Here's the deal...

A little Tom Petty lyric run for ya, “Running Down A Dream that never would come to me, working on a mystery, going wherever it leads, running down a dream”…for me.  Tom Petty’s lyrics say it all.  Today is the day, not sure why today, but today it is.  I’ve decided that today I am going to start running down my dream, with a goal to be simple and achievable.  I will do my best every day to stay true, knowing I will stumble but keep moving in a forward direction.

My blog will help hold me accountable, so I am going to document my trials and errors as I move toward a healthier life both physically, mentally, and spiritually...every day. 

I am in my mid-thirties, a mother of four, married to a fantastic man, work full time, and just a busy girl.  My favorite thing to do is be with my family, at my kids activities, and be with friends.  My blog will be pretty conversational to give updates on my experiences.  My goal will be to post daily to hold myself accountable to my choices.

So here’s the deal.  Weight and I have not always gotten along, well; let’s just say never.  I’ve always been a “solid” girl – although in looking back and thinking I was heavy at a size 7 in high school and college I’d take that weight any day.  I’ve just never been able to look at myself and be satisfied, or resist comparing myself to others. It seems like my friends are always beautiful string beans.  My poor view of my body image led to unhealthy behaviors that began in high school, from anorexia to bulimia, to diet pills, and diuretics, as well as laxatives.    I got healthy in terms of behaviors in my early 20’s and then had a relapse in my late 20’s due to some rocky life experiences – death of beloved family members and divorce.  Although I’ve had a few bad days here and there – I am no longer using bad behaviors to lose weight.  I have attempted some “interesting” ways to lose weight – some say that I like to go to the extreme – here’s a few: Weight Watchers (I’ve been successful, nothing extravagant here except I’ve tried it, oh, maybe 5 times and I’m able to stick with it until about the 10 week mark), Extreme Bodyshaping (10 week kickboxing program – I killed it!  And was a trainer for 10 weeks after), Nutrisystem (didn’t work – hated the food), The OWL diet (involved HCG creams and liquids and about 500-700 calories a day, uhhh no), Complete Nutrition weight loss kit (pills…again, no).

I’ve kicked the extreme weight loss  = quick fix = doesn’t-fix-a-thing habit.  What that doesn’t change is that I am at my heaviest weight. I am determined to lose weight in a healthy way, through strengthening myself physically, mentally, and spiritually.

I am not getting any younger and I need to do this for me – I want to be healthy and happy, I want to set a good example for my teenage daughter, as well as be beautiful inside and out for my husband and family.

So here’s the deal and the plan:

Physical: I am going to set a healthy goal of losing 2lbs per week (I’ve learned in all my diet experiences that this is healthy and manageable) – with a goal to lose a total of 30 lbs., hopefully reaching my goal weight by mid to late March.  I am going to use the SparkPeople app to track calories (included a link to their webpage).  The app recommends that based on my weight, age, and goals – I eat between 1200 and 1500 calories per day.  The app tracks my nutrition (calories eaten), my fitness (I can earn calories from exercise – they call it SparkPoints), and my water intake.  I am able to scan barcodes (for nutritional info), get ideas for exercise, get recipes, and store my most frequently eaten foods.

My goal for exercise is to download an app called Couch to 5K  (C25K web page link included).  My husband says he’ll do it with me.  It is basically a 9-week training program, which at the end you’ll be able to run a 5K (which is 3.1 miles)!  I am going to sign up for the 5K zombie run which actually occurs about one month after we finish the couch to 5K training method.  It helps me to have a real goal that I'll have to meet in order to stay accountable.

Right now – my plan for mentally staying healthy is this blog; I am going to put it all out there – staying honest and accountable.  I don’t really want to talk about what I am doing with friends and family.  They have all seen me try and fail with my weight, so I don’t want to put this out there and for them to think, here she goes again – so besides my husband he knows I am writing a blog, but he doesn’t know the name or how to get to it, haha.  So I guess this is between a bunch of strangers and me, if anyone actually reads this!

Spiritual – I started here first really a few weeks ago.  I quit going to church a few years ago after I lost two people that were my world.  Recently I returned to church (beginning of November), and it feels good for me.  Religion isn’t for everyone and this isn’t a religious page.  I have found for me, I am more centered, focused, honest, and happy when I go to mass.

Now let’s get this straight – this girl likes to have fun (as aforementioned).  I will eat things that are not on plan.  I like food – I am Sicilian, I like a glass of wine with the girls, I will not sacrifice and starve myself – I have learned that this does not work and I will not be successful if I don’t have some “free meals or days” now and again.  One meal doesn’t = failure, however if I eat poorly regularly I know I will fail.  So I am a realist, I will go out and have fun now and again, and I’ll tell you about it!  I’m still on the road to a healthier me; I’m just enjoying the ride!

So come along with me, or just read about the journey.  Not sure how long it will take to get where I am going, but this time, I’m going to enjoy getting there.   Closing it out with a little more Tom Petty…”I felt so good, like anything was possible…"