MY WATER GOAL + Big thanks to my Water Sgt Angie

Hey Yall!

So as Im approaching my 50lb lost goal, I am starting to think of some new changes I can make to add to my weightloss journey to be healthy.  One of my goals will be to increase my water intake even more so.

Even before I started this weightloss journey I was told I never drank enough water...and I knew I didnt drink enough water..to be honest I went days without drinking water.  Soda, milk, juice and if my body was lucky it got some tea. I just never liked water...even as a child. 

A few years ago in my last job, my coworker and friend Angie, who we can call my Water Captain, Water Pusher, Water Drill Sgt...whatever this girl keeps me in check with drinking my water. So since I started my journey and started getting serious in May ..she told me you have to drink more water..the same thing she has been trying to get drilled into my think skull for years.  So I did..I drank a whole bottle today woo hoo...I would go home so proud. It was just the beginning... she kept pressing drink more water, you have to drink more water..alright okay..i would say I will. I literally would forget to drink the bottle sitting right next to me.

So about a month or so ago I started increasing my water but it wasnt a for sure set of bottles at first but then I set on my goal being 3-4 bottles of water. It was a push to drink those water bottles..but Angie would send me emails and messages telling me all day... What bottle are you on?  oh your only on b1...chug! Get on it girl, drink more water!  You can do it..water!  All day.. and I needed that and still need it...and you know what she was right.  The weight falls off so much faster when you drink water. You feel so much better when you drink water.. I can tell now that my body has been needing it but before I would say but i dont feel thirsty....but my body feels different then it use to so I was hurting my body seriously bad by not giving it water something so easy. 

So now my schedule of water is a bottle of water in the morning before I eat anything.  Then when I get to work I consume 4 bottles with Angie harrassing me all day to drink them...but Im getting better.  I couldnt have done this without her she really helps me with this and I so appreciate it!  Something as simple as water, but for me it was a hard thing to overcome.  In the afternoon, I drink crystal light, water and sometimes tea. 

Today, I came to work with a new goal to try out.  I told Angie first thing this morning..I want to drink 5 bottles of water today instead of 3 or 4.  She said you can do it! Get on it!..lol.  I did....and then I discovered that it wasnt hard ...so when I reach my goal of losing 50lbs, increasing my water to 5 bottles during the day will be my new goal. 

Thanks Angie for never giving up on me! When you go on maternity leave I will need you to probably set up some type of message alert to remind me ..haha

Here are some great articles about drinking water and your body:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283
http://www.lifescript.com/health/conditions/dehydration/9_best_times_to_drink_water.aspx

40 Lbs Lost as of Today + Before/Now Pic

Hey Yall!

So today is offically 40lbs lost...I started this journey very slowly back in January 2012 and as of May 2012 I had lost 16lbs. 

In May, after having a very heart to heart with my doctor I knew I had to keep going and this was no longer a casual lose a few lbs thing it was CHANGE MY LIFESTYLE thing...and though my progress is slow its a good pace for me.  I feel good about the goals I have set for myself. My small goals are in 10 lb segments... My first big goal is to lose 50 lbs. I am 10 lbs away from that...

Here is a before and now picture, 40 lbs lighter. I tend to notice most of my change in my face and neck more than in my body in general. But I will start posting before and after pics soon of body pics.

Sorry pic is a little grainy.. My before and Now, 40lbs Lighter

My Weekly Menu

Hey Yall!

So I thought I might start  adding this segment to the blog where I post my menu for the week or what Im eating... Sometimes there will be pictures ..and sometimes there wont be lol.  WARNING: my healthy eating is just not a lot of fun..I keep it pretty basic and easy. As I continue to progress and get better at getting use to my new healthy lifestyle, I will increase the creativity. Also, most of my meals are preplanned and prepped on Sunday.  If you like I may start showing you what I do on Sunday if you are interested.

Monday
Breakfast- Breakfast Burrito with no tortilla
Lunch- Chicken Wrap (on the go in the car)
Dinner- Sandwich

Tuesday
Breakfast- 2 Egg Muffins ( I will post recipes later) and bottle of water
Lunch- Homemade Chicken Soup, my mommas recipe with no noodles
Dinner-Chicken Leg Quarter with a sweet potato with cinn.

Wednesday
Breakfast-2 Egg Muffins and water
Lunch-Homemade Chicken Soup
Dinner- Grilled Chicken Breast and roasted Stir Fry Veggies
Dessert-I am making Lemon cupcakes for a coworker's bday tomorrow so I will sample one lol..

Thursday
Breakfast-2 Egg Muffins and water
Lunch- Going to Lunch for Coworkers Bday
Dinner-Grilled Chicken Breast with Sweet Potato

Friday
Breakfast- 2 Egg Muffins and water
Lunch- Homemade Chicken Soup
Dinner- Undecided

So there you have it....I also try to drink one bottle of water every morning. I also have to friends who remind me all day to drink water..I try to drink at least 4-5 bottles while at work.  At home I will drink crystal light or tea.

Love ya!

My ON and my Off Days of Weightloss + when you cheat?

Hey Everyone!

