Michelle's WISH Journal (hopefully the last one I'll ever need!)

[Princess Michelle]

Hi everyone! I might be a familiar face to many of you who post here, this is like my 3rd or 4th attempt with a journal here at WISH. For those of you who don't know me though let me give a little info. My name is Michelle, I'm 28 years old and I live in Florida. I work at a BBQ restaurant that makes it really hard to try and stick to a healthy eating plan, not just the food but the schedule as well. It was never meant to be a permanent position but now I'm going on two years there. *sigh* :rolleyes: I've gained about 35lbs. since I started working there and have reached an all time high with my weight. I'll let you know just how much when I weigh in tomorrow morning. I've struggled with my weight pretty much my entire life. There have been a few periods where my weight was manageable but I don't think I've ever been in a healthy weight range. Now I'm at a point in my life where my health is a big concern. I am in a serious relationship and hope that marriage and a family will be in my future over the next couple of years. I turn 29 next month and 30 will follow swiftly I'm sure. There isn't any time to play around anymore. I need to get serious. I feel worse physically and emotionally than I ever have all due to this excess weight I'm carrying around. I'm approximately 100lbs. overweight and it's hard on my 5'5" medium frame. I have a birth defect in my spine, a mild form of spina bifida. I also have fibromyalgia. Neither of these is helped by this extra weight.

So, now you have the background. Now let's start on the solutions.

My first goal is to get under 200lbs. I'll know exactly how many pounds that is when I weigh in tomorrow. I'm guessing it's about 35 right now. I went grocery shopping today and got a lot of healthy food so I don't have to worry about that for a couple of weeks. I already packed a lunch and snacks for work tomorrow and am about to go pack my gym bag for the morning. I know that my boyfriend and I are going out to dinner tomorrow night but I've already looked at the menu online and picked out something that will not hinder the progress I've made.

My boyfriend's birthday is one month from tomorrow and I am planning a trip for us to Daytona beach for 3 days. I am hoping to lose as much weight as I can and begin toning up by the time that gets here so I am at least a little more comfortable and a little more confident. I know you can achieve a lot in 30 days and I'm going to work as hard as I can. I honestly think I'm going to surprise myself and a lot of other people with what I accomplish over the next 30 days and beyond. I'm really looking forward to it.

I will apologize right now if I am not able to comment on other journals. It's not because I don't want to it's just that my time is really limited and it becomes overwhelming and then I don't even want to come post to my own journal because I don't have the time to post to everyone elses. If it makes you not want to post to my journal I understand but for right now I need to post on mine and when I have extra time I can check on others. I hope that everyone understands. :grouphug:

I guess that's all for now. I need to go get that gym bag packed and get some sleep, 7am comes all to early!

Best WISHes everyone! :sunny:

[Tera]

Michelle!!! I am SO happy to see you back... I've missed you. :yay:

I know you're struggling right now, but your here and that's what's important. You know we're all here for you :grouphug: Try and remember the important things you did the last time and DRINK DRINK DRINK that water :drinking1

I'm here for you girlfriend! :thumbsup2

[Princess Michelle]

Thanks Tera! {{hugs}}

Okay, so here I am starting off day one. I've weighed in and the official start weight is 235lbs. So my first goal is to lose 36lbs. because I want to be under 200lbs.

I had a hard time getting up this morning and then things happened that tried to steal my time and get me frustrated but I'm here eating breakfast and will get ready for the gym as soon as I finish.

I've got all of my meals planned out today. This is really what I need to do every single day.

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes w/lite syrup, 1 cup strawberry slices and two slices of lean turkey bacon.

Snack ~ Dannon lite and fit yogurt.

Lunch ~ Small mixed greens salad w/raspberry vinaigrette dressing and a rotisserie chicken breast.

Snack ~ 1 cup of pineapple in natural juices.

Dinner ~ Blackened chicken caesar salad. (We're going out and that's the best choice I can make. Fatty dressing but it will be alright in conjunction with the rest of my meals.)

