Friday, February 4, 2011

I'm the Biggest Loser ... and that's a good thing!

It's been so crazy these last few days I haven't taken the time to blog about the most exciting news! I won! Not only did I lose 19.8 pounds total but I was the biggest loser and I took the pot of $201!

After work a bunch of us went to the nearby bar to celebrate. Now, I don't drink alcohol and I'm actually not that fond of pop. (Don't worry I make up for my "virtuousness" with many other food vices.) So, I celebrated with a glass of ice water! But that night my husband and I ordered pizza and I ate way too much. (More about that later.)

Last night we used my winnings to buy a Wii. Now, I'm not a gaming girl-- I hate computer games, Guitar Hero, Farmtown, ect. Not only am I not good at them, I just don't enjoy them. But I love the Wii. My husband and I played bowling, archery and sword fighting. I'm typically in bed by 10 p.m. or even earlier but last night I just kept saying, OK, one more game.

I also got: The Biggest Loser, of course! We'll have to see how that goes. I already have an exercise DVD I really like, and that's not easy, so hopefully I like this too.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Tomorrow is the big day...

It's the last weigh in for Biggest Loser Round I. I'm kinda nervous! I've done the best I can and I'll be a winner even if I don't win the money. I never dreamed I'd be this close 12 weeks ago, when all this started.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Companion sites

I decided I didn't want to mix all my stuff up into one blog. So you will see a link on my right hand side that says "companion sites". That's where you'll find my two other blogs for:

Food and exercise journaling. That's where I'm keeping track of what I'm eating and how often I exercise and for how long.

Healthy me recipes. I'll be posting healthy recipes I've tried and liked, sometimes with my own photos! Check out the first one I posted, on fried tofu and baked zuch and mushrooms.

My main website will be for writing about my weight loss and new healthy me lifestyle.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The first post

This is not my first rodeo-dance-barbecue. In other words, I've had a blog or two or four. And the first post always seems the hardest. There's all that blank space, waiting to be filled with words. What words to choose for the first trip into blogland?

I guess I'll tell you a bit about why I'm blogging. I want to:

1. Start food journaling
2. post healthy recipes I've tried and enjoyed
3. track my progress as I lose weight
4. celebrate my new healthy lifestyle choices.

Although I was quite skinny as a child and through school, I did start gaining some weight post-college. I went on the Atkins diet before my wedding and lost some excess weight. While that was "successful" in terms of getting me into the wedding dress of my dreams and making great wedding photos possible, it was a total failure in terms of my long term lifestyle.

I deprived myself so much with the Atkins diet, eating the same thing over and over, with no variety. By the time I hit my goal weight and stopped "dieting" I threw caution to the wind and ate whatever and whenever I wanted. I started eating on my wedding day and didn't stop. I ate, and ate, and ate and ate. Cheese, creamy based soups and bread were my big weaknesses.

I thought many times about losing weight, but it never went beyond that -- a single thought. Until we started a 12-week biggest loser contest at work. We all paid in $5 to start and $1 each pound that we gained back. The winner, whoever loses the largest percentage of their body weight, takes the money!

This time I'm going about weight loss in a much healthier way, with much greater variety in my diet. I cut out sugar, juice (I eat my fruit, not drink it.) and refined white flours. Instead, I eat proteins, chicken, beef, ground turkey, tofu or beans, with lots of vegetables and some fruit nearly every day. I haven't cut out carbs but I am controlling my portions, eating whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta. I occasionally treat myself, but never to the extent that I did in the past. I'm not dieting, I'm embarking on a new lifestyle journey.

And it's working! On Tuesday we weigh in for the last time. Right now I'm at the top, having lost 16.8 pounds as of last weigh in. Although I know someone could come in from behind and pass me up, I am very close to winning the pot, which has grown to $180! Even if I do not win the money, however, I will have ultimately won by losing weight.

And the journey is far from over. A group of us plan to take a week off and continue on with the contest for another 12 weeks. Someday I won't have the motivation of a weekly weigh in at work to keep me going but I plan to take advantage of it as long as possible!