Where to find the support.....

I know there are many of you out there that want to lose weight, but have no idea where to begin.  There are SSSOOOO many self-help books, groups, on-line communities, and who knows what else.  The easiest advice I can give is this..... Find what works best for YOU.  I know it easier said then done.  But, it can be easy if you want it to be.

May be if I tell you what I have done and learn over the years it may help you.

I always knew I was my worst enemy, but I let it happen.  I use to come up with every excuse in the book for why things did not work.  I would let the smallest bump in the road stop me.  But, as some of you know if you read my first post, I got a wake up call when my daughter was about 16 months old that I needed to do something before I got worse.  I did real well for a while.  Then I let life take over.  I got my second wake-up call about 4 weeks ago when I tried to put on what became known as my "butt-jeans".  They fit, but ummm yeah no.  I would kill myself if I needed to move.  That was kick start.  I started taking a herbal supplement and planned out things I needed to do.  I knew this time around I needed more support then I got from my husband.  He has been great from the beginning, but I needed a little more.

So, the first thing I did was start this blog.  I am a firm believer in if you write down, you do it.  It helps hold yourself accountable.  I also thought if I made it public I may get verbal support from others.  I did get some support.  The biggest was from a very good friend.  She added me to a Facebook group where you post daily what you are going to do for the day or what you already did.  It is also a place where you can let out your short comings without begin judged.  The group is all about learning how to make better decisions about your health, your food choices, and you exercise choices.  They are a great cheerleading group when you do good, but also supportive when you fall and help you get back up.

 The last thing I found was a Facebook page called 52 Weight Loss Missions.  I have accepted to do a 10-minute challenge everyday for the whole month of April.  We are given a 'mission' for the day.  We are not to take more then 10 minutes to complete the task.  These missions are not meant to be earth shattering events.  They are meant to help you see yourself differently and approach your weight a different way.   We are 12 days in and I have to say it has helped me think differently.  Some of the missions have been very simple, but they are things you may not realize that they are helpful.

I will keep you posted on how my 'missions' go and if I come across any other ways to get support.

Exercise - Evil or Not?

I know, I know..... exercise isn't really evil.  I know it is actually very good for you.  But, for a girl who was never skinny, always thought she was fat, and never was really athletic... Exercise was evil.  As a kid, I did play softball and actually enjoyed it very much.  As I grew into a teenager, I did have a legitimate problem that caused pain and discomfort when I was psychically active.  I only knew of one of the issues which was my quad muscle was growing too fast and causing my kneecap to be pulled out of alignment.  Normal everyday things were not effected, but things like playing softball was.  Because of this I allowed that to be an excuse not to continue with sports and such.  I later found out also that one of my hips had some how rotated forward causing one leg to be about inch shorter then the other.  This was a complete surprise to me, but it explained a lot.  (I always knew there was more to the kneecap thing.)  For some people finding out this things and then having them taken care of would be a good thing.  Unfortunately, not for me.  By this point in my life my opinion of myself was so low that being skinnier and active was something that repulsed me.  So, the spiral downward to being overweight began.

Over the years I would try any type of exercise or new equipment that came out, but nothing would keep my attention long enough or keep me motivated.  I would come up with every excuse in the book NOT to do something instead of thinking of reasons to do them.  I can admit being active is my one true hurdle.  In my head I know I need to do it.  I have even written out plans to do it.  When I start a new program, I am like gangbusters, but the moment the first obstacle appears, I give up.

No more excuses.  I have found a few things like to do and plan on sticking to all of them.  I have discovered I need variety in what I do or I get bored very quickly.  Some of the things I like to do it C25K, yoga, Wii Fit, and Just Dance.  The C25K is the one that surprises me since it involves running.  I NEVER liked to run.   Now, I know there will be times there will be legitimate reasons for not exercising, but this time I will not allow them to become a permanent excuse.

Now, my next thing will to be to surround myself with supporters in my quest.  I know I have had my husband in my corner, but I know I need more.  I was lucky and right away a good friend jumped right in and was telling me about different things.  (I have a feeling she will be kicking my butt, but I will need it.)

I'll let you know what I find to help me stay on the right track.

The Beginning.....

This is going to be the easiest yet also the hardest thing I have ever written.  

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I am no size 0 nor have I ever been one.  I have plenty of issues with my weight like many others.  I have tried it all, well mostly all.  I would always succeed in some way, but never enough to motivate me to continue.  I did have a small turning point in my life when Sydney was about 16 months old.  I reached my heaviest I had ever been... 270.  I am not afraid to share that number because that is exactly what it is... A Number.  That Number can be changed.  I knew I needed something different to help me change that number.  So, I joined NutriSystem.  I know many would not agree with systems like this, but for me it was the kick start I needed.  Yes, it made me eat less, but it also showed me how to eat better.  I learned how to translate the pre-packaged food into real food.  I believe I was very successful with this... I lost 60 pounds.  I was 210 and was able to shop at Old Navy.  I was able to maintain this weight for some time.  Then just over a year ago I started letting life take over.  Because of a few difficult things, I let stress and many other things take over.  I came up with every excuse not to eat right or exercise.  I allowed my life to rule me not me rule my life.  With this, I allowed myself to gain back 25 pounds.

Three weeks ago I decided to take a leave of absence from my job at Target.  This decision was mostly for my family, but also my sanity.  My plan was to take full advantge of this time.  Besides taking care of my family, my number one priority was going to get myself healthy again.  I knew eating better and exercise was the way to do it, but I knew I also needed a kick.  I found an all natural supplement to take called Healthy Trim. The one major draw back has been the NO caffeine, but thankfully I feel that has passed.  I have been taking them a week and I have already noticed that I am eating less.  Eating TOO MUCH, has always been a major issue.  I have also done a few other things that I feel will help keep me motivated.  My main thing is I want to hold myself accountable.  The main reason why I am writing and posting this.  I plan on using this as way to keep me focused.  I think I will use a blog to help with the writing, but still use the public forum of Facebook to help.

Thanks for listening to me and thank you for all and any support you may have.