So that's my day. I always drink tons of water so that's not a problem. Well, gotta finish up breakfast and get to the gym. I hope everyone has a wonderful day! :sunny:

[Princess Michelle]

Well, I made it through yesterday and I can only give it 3 golden sunnys. :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: I did great, went to the gym, resisted temptations, ate the meals I had planned until dinner. Then I kind of blew it with a Bahama Momma as big as my head and a huge bacon cheeseburger. We will most likely not go out again until next month so I don't feel so bad about it but it being my first day I wish I had done better but it's behind me now and I'm moving on with this brand new day. ::yes::

So I realized something yesterday that was like a complete shock to me that I even did this. When I got to Brian's apartment I was starving and there was a can of Pringles sitting on the desk and I just instinctly reached for them and then dropped them when I realized what I had done. I didn't eat any of them but I didn't even think I was just going to pop them in my mouth like it was nothing. Then I walked into the kitchen to get some water and there was a cheddar bay biscuit sitting on the counter where he had heated them up earlier and again I almost reached for it. I was like wow, no wonder I've gained so much weight. I never even realized that I was so bad about doing things like that. So that's one thing I have to be more careful about.

Okay, here's today's menu ~

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes w/lite syrup, 2 pieces lean turkey bacon and 1 banana.

Snack ~ 1 container of unsweetened applesauce.

Lunch ~ Turkey sandwich w/lettuce & mayon on whole grain bread.

Snack ~ 1 container Dannon lite & fit yogurt.

Dinner ~ 4oz. boneless pork chop marinated in sun dried tomato dressing, sauteed mixed vegetables and whole grain broccoli & cheddar rice.

I'll be going to the gym after work today since I slept too late this morning.

Okay, lets get out there and do it. I know we can! :sunny:

[Princess Michelle]

Good Morning. :)

Well, yesterday was a success. I give it 5 golden sunnys! :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: I stuck to my meal plan and even though I didn't feel up to going to the gym after work I walked for 30 minutes on my treadmill here at home. So I was really happy with that.

Today I will either go to the gym after work or do the treadmill again. I had to take my mom to the Dr. this morning so I wasn't able to go before work.

The menu for today is ~

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes with lite syrup, 2 pieces lean turkey bacon and 1 cup strawberries.

Snack ~ 1-pc. String Cheese

Lunch ~ Small mixed greens salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing and a rotisserie chicken breast.

Snack ~ 1 container Dannon lite & fit yogurt.

Dinner ~ 4 oz. Beef brisket and roasted red potatoes.


Hope everyone has a great day! :sunny:

[zigzagzerr]

Princess Michelle,
I think you're absolutely on the right track! Sticking to the right foods is much easier for me when I plan them out in advance -- if I have to ask myself what I want to eat, I don't always make the best choices.

With life being so busy for everyone (kids, activities, etc), I often cook several lowfat dinners on Sunday, and then can just eat them up over the course of the week. When I get home from work, I don't even have to think about it.

Best of luck to you -- I have faith in your ability to improve your health. You have a great attitude!!! :sunny:

-Zig

[Princess Michelle]

Thank you so much for the encouraging words, Zig. Every day is a struggle but I know that the longer I stick with it the easier it will become.

{{{hugs}}}

[Blueeyes101817]

MICHELLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ive missed you!!
Im glad to see you back!
You seem to have a very managable plan...keep it up and have a great night!

[Princess Michelle]

Hi Jenn! I've missed you too! I hope things are going well for you. I see you have another fabulous cruise planned! :teeth:


Well, this week definitely had it's challenges and I definitely did not conquer them all. Wednesday I was so tired when I got home from work that I did nothing but my meals were fine. Thursday I was sick as can be but meals were good inspite of that, I did have a couple of glasses of caffiene free coke to settle my stomach though. Friday I was feeling better but didn't feel up to working out, meals were good but I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and that's all I ate and I had too much of it. The only thing good about that was at least it was whole wheat pasta. :rolleyes: Saturday my mom, Brian and myself went to some community yard sales so we did a lot of walking. We went out to lunch though and I couldn't eat everything so I did split that between lunch and dinner so not too bad considering. Sunday Brian invited me over for breakfast before church and when your guy offers to do something so incredibly sweet for you, you just don't turn it down. Breakfast was fattening and good and plentiful. I enjoyed it, my baby is a great cook! Lunch was fine I just had a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread. Then I got upset about something and went to Subway for dinner. I have to get the emotional eating under control and I've got to get some structure on the weekends. Those are two things that are very much obstacles for me and I've got to work on it big time. So that is the rest of my week sumarized.

I ended up not losing anything this week but I didn't gain either so I'm happy about that at least. It's a new day and the start of a new week. I will do better this week.

