I'll say it again, LIFESTYLE CHANGE (Copied from my MFP blog)

Well, failiure after failiure has lowered my confidence in my perserverance.  Even with that, I am daring to say that I feel confident that this time, I'm doing it!

 I feel like MFP is changing my life.  I feel strong right now, and with every challenge I overcome, I feel even better.  I know that the closer I get to goal, the harder I will have to work, but I am up for that challenge too!  Keeping focussed on my diet and fitness day-by-day and week-by-week is really helping I think.  When I think about the BIG picture (losing 167lbs total) it seems almost impossible, BUT when I think about losing 2lbs this week, or even burning 500cal today, it seems doable! 

 I charted out my goals today.  I want to be 240 at New Years.  I would have to lose an average of 2.7lbs a week for the next 9 weeks to get there.  Seems like a lot of pressure, BUT if I can do it, then if I lose an average of 1.6lbs a week until my Birthday in June, I will be at my mini goal of onederland by my 30th!   That way, anything more than that is a BONUS!!

 I'm only 7 weeks in, but that's 4 more weeks than the last time I really tried.  I see no signs of slowing down, and I am not depriving myself. 

I think I need to stop reading the exercise cals posts on MFP.  I mean really everyone is so hard-core one way or the other.  I'm in the middle, leaning more towards the don't eat them side... FOR NOW.  The way I am understanding it the fatter you are, the less-likely you will be to go into starvation mode.  ALSO from what I understand, you need to be consistantly restricting yourself to do so.  My calories are all over the place, sometimes under my daily, sometimes over, but I always keep my week under total.   I think for me, this is a realistic way of handling my metabolism.  Mix it up, like an informal zig-zagging.  I guess we'll see, how it all pans out.    I'm excited for when I weigh less and need to eat my calories more often.  At my goal weight BMR is 1400, so I'm guessing daily caloric requirement would be around 1800-2000, and then I would ALSO get to eat some exercise cals!!!  Man I can't wait. 

 I want to be athletic also.  I really want to continue my running, and do it for fun.  Maybe even run a few 5ks.  I love my turbo jams, and I'm looking forward to Turbo Fire and Chalene Extreme.  Maybe when I'm at maintenance I can use them for days when I really want to treat myself, or just for fun also! 

 Ha ha, I'm so all over the place right now, but I'm just so excited for the future!  I can't wait to feel "normal" again and not be the token FAT chick.

28 Days later (Copied from my MFP blog)

Today is day 28 of my latest health and fitness journey. 

In the last 4 weeks I have accomplished a lot.  I started actually using the MFP app on my phone! I have logged in EVERY little bite of yummy goodness (the good, the bad, and the fugly) that I have consumed.  I was baking countless cupcakes and cakes and cheesecakes. I was making meals fit for the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  I wasconsuming my fair (or probably more than fair) share of alcoholic beverages. I pretty much sat on my a$$ all day watching the kids, getting up to clean, solve problems, cook or go outside to sit.

NOW, I have only baked twice in the past month, and both times were to make muffins for daycare... (Note to self: DO NOT MAKE MUFFINS YOU LIKE FOR DAYCARE, DON'T KID YOURSELF, YOU CANNOT JUST HAVE ONE!!) << I have learned that the hard way.  I have been making healthier meals, and using portion control when my husband cooks.  I have not consumed ANY alcohol in the last 28 days.  I planned for it twice, but it wasn't worth the calories. I still sit on my a$$, but I also work out once or even twice a day,  I have made it to week 5, day 1 on my couch to 5k program. During the week I wake up at 6am to workout for a hour every morning, and then I exercise again during "quiet-time" a.k.a. a slice of heaven in my day :)  I have been doing Turbo Jam on the days opposite to C25K, and I walk for most of my non C25K/Turbo Jam workouts.

Oh right, AND I have lost 13lbs.  Bringing me to 33lbs down from my highest weight (where I was when I concieved and at 39weeks pregnant with my 7 mo old). Which has also brought me past my first goal of 275... To celebrate I bought myself a new exercise outfit in a 2x, still slightly snug but I know in a few weeks I'll rock it :)

 This feels like a life-change

 P.S. I faced the one thing that always seems to de-rail me.  TOM (Time Of Month).  I just want to say that TOM is EVIL, but I kicked his a$$ this month :)

BACK, on the wagon... Ish

Well, after months in failure mode, and two weeks back on my health journey, I will officially say "I am back"!

I am not limiting my foods the way I was before, I am just using MyFitnessPal and exercising... lots!

I started Sept 13th, and have lost 7lbs so far, and I am down 27lbs from my absolute heaviest before I got pregnant with my daughter.

It's been a long few weeks, and I'm nervous about being able to keep up my will-power long-term, but I will try my best :)

Still off the wagon, but climbing back on, one step at a time.

I've been watching way too much Food Network. I'm inspired. This may not look like much but I'm gearing up for dinner tonight! Steak with tomatoes and egg, covered in my faux hollandaise sauce. For dessert I am making some apple crisp!

This was lunch... Mushroom soup and grilled cheese made with old cheddar! Yum!

Getting back on the wagon!

So after a week (almost 10 day) rough patch, I am happily (but nervously) announcing my return to healthy eating!

I guess the temptation in the city was too much for me. That and seeing my husbands groceries : cookies, cookies, cookies, cookies, pop, chips, wagon wheels, snack cakes, more cookies, candy, 4 apples, a frozen lasagna, crackers, bologna and bread... And some other junk... Wow... I have a bit of entitlement issue when it comes to food sometimes. I think to myself "well if he can have that, why can't I?. Must get over it.

So today I cleared out my fridge and made some turkey soup so I have a bunch of healthy no-think meals! So far so good today!! Fingers crossed I can get that strength back!!