Okay so a common question I have asked fellow friends and weightloss guru's are what do you do when you splurge or want to splurge?  Do you have days where you just say forget it I am eating fries?  Answers have ranged but it always goes back to allowing yourself moments where you eat something that isnt perfect so you dont end of freaking out on someone because they are eating a cupcake in front of you kind of situation.

So to avoid that kind of reaction from myself I have taken this under much consideration because for the most part I like to have a very strict diet plan..weightloss plan. For me..a person who has been overweight since I was about 6...thats right i wasnt always fat..there were those 6 years that I was on the thinner side..this girl even had a bikini..boo yah...

Me and my Nana..miss her dearly

So right now as I try to lose my weight..I stick to Monday through Friday I eat super low carb, high protein and watch my calories. Saturday and Sunday I allow myself cheat moments..not the whole day but moments. So if I know I want to cheat for dinner I will eat really good for breakfast and so on.  But this allows me to not want to dive into someones plate of pasta... I have liked this ratio.  It works for me right now.  It may not work for everyone..it may not be the best plan or idea but for a girl who has done it all its working for me now. Does it slow down the pounds...sure..but im still losing and I have my sanity. 

It really is awesome to find a plan that works for you. For me I count calories. Its strict...i konw what I cant go past.  I also have forced upon myself the rule of low to no carbs during the week.  It helps maintain a good blood sugar, I dont feel weighed down and even on the weekends I still wont go eat something insane like a never ending bowl of pasta.

 Have I cheated on the weekday and gone ate a burger..yes. I will admit it. Did I regret it afterwards? yes and i rarely regret things. But I didnt beat myself up over it. I came back to work after that non low carb lunch and drank the crap out of some water and decided to work out extra hard that night and keep going.  We make mistakes..we arent always perfect..that is something I have had to figure out of my years..I like perfection and control over my life. I cant be perfect all the time..but I can have control about what I eat and how I eat it... SO dont give up..dont beat yourself up over it..but do admit to yourself..own what you did and move on.  My cheat was today... My day of drinking water is right now..im chugging my 4th bottle of water as I type this..the workout thats gonna kick my butt and make me miss watching project runway tonight..is tonight!  But Im owning my mistake and moving on..tomorrow is another day!

Love ya!

My Stats Update and Before/Now Pic

hey everyone!

So I was talking to my friend the other day about when a plus size person loses weight its so much harder to see than when a thin person loses weight.  It takes so much more weight to come off to actually see a difference which can be frustrating but you just cant let it consume you. 

My stats:

 

Weight Lost: 39lbs as of today

 

 

Start Date: January 2012- May 2012.... Lost 16lbs

                  May 2012 -Current................. Lost 23lbs

Its been slow but steady since I started losing weight beginning in May.

So some of my friends have told me they can tell though that I am losing weight especially in my face and neck.  I was like oh okay great..it wasnt untill I started looking at some old pics at my heaviest weight that i could actually see a difference.



My heaviest, my 27th Bday

 

My Current Weight, 30 years old, Lost 39lbs.

 

 

I will post a pic page with all my before and afters and will contiue to update it as I lose weight.

 



My Weightloss Story 1

Hey Everyone!

So I have been pretty  much over weight my entire life.  I have never felt bad for being overweight..it was just a small detail to who I was and am.  I never felt left out or didnt get to be a part of something because I was the big girl in the group of skinny girls.  My story is not a sad one..I loved high school and college...I dont have a tragic story of being made fun of..and so because of that I grew up with high self confidence.  Not saying that people didnt do it behind my back...but it didnt affect me.

Fast forward to now, I am older, married and wanting to have a baby.  But lets be honest who should have a baby at my weight.  Not stating what that actual weight is but its wayyyy more than what I should be at.  So I have through out my life been on every diet plan known to man kind..probably twice. Atkins was my favorite, I lost 60lbs but then gained it all back on pasta and mexican food.

So about two years ago I decided to get a weight lost surgery.  I went to all my appts...was mentally prepared to finally do it and on my last appt I was told that I would have to pay 5K up front for my insurance to pay the whole thing..Say what ...say who???? Um no one told me this crapola when I started months ago.  Yah that girl must have forgot to tell you your insurance changed...so none the less they saw a very upset girl storm out of that place.  So after that I kind of just lived..didnt work out ..didnt eat right all the time.

So the new year came and I decided once again...my new years resolution was to lose weight.  I just moved into my new house with my husband and we have a work out area. So I slowly started eating better here and there..nothing extreme and I wasnt even weighing myself.  I went to the Dr. in April and she did some annual blood test on me and when I got the results we were happy with the fact I had lost weight since January but the blood test showed I was now diabetic. WTF!  Me but im only 30 and people way bigger than me are not even diabetic. I was so upet...I went from never takign medication to having to take meds. This is not me...and so I have since then started changing my lifestyle. I am not perfect, I still splurge but all on a different level. I no longer have the option to not lose weight..I have to lose weight for my health but also to be able to have a baby one day.  So though im losing it slowly and though sometimes I eat a hamburger ...if I splurge I get right back on track and keep going.  I will continue to update this blog on my weight issues, goals and updates.  As of today, Sept 12., I have lost 38lbs.  My long time goal is about 120 more lbs to go.  So my journey is long but Im taking it 10lbs at a time. 

Love ya, char