So, meals for today are as follows ~

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes w/lite syrup, 2 lean strips of turkey bacon and strawberries.

Snack ~ Dannon lite & Fit yogurt.

Lunch ~ 1/4 piece of rotisserie chicken.

Snack ~ String cheese

Dinner ~ Veal Scallopini, salad w/raspberry vinaigrette dressing and green beans.

Brian and I are going to work out together when we get off work this afternoon so that will be fun.

I hope you all have a wonderful day! :sunny:

[Princess Michelle]

Good Morning Everyone! :sunny:

I had a great day yesterday, it most def gets 5 golden sunnys! :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny:

I stuck to my eating plan and Brian and I worked out when we got off work. I was a little upset that the gym at his apartment complex didn't have a treadmill, just an elliptical (kills my legs) and some bikes (kills my back) but I did get a good upper body and to get some cardio I walked back to the apartment from the clubhouse. It's a pretty good hike, it took me 10 minutes so I would venture it's about 3/4 mile walk.

Tonight he is coming to my house for dinner so I'm going to see if he wants to go walk afterwards and do some lower body.

Meal plan for today is ~

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes w/lite syrup, 2 lean slices of turkey bacon and a banana.

Snack ~ Unsweetened applesauce.

Lunch ~ Whole Wheat wrap with mayo, lettuce, chicken breast, onions, roasted red peppers, Italian cheese and black olives.

Snack ~ Dannon lite & fit yogurt.

Dinner ~ Pot roast with potatoes, carrots and celery, 2 small biscuits with low fat butter.

Gotta go now, hope everyone has a great day!

[Princess Michelle]

Woo Hoo! Another 5 sunny day behind me :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: and hopefully this is the start of one more.

I stuck with my meal plan yesterday and after dinner Brian and I went for a walk around my neighborhood. I also did some lower body work throughout the day. I've been really tired and having a hard time getting up early to go to the gym but I'm so glad that I've gotten some exercise in each day inspite of that. Tonight I need to do some upper body and cardio. Hopefully I will get it in there somehow.


Okay, meals for today ~

Breakfast ~ 4 small pancakes w/lite syrup, 2 strips lean turkey bacon and 1 cup of pineapple in natural juice.

Snack ~ Dannon lite & fit yogurt.

Lunch ~ Small mixed greens salad with chicken breast and raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Snack ~ 1 string cheese.

Dinner ~ Cheeseburger made with lean ground beef, mayo, lettuce and onions but no bun. Mixed vegetables on the side.

Gotta run! Hope you all have an awesome day! :thumbsup2

[CJK]

Hey, great job! What is really impressive to me, is that while you may not have made perfect food choices on the weekend, you got right back on the bandwagon and are trying again! THAT'S the sign of a winner!!! Here's to a successful Thursday tomorrow too!!

[Princess Michelle]

Thank you CJK! :hug:

I can only give yesterday 4 golden sunnys :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: because I didn't get any exercise but I stuck my eating plan very well. I also have been remembering to take my vitamins every day so that is a good thing too.


I work a double shift at work today, 11 hours with a 1 hour lunch break. I will eat at work today and I decided that whatever I get along with my salad bar I will only eat half of it and put the rest away for another meal, tomorrow's dinner probably.

No time to workout today but I'm going to try and hit the gym a couple of times this weekend.

So meals today ~

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes w/lite syrup, 1 cup pineapple in natural juice and 2 strips lean turkey bacon.

Snack ~ Dannon lite & fit yogurt

Lunch/Dinner ~ Salad Bar and something yet to be determined.

Snack ~ 1 string cheese

Have a great day guys! :sunny:

[goldcupmom]

Welcome back, Michelle!

Glad to see you're back on track & doing GREAT!

Have an AWESOME weekend!!

[Blueeyes101817]

Michelle--you are doing great and seem to be on track..i love seeing all the "suns" on your journal!! KEEP IT UP! you can do it--have a great weekend!

[Princess Michelle]

Thank you Julie and Jen! :teeth:

Well, I made it through yesterday and let me tell you it was a rough one. Not as far as staying on track it was just like the night from hell at work! I didn't need a workout yesterday as busy as we were. I probably sweated off 5lbs. it was so hot in the back of the restaurant. I'm giving it 5 golden sunnys :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: for a few different reasons. One is because I stuck to my meal plan even though I ate a meal from work. Another is because I was incredibly stressed last night and I have a bad habit of getting fast food on my way home when I work at night and I did not do that, I didn't even have a desire to do that.

