Week 1 Complete

Today was the big week #1 weigh-in for the at-work WW program.  Ultimately, I had a bit of an unfair edge...last week I succumbed to the illness that has been floating in and out of my office for a couple weeks.  Said illness sent me into a fevered state and removed any and all appetite I had.  Even if I wanted to eat, the nonstop coughing would have probably prevented that.  At any rate, a 5-day long diet of jell-o and chicken noodle soup meant I wasn't afraid of the scale this week.  In fact, I recorded what is sure to be my record week's weight-loss and posted a -8.6 pound difference.  That's right...more than a pound a day was lost. 

But now that I'm on the road to recovery, I'm actually going to have to start sticking with the WW program and see what I can do for myself on this thing.  Here's to hoping for at least a 2 pound loss in week #2 so I can reach my first goal: -10 pounds!!!  *fingers crossed*

And so it begins...again

A Wednesday lunchtime hour weigh-in for WW is a blessing and a curse.  It's a blessing because it's far enough away from the weekend that I'll still have a chance to see a loss on the scale if I fall of the bandwagon on the weekend.  It's a curse because, well, I have to weigh in!  Today it began...but not until after I'd done a little morning binge.  Yes, that's right.  I wanted to weigh in heavy to guarantee a first week loss.  I don't even care if I know that I tried to weigh in heavy.  Seeing a negative (which is really POSITIVE in this case) change on the scale next week will erase any shame in intentionally fattening up pre-weigh-in.  Don't judge me!  :)

Anyway, it truly begins again tomorrow since today was just a half-day of tracking food/drink.  I'm already dreading Friday though because my Grandfather and Uncle are in town to celebrate my Grandfather's 89th birthday on Saturday and we're doing dinner at J. Alexander's on Friday evening.  That place is phenomenal and just thinking of their steak or mile-high French dip sandwich has my taste buds gearing themselves up.  That's where the blessing comes in again.  Any slip by me on Friday can definitely be made up for before next Wednesday's moment of truth on the scale.

Any advice for resisting temptations?

Now WEIGHT just a minute...

For pretty much as long as I can remember, I've been fighting the so-called "battle of the bulge."  There was a time in my life that weight wasn't an issue, but that was early grade school so I'm not sure that really counts.  It started as a little gain each year - probably about 5-10 lbs each year - for several years that eventually plateaued at "overweight."  For me, it became a vicious cycle: I wasn't happy with how I looked; to combat that depression I ate; my new, higher weight made me less happy about my appearance; I ate; and so on and so forth. 

In the past several years, my weight has yo-yo'd a number of times.  After initial success with Weight Watchers (hereafter "WW") in mid-2007, I hopped off the bandwagon too soon.  The changes I'd been making had not become a new lifestyle yet and slowly but surely I began to add back the weight I'd worked hard to lose.  I'm still a tad over 20 lbs down from my starting WW weight a few years ago, but once again I'm unhappy with my appearance.  Worse than that, I don't like the way that I feel.  Uncomfortable in your own skin is not the way to live your life.

So why this blog?  I just read an article on 8 different amazing individuals that worked hard for their weight-loss success and each of them kept a blog at some point in their journey.  Having an outlet to vent, celebrate success, and keep myself accountable will hopefully equal success on the scale and a victory in my battle of the bulge.  I definitely don't have a huge following on here (so really, what do I have to hide???), but just the idea of someone else reading my journey, and perhaps sharing their own experiences/tips, is enough for me to put it out there.  Plus, it will be a way for me to look back on everything I'm doing and see where I was and how far I've come.

My first step on this journey begins on Wednesday.  They're starting a WW program at work.  The convenience of the 12-week program added to my previous WW success made it a no-brainer for me to sign up.  So step 1: get back to WW!  I recognize that exercise will need to become a regular part of my life but for the sake of sustaining my quest for health, I'm not going to start everything all at once.  I'm going to give myself 2-3 weeks on the WW program to get my eating under control and then I'll begin to add in regular exercise. 

My goal?  While I would like to say that losing 50-60 lbs is my goal, I know better than to set up that obstacle for myself.  Therefore, my first goal is 10 lbs from my Wednesday starting weight.  Once I reach that goal, I can confidently set another attainable one for myself.  Rather than dreading Wednesday like I thought I would, I'm actually pretty excited about it.  Let the journey to the new me begin!

Ringing in 2011

I rang in the new year at a wedding last night, and I've got to say that it was an unexpectedly awesome way to begin the year.  Besides the whole "drinking for free on new year's" aspect, it was really special to spend the evening surrounded by love, excitement, and happiness.  Those feelings are infectious and I couldn't help but smile my way into 2011.  For an evening that typically falls short of expectations (I've previously had very few, if any, truly great new year's eves), last night was one to remember.  I wish a lifetime of love and happiness for the newly wedded couple.

