Here I go....

My "stats" thus far:
* Pounds lost: 15
* I have had NO fast-food since December
* I drink only water - no diet pop, no sweet tea, no juices, no sugary drinks. Ever.
* I switched to wheat pasta (and love it)


If you're reading this, then you most likely are already aware of my 2011 weight-loss journey that I like to refer to as my Thintervention. I started on January 3rd of this year, and thus far my last official weigh-in had me down 15 pounds. By "official" weigh-in, I mean I actually counted it. Sometimes I give in and weigh in mid-week, but will have only lost about a pound and that gets discouraging pretty fast. Its much better if I can hold off and only officially weigh-in about every 2 weeks - the numbers are lower and that makes a girl feel good. This is going to be a long entry because I really want to dive into how this process came about and exactly what this process is - and is not.

I decided to start this blog for two reasons: One, my facebook page has become largely dominated by me posting about my progress and uploading pictures of my meals. I figure if I'm going to put myself out there in web world, I may as well go full throttle and start a blog. Two, a HUGE part of this process being successful depends on my accountability. Before Christmas I sat my entire family down and had a thintervention with them. I've spent the past I-don't-know-how-many-years packing this weight on, and my big Southern family with big Southern cooking does NOT help. So I not only instructed them to not let me eat badly, but I also instructed them to hold me accountable. Call me and ask me what I ate that day, text me about exercising, facebook me, email me, come hunt me down if you feel so inclined. Just hold me accountable in any way possible.So this blog is an extension of that - I'm going to be honest, even when I don't want to. I'll keep posted what I ate, if I exercised, what my mini-goals are and whether I achieve them or not.

The next thing I want to make clear is this: I AM NOT ON A DIET and THIS IS NOT A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION. If I hear ONE more person tell me that diets don't work, they're only temporary, you'll gain it all back, etc, I will cut a bitch. For real. I am not following any trends, I am not joining weight watchers, I am not eating lettuce and sprouts and veggies 24/7. What I AM doing is making healthier choices and integrating those choices into my life both gradually and permanently. If I want pizza, I eat pizza. If I want chocolate cake, I eat chocolate cake. I don't believe in depriving myself or starving myself. But I do believe in eating in moderation and steering WAY clear of the portion sizes that I used to have. I believe in eating the amount of calories that is healthy for my height and weight, eating the varieties of foods and nutritions that my body needs, and taking good care of myself. The automatic results, without me even really trying all that hard, is that I'm losing weight. My body is realizing what it needs, and so am I.

 I don't have to turn to food for emotional comfort (my biggest weakness....I'm happy - let's eat! I'm sad - let's eat! I'm angry - let's eat! I got a promotion - let's eat! I got fired - let's eat!) When I feel those urges I really try to sit down with myself and find a better alternative than food. Taking a walk, cleaning my apartment, watching a movie, going to my sister's, playing the Wii, calling a friend or family member- whatEVER it takes.

Finally, exercise. Though I fully feel that exercise is an important part of this journey, and I have made considerable efforts to weave it into my life, it is definitely the weakest area of this process thus far. I dislike gym stuff - treadmills, elypticals, etc. I need creative ways. I have discovered that Zumba and Wii Boxing are both entertaining, and burn a ton of calories. I just need to do more of them. So hopefully as I continue to drop pounds and gain more energy, I'll focus even more on becoming more fit.

So thats it in a nutshell. I don't even know if anyone will read this, but its theraputic for me and it helps, so I'm not losing anything (other than the 10 minutes I've spent typing all this).

Micha