Okay, so on to today. I'm going to try to get a workout in after work today. I'll have to put my meals in later because I'm not sure what's for dinner yet.

I hope everyone has a great day and a wonderful weekend! :sunny:

[Princess Michelle]

Well, girls, I am going to give this weekend a combined total of 3 golden sunnys :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: . I did better than last weekend but I could still do better. Starting with Friday I did great, I went to the gym after work and had a really great workout. For dinner I ended up having McDonalds but I just had a small cheeseburger and a small fry. Big Accomplishment for me. I like Double quarter pounders and super size fries...but I made a better choice and I'm proud of that.

Saturday and Sunday, I didn't eat the best or get any exercise in but I didn't do horribly so I'm happy that I made some progress.

Now let me share the BEST news! I lost 3lbs. this week! :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: I am SO excited and happy! Now that I lost some maybe it will get me going and I'll start losing something each week. :teeth:

On todays menu ~

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes w/lite syrup, 2 lean strips of turkey bacon and a banana.

Snack ~ Dannon lite & fit yogurt.

Lunch ~ Turkey sandwich w/lettuce & mayo on whole wheat bread.

Snack ~ Unsweetened applesauce.

Dinner ~ Chicken Cordon Bleu, whole wheat cheese tortellini w/lite alfredo sauce and mixed vegetables. Possibly a glass of wine as well.

So that's it for today. I hope you all have a great one! :thumbsup2

[Princess Michelle]

Good Morning Everyone! :sunny:

It is a GORGEOUS day here in Florida! It's only 52º where I'm at but the sun is shining and I do not want to go to work! Agh, the first truly beautiful day of the year and I have to spend it cooped up inside a stinky restaurant all day. Boo!

Okay, well enough of that I guess. On to my journal. I will rate yesterday 4 golden sunnys :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: I stuck to my meal plan but aside from walking around Best Buy and Circuit City I didn't get any exercise.


Meals for today ~

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes with lite syrup, 2 slices lean turkey bacon and a banana.

Snack ~ 1 string cheese.

Lunch ~ 1 cup spaghetti & meatballs and 1 piece of garlic bread.

Snack ~ Dannon lite & fit yogurt.

Dinner ~ I don't know yet.

Well, I have to get going I hope all of you have an awesome day! :thumbsup2

[Princess Michelle]

Good Morning Everyone! :sunny:

Sorry I have not posted in a couple of days. Life has just been busy and tiresome. I have done good over the last couple of days. I have been eating well and even though I haven't been able to get in a full workout I have been doing exercises whenever I am able. Like yesterday when I was waiting for my breakfast to cook I took two cans out of the cupboard and used them as weights and did an upper body circuit. I've been trying to figure out ways to exercises during the down times at work too. Doing pushups against the counter, stuff like that.

The meal plan for today is ~

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes w/lite syrup, 2 lean strips of turkey bacon and a banana.

Snack ~ Unsweetened applesauce.

Lunch ~ Mixed greens salad with chicken breast and raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Snack ~ Dannon lite & fit yogurt.

Dinner~ Baked chicken breast with mixed vegetables.


Have a great day! :cool1:

[CJK]

After having a weekend of no exercise and lots of bad food, I'm so happy to have returned to your journal! WAY TO GO on fitting in some exercise anyway you can during your day. That's a FANTASTIC attitude and I hope to follow your example. Fantastic. Keep up the great work and have a great week!

[Princess Michelle]

Thanks CJK!

I know it's been a few days since I last posted, don't worry, I'm still hanging in there. Life is just very busy and exhausting right now. We are short handed at work and I've been working 6 days a week including two 10 hour days. Add in trying to spend time with Brian whenever possible and all the other things that we have to do in our every day lives and I'm beyond drained. Physically I'm feeling exhausted, in a butt load of pain, sick and like I could sleep for a year. I'm still trying to get exercise where I can. My eating hasn't been horrible but it hasn't been so great either. I have to go to the grocery store today. I've managed to maintain the 3lbs. I lost so that is one good thing. I can't really complain about the hours I'm working with a mini-vacation and the holidays coming up I can definitely use the extra money. It's just wearing me down physically. Hopefully after next week I'll go back to my regular schedule.

