about myself. I was happy with the weight I lost but somehow things have gotten out of hand again and I’ve gained back what I lost and then some.

My awesome BF bought me a Wii Fit Plus for Christmas. No, he doesn’t think I’m fat, he says I could way 600 lbs and he would still love me. (what a guy) I actually asked for him for it since I loathe exercising and I’m hoping the Wii Fit will be fun and I won’t actually think I’m exercising. We’ll see how it goes.

Another tidbit about me is that I use to smoke. I haven’t smoked a cigarette since December 31st, 2010 and although it’s very hard...I don’t ever want to start back up.

I’ve smoked since I was 13 (I’m 39 now) and it’s really taken a toll on my health. I have breathing problems and you would think I would have quit before now. Actually, I’ve quit several times in the past but something always happened and I started smoking again.

This time I really, really want to quit for good. It’s a hasty habit, it stinks, is expensive and I’m looking forward to using the money I save to buy more books. :)

I’ve heard that once a person quits smoking they tend to gain weight and I’m sure this will happen to me but I’m hoping to make better meal and snack choices to keep the extra weight at bay.

So, that’s a little about me. I’m really looking forward to 2011. I want to get healthy, fit and live life to the fullest.

~Tyhada
 

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