Thinking of this new year in general, there's something that seems so "brand new" about the 1/1/11 date we have today...like it's a fresh start, a clean slate, a chance to begin all over again.  While I have definitely had some great experiences, accomplishments, and memories in past years, there are still things that I'm working towards and wishing for.  Here's to hoping that 2011 is a great year for myself and everyone else too.  While people typically make resolutions at the start of each year, more often than not those resolutions fall short of fruition.  Therefore, I'm not making any resolutions this year.  Rather, I'm choosing to live my life as best I can each day...hopefully giving more of myself to others and receiving satisfaction and happiness in return.  How did you spend your new year's eve and what's your plan/goal for the new year???

Weird Creature, That One

Sometimes my dog completely freaks me out...case in point, I was checking my email a moment ago and Oreo had taken her normal place on my lap.  Then she sat up quickly, began a series of mini-growls, and has been staring intently at the same spot ever since.

My first thought was that my house is haunted, but seeing that I'm the first person to live here, it's highly unlikely that someone passed on in this house and is overstaying their welcome.  My next thought was that my dog is simply odd...and this is quite possibly the answer I'm looking for.  Finally though, I think I identified what still continues to have her completely mesmerized.  I have all of my Christmas (not "holiday" - it's CHRISTMAS) cards taped along my counter on display.  Several of them have photos of babies, families, and even animals.  The particular picture that seems to have attracted her attention is of my friend's dog.  That would explain the growling - I would growl at a floating dog too!

Anyway, in the spirit of the season, I give to you a picture of my dog, Oreo, in her Santa outfit.  If that's not adorable, then I don't know what is!

 Merry Christmas, everyone!

My Latest Obsessions

I figured it was time for a lighter blog since my last one was a tad less than entertaining.  So here we go: my latest obsessions:

1. Wordsmith for Android Phones

I'm a Verizon girl, so that means I don't have the oh-so-popular "Words with Friends" app that Apple users do, but that doesn't mean I can't maintain my Scrabble obsession on my phone.  My younger brother turned me on to this Android app and I've since been firmly embattled in Scrabble matches with my brother and another friend of mine.  I highly recommend it for word-nerds like myself!

2. Angry Birds & Angry Birds Seasons

When they finally brought this app to the Android market, I was very excited.  Nothing tears through my phone's battery like my obsession with these squealing, squawking birds and their grunting piggy foe.  I love it!!!

3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

There are very few shows out there that regularly make me laugh, but Sunny always does.  At least once an episode - whether I'm watching with friends or it's just me and my dog - there's always something that makes me laugh out loud.  I'll admit that I wasn't up on this show until a few months ago (much to the amusement of some people) but I was dedicated to playing catch-up on episodes.  If you're not already watching, you should be!

Okay, that's it for now.  My obsessions are always changing so I'm sure there will be similar posts in the future.  Have a great one!

Working through some things...

An advance warning: this is a more personal post to help me work through some things myself, but insight/comments are always welcome so I decided to post publicly anyway.  Here goes...

Lately I've found myself in a rather strange place emotionally.  Ever since my last relationship fell apart with little to no explanation except that "long distance doesn't work," I've been struggling emotionally.  And that struggle manifested itself in many different ways - not the least of which was in repeated hurtful tirades towards my mother.  I'm embarrassed to say that it took me quite a while to see that the way I was behaving was not only hurtful, but also entirely uncalled for.  Fortunately, a mother's love is one of the universe's most amazing things and I've come to be in a really good place with my mom again.

Why it took me so long to work through things, I'm not entirely sure.  I place most of the "blame" on the fact that at about 1/3 of the way through my 29th year I'd thought I'd found "the one."  And then about 1 1/2 years later things were over with him and I was left completely heartbroken.  Wounds heal though, and despite the fact that I still think of him from time to time, I have healed.

I've never been the girl to go from boyfriend to boyfriend, relationship to relationship.  While I honestly believe I have a lot to offer, I've been less than lucky when it comes to love.  More than once, someone has joked that I must lack the proper pheromones to attract a good man...and they might be right!  Despite my limited, true relationships, I'd always thought that surely someday Mr. Right would come along.  I'm not saying that I don't hope that'll happen someday, but I've also come to accept the fact that it's not guaranteed either.  And I'm learning to live with that idea...

I have a lot to be thankful for: a family that loves me, good friends (even if they don't all live in my city), a good job, a roof over my head, and arguably the cutest dog in the world (the picture was as a puppy...isn't she adorable?!?).

But I digress...I'm sure there are plenty of very happy, fulfilled individuals that made it through life without finding someone to share their life with, right?  So that's what I'm trying to do.  Instead of dwelling on the more than occasional bout of loneliness that comes from living alone with just a dog for company, I'm trying to focus on the good.  I'm putting a smile on my face even if I don't always feel like it.  I'm finding the friendship I'd lost with my mother.  And I'm planning to LIVE life again!  I have a passion for travel, but I kept telling myself that until I was with someone I wouldn't be able to indulge that passion.  Well, screw that!  This spring, there's a good chance I'll be heading to Italy and meeting up with a few old friends from high school.  And while I'll be traveling there alone, when I meet up with old friends, I'll be reminded that a person isn't defined by the romantic relationship they have, but rather by the life they choose to live - their character and spirit that speaks to the world.

I promise to be more light-hearted next time, but thanks for reading!  Here's to a revival of spirit!