So that's it for me right now. I hope you guys have a great day. I'll come back when I'm able! :sunny:

[Princess Michelle]

Bad weigh in today, I gained two pounds. I was expecting it. I ate really bad this weekend and have not been exercising. I'm lucky that it wasn't any worse than that. *sigh* It's a new week though.

I joined the November exercise challenge hoping it would motivate me to get myself to the gym every day. I'm going to go when I get off work this afternoon since I get off early. I'm also going to look on the internet and see if I can find any exercises I can do at work during the down times.


I haven't made it to the grocery store yet but here is the meal plan for today~

Breakfast ~ 3 small sausage links, 2 pieces whole wheat toast w/lite butter and a banana.

Snack ~ Dannon lite & fit yogurt.

Lunch ~ Mixed greens salad w/chicken breast and raspberry vinnaigrette dressing.

Snack ~ low-fat strawberry shortcake.

Dinner ~ No clue, Brian's in charge of that one tonight.

Well, that's all for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful day! :cool1:

[Princess Michelle]

Good Morning Everyone. :sunny:


Kind of an icky morning for me. Last night Brian and I went out to dinner with his sister and her family and I was really tired before we got there but the feeling just progressed throughout the evening. I just wanted to lay my head down on the table and go to sleep. After dinner we were just sitting at the table talking and hanging out and my head started hurting just out of nowhere, then I got really nausiated (sp?) and felt like I was burning up. I told Brian I wasn't feeling well and he said I felt really warm so we got ready to leave. We had to stop at his sister's to pick something up so I got some tylenol from her for my headache and fever. As soon as we got back to Brian's I just laid down on the couch and took my temp. I did have a fever so then I went and laid down on the bed. I slept off an on for about 4 hours and finally went home around 12:30. I still feel like dookie this morning but I have to go to work. Supposed to work a double shift today but I'm going to see if I can get out of it so I can rest. My throat is getting really sore and scratchy. This is exactly how I felt right before I got a massive case of Bronchitis back in February and I definitely don't want to go there again!

Some good news about yesterday though, I went to the gym after work and worked out for an hour! Yeah!

I'm not even going to report my meals today. So far they've consisted of 5 Stitch sour gummies, I don't anticipate them getting any better. When I'm sick I scavenge, whatever I find that I don't have to cook, that's what I eat. :rolleyes:

I hope you all have a great day! :thumbsup2

[Princess Michelle]

Good morning everyone! :sunny:

Well, I finally got to the store last night and I am feeling mostly better. Still really tired but not feeling as sick. So today it's back on track.

I have my meals planned and I will try to exercise when I get off work tonight.


Meals for today ~

Breakfast ~ 3 small pancakes w/lite syrup, 1 banana and 2 lean strips of turkey bacon.

Snack ~ unsweetened applesauce.

Lunch ~ small mixed greens salad w/turkey breast and raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Snack ~ Dannon lite & fit yogurt.

Dinner ~ Cheeseburger and I'm not sure what else just yet.


Have a great day guys! :thumbsup2

[Princess Michelle]

Good Morning Everyone! :sunny: :sunny: :sunny:

I am so excited to report that I lost 4lbs. this week! That's the 3 that I gained plus one more! Yahoo! :banana:

I worked really hard this week on my eating. I didn't get any exercise other than working but I did try. My dad even took us out to lunch yesterday, to a buffet of all places and I still lost. I am SO happy!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! :thumbsup2

[honeymo78]

Michelle, you're doing a great job. Your eating habits are looking pretty good. I have a hard time fitting exercise in with work too - but we'll figure it out. Congrats on the 4lb loss!!!!

[CJK]

Wow, 4lbs lost is AMAZING! :cheer2: :banana: Be proud girlie! Congrats too for eating at a buffet AND lose weight. You're doing a fabulous job. Have a great week and keep up the great work! :thumbsup2

[Princess Michelle]

Thank you Stephanie and CJK. :grouphug:


*sigh* Has not been a good couple of weeks, I mean they've been great with the exception of eating and exercise... Brian and I went to Daytona for 3 days. Walked on the beach for probably 2 miles a day if not more. Came home, gained 8lbs. guess we did a lot more eating than we did walking... Then Thanksgiving rolls around and since my birthday is on Tuesday we had a little celebration for the ones who won't be around me then so extra desserts and my best friend gave me a HUGE basket full of Ghirardelli chocolates and other delicious treats. *sigh* I did manage to take off a couple of the pounds I gained in Daytona but still not back to an actual loss yet.

I'll be turning 29 on Tuesday and I have to make a real committment to myself that I will get this weight off before I turn 30. For my health and well being I need to do this. It only gets harder with each year and with such a milestone so quickly approaching I need to get this under control now before 30 turns into 40 and so on.

I'm going to take the next few days to pray and get my mind focused on what I need to do. I know that I'm going to set my goal for 80lbs. That would put me in the 150's and then if I still feel I need to lose a few more I'll go from there. 80lbs. in a year is a little under 7lbs. a month so less than 2lbs. a week, if I stay committed there is no reason I shouldn't be able to accomplish that. So wish me luck girls. I'm gonna need it!

[Blueeyes101817]

Michelle-
2 lbs a week sounds very do-able (is that a word?!) You CAN do it!

[Princess Michelle]

Thank you, Jen! :hug:

I'm already fighting the discouragement bug this morning. I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night, I'm exhausted. My alarm went off at 7am and I was like I just can't. I need to try and get a little bit more sleep. I read all the time how not getting enough sleep affects your ability to lose weight so it's even more frustrating that I have such difficulty sleeping more than a few hours a night. Then I just doze in and out, tossing and turning the rest of the time. Very upsetting. So inspite of having my gym bag packed and ready to go I didn't make it to the gym this morning. I am however determined that I will work out today. Either when I get off work at 4pm or I will workout with Brian at the gym in his apartment complex. I will get a workout in today, I'm not going to give up just because I didn't go this morning.

I weighed in this morning, back up to 235lbs. *sigh* I also took my measurements. They were higher than they have ever been before. I wanted to cry. No wonder I can't sleep and have trouble breathing at night. A body can only take so much and I'm afraid mine is at it's limits. I am determined though, this is the year that I take charge of this. No more overweight me, that person will cease to exist and the person that has been lying under there for so long is going to get her chance to live again.

I already have my meals planned out, except for dinner because that's in Brian's hands tonight but I'm sure he'll make something good and if he doesn't then it's a good chance to exercise will power and moderation.

So, thank you all for listening to me cry this morning and I hope you all have a wonderful day! :cool1:

[jkp_9192002]

you can do it. it will take you a few days to get into the routine. just make sure you do some sort of exercise today. :thumbsup2
i will excerise this afternoon when i get home from work. my meals and snacks are all planned for today.
good luck!!!!

[Princess Michelle]

Hi everyone! I am super excited to report that I am down 1lb. this week! Hurray! I don't know how it happened because it seems like everyone wanted to take me out to eat this week but I will take it, I don't care why it's gone I'm just happy that it is! :cool1:

I've tried to keep myself moving this week even though I haven't done any real exercise. I'm going to do my best to get to the gym this afternoon since I get off work at 3pm. I wanted to go this morning but I wasn't feeling well when I woke up. I have to get it in gear though because I want to meet my goal on the December exercise challenge.

I have all my meals planned out for the day so I'm good to go.

I joined the biggest loser club for the free 10 day trial to see what kind of information they have. I haven't had a chance to look around yet but I'll report back if there is anything worth sharing.

Hope you all have a great day! :thumbsup2

[Princess Michelle]

Good morning everyone!

I'm so happy! I made it to the gym when I got off work yesterday afternoon. Had a great hour long workout. I did upper body and cardio. Boy, that strength training kicked my butt! I haven't done it in awhile and I could definitely tell. My muscles are sore this morning but it sure is a good feeling. Now if I can just keep in my mind how good I feel because I went yesterday and keep it up. I won't be able to go to the gym today because of the hours that I work but I'm going to do my best to workout here at my house. I have a treadmill and I also want to do some lower body work. Will work on that when I get home tonight.

I went a little over my calories last night but I'll make up for it during the week between meals and exercise. It wasn't that much but I need to be careful and aware. I have everything but dinner planned for today, that's where I generally get into trouble because I'm tired and just want to do something quick and easy. It's not so much that the things I make aren't healthy, just have a lot of calories/fat and I tend to eat too much of it. I have to watch the add ons too. Like last night I probably wouldn't have gone over if I hadn't had a glass of wine and a piece of cake. So that's where I need to be more careful.

Well, have to get on with my day now. Hope you all are doing well! :thumbsup2

[CJK]

Congrats on the pound lost!!! :cheer2: :cheer2: Sounds like you're doing great with exercise. It's funny how the pain we sometimes feel after weight training can actually feel good!!! Good job on monitoring those calories. You're getting into a great rhythm there! Keep up the great work! :sunny:

[Princess Michelle]

Thanks CJK! I'm still fighting the dinner monster, seems like every night this week it's been something really fattening. I need to learn to make better choices when I'm on the go and can't get home to cook something.

On the bright side though, I've gone to the gym twice this week and will go again when I get off work today. I really do like working out and I wish I could keep it in my head that I like it, I want to do it, I need to do it, I feel good when I do it, I look better when I do it. It's just fitting it into my schedule that's the hard part. It's not that I'm so busy it's just that the time I can do it is either before work or after work and I'd rather sleep in the morning and would rather relax after work. I'm doing great this week because my hours were cut so much at work, I'm getting off at 3pm just about every day and that's a good time for me to workout, I like going then, the gym is empty pretty much and traffic isn't so bad when I'm done. I did great when I didn't work for like 8 months and I do good when I have no hours at my job. Unfortunately not working or even keeping this low hour schedule is not an option so I'm just going to have to make it work because exercise is key and I can't stop doing it.

Guess that's pretty much it for today. I hope everyone is doing great! :sunny:

[CJK]

Good job on getting to the gym. I know exactly what you mean about exercise. You feel so good after doing it, and you know how good it is for your body, but getting it in can be trying at times. For me, watching the numbers on the scale go DOWN helps me put on those running shoes. Hope you have a great weekend! :sunny:

[Princess Michelle]

Well, I'm really disappointed in myself this week. I gained 2lbs. bringing me to a pound over what I started at. Frustrating but it's my fault. I ate out so many times last week and I did not make good choices and ate way too much. I really need to get this under control.

On the bright side I did workout 2 times last week and Brian and I took a walk one night so that was an improvement from the week before.

When I woke up this morning I knew I would have a gain and that it would put me now two weeks behind on reaching my goal so I said, well, what are you going to do about it. Are you going to lay here and whine or are you going to get your butt up and do something. Sooooo, I got up and did 30 minutes of exercise and my bag is packed to go to the gym after work as well. I ate a good breakfast, have snacks and lunch packed, dinner is already planned so I'm good to go today. Now, I just have to keep this mindset. I know I can do it. I have to. I need to get into the frame of mind that my life depends on this because ultimately, it does.

Have to get off and get going. I hope you all have a wonderful day! Stay encouraged! :thumbsup2

[CJK]

Hang in there!! :goodvibes Don't get too down on yourself about the gain. I'd bet that most, if not all, of us have been there. You're getting right back on track so you should be proud. It's a tough time of year and you're still trying. Be proud!!! Have a great week!

[Princess Michelle]

Okay, well, here we are at the beginning of a brand new year. Let's see if I can make it to my goal or at least get a really good start on it this year.

I am starting out at an all time new highest weight of 238lbs. I know some of it is "holiday" weight and will come off pretty easily but I still can't believe that I weigh that much. I know it's true though, hardly any of my clothes fit anymore. Clothes that were really loose just a year ago are tight now. I've gained nearly 20lbs. since then.

I am going to give weight watchers a shot. I have the points slider and other booklets that a friend gave me. I am doing well so far but I've only had breakfast so we'll see what happens. LOL

I'm about to go to the grocery store and when I get back I'll get some exercise in. I took vacation this week so that I could really concentrate on everything I need to do in order to reach my goals this year.

I hope everyone has the year that they are hoping for! :wizard:

[goldcupmom]

Happy, Healthy New Year, Michelle!

Hang in there! We all mess up! (Which is why I've been on WW most of 4 years & never yet made goal!)

This is a lifelong journey!

[Princess Michelle]

Thank you, Julie! :grouphug:

It's been almost a week now and I have to say I've been really happy so far because for the first time I don't feel like I'm stuck to a limited list of foods that I do not enjoy. I can have whatever I like as long as I stick to my points range. I know there is a way for everyone and I think that after years of struggling and trying just about everything else that has come along I've finally found something that is going to work for me for life. That's a great feeling!

I can't wait to weigh in on Monday. I snuck a peek at the scales earlier in the week and was down 3lbs. Can't wait to make it official when I weigh in Monday, hopefully there will be one or two more pounds added to it for a nice little jumpstart. :yay: