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Wow! I can’t believe that I am in week 4 of the weight loss challenge and I have lost my first (of many) 10 lbs!

This feels great! 🙂

I knew that I would start to notice, once I lost that first 10 lbs, and this is definitely the case. I wouldn’t say that I can tell so much in my clothes, (I tend to wear everything as baggy as possible it seems) but I am definitely feeling tons better already. WooHoo!

Exercising and healthy eating are starting to feel like the habits that will become my life. I wouldn’t say that I’m absolutely there as I know it does take a bit to develop this, but I KNOW that it is coming!

I would definitely have to do say, that the most difficult part for me so far, was just making the decision to really do this and maybe fighting old patterns that first week or so. BUT now that I’m on my way and over that first hurdle, I can see myself going in one direction and not looking back…I KNOW that I am making this change for a lifetime. I’m at 268 and I won’t be in the 270’s again! I’m going to be telling myself this each time the scale sees a new set of digits! 😉

Of course I cannot wait to be under 200! This will be a HUGE deal for me!

How are you doing? Please do check in by posting your comments.

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I’ve discovered that walking to the local grocery store is a perfect thing to do in the morning.  I think I mentioned that I don’t currently have a car and have been very frustrated about this situation until recently. (more on that another time)

I’ve been walking about 30 minutes or so to the grocery store, doing my shopping and then loading my backpack to walk home again. The trick is to not go crazy and put too much weight on my back as I do not want to have a repeat of the earlier back injury that kept me from exercising altogether.  I think I should plan to do this frequently as I need produce and other perishables. When I need to do a bigger shop – for heavier items or a lot of items at one time, I will take the bus to Walmart as I have been doing.

I’m starting to feel much better about not having a car – just trying to have the discipline to wait on this until it makes sense financially AND recognizing that it’s things like this (walking to the grocery store) that are supporting me in the weight loss challenge.

Hmmm…do you think perhaps God knew best when I was praying so desperately for a way to get a car months ago? 😉

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At least to begin with, I am basing my calorie target on what I’ve read in The Biggest Loser book. This is my present weight x 7 and I am actually making this a moving target based on my day-to-day weight. I may modify this as time goes on, but for now I need some good "rules" for the challenge. Having a daily calorie goal and being consistent with keeping a food journal are two things that I believe will really help me to learn to have the discipline that I need to achieve my long-term weight loss goals.

Today, for example my calorie target is:

272 (current weight) x 7 = 1904 calories

I write this number at the top of my notebook page and subtract calories as I record my food throughout the day.

In another post, I will record some examples of exactly what that food diary looks like for me….the good, the bad, the ugly! 😉  So far, so good…not too much ugly goin on around here!

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Today I celebrate my 37th birthday! WooHoo!

OK, not that I am so excited about adding another year 😉 but I know this year is going to be a turning point for me. I have a vision of making BIG changes in my life beginning now!

I tend to become very reflective during this time of year. Actually I always say that MY New Year begins on my bday – it is only 1 week after the official New Year and it gives me some time to get those goals/resolutions together.

Before I turn 40 (gulp), I would like to:

• be the most healthy and fit that I’ve ever been
• be completely debt free and well I on my way to financial freedom
• be in relationship (married or headed that way) with my future husband

It all starts with the 2007 Weight Loss Challenge!  I am NOT going to beat myself up anymore about how many years have gone by without the positive change…this year is all about moving forward.

Tomorrow is my first official weigh-in and I’m feeling great! Despite my back injury this week, I do think I’ve lost weight. We’ll find out tomorrow…

For now, I will enjoy my birthday (celebrating with J & AJ) and there will NOT be cake this year for me! (not that I think this is a bad thing for special occasions – I’m just not ready for it this early in the challenge)

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This week has been off to a rough start in terms of exercise. I’ve done something crazy to my back…could be the tons of groceries I carried in my backpack over the weekend. Doh! When will I learn not to do that?!

So, I’ve been faced with the decision of really pushing myself through a lot of pain to be able to do my walking goals for the week or allow my back to heal, knowing that I’ll be that much ready for next week.

Actually there really isn’t a choice as it’s severely wacked…ugh!

What can I learn from this? There WILL definitely be set-backs and unpredictable times throughout this journey to lose weight. The important thing will be how I choose to handle it. In other words, true that I cannot exercise as intended, but this does not mean that I am not starting my weight loss as planned. I will carry on with a new plan for healthy eating. Really I should lose weight due to the decrease in calories, even without the exercise. This is what I am focusing on. When I’m able to walk a bit, I will do a bit. 😉

I’ll be checking in later with my progress and weight loss (YES, I believe there will be weight loss) for the week.

Onward!

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It’s here! Day 1 of the Weight Loss Challenge.

I have to say that I’m excited. I feel prepared and ready to rock-n-roll. I know it’s not going to be easy…that there will be bumps along the way, but this is truly the beginning of a major change in my life. I can feel it! It’s going to be different this time.  I WILL lose this weight once and for all and so will YOU my friend.

Let’s do it – virtual High-5! 😉

Ok…so the scale – back to the scale. I bought a little digital number from Walmart a few days ago. I figure it will be good to see the fractions of a pound. Hey, there are days where 1/2 lb lost is cause for celebration, right?

Drum roll….(I’m hearing the annoying woman from The Biggest Loser’s voice in my head) 😉

My starting weight as of January 1, 2007 is exactly 278 lbs.

Errrrr…gulp. Yeah, that’s a pretty big number, isn’t it? I’m not going to dwell on this today – today is a GREAT day – a NEW day…there will be time later to ponder the fact that I have let myself get this heavy…this out of control with my weight. There will be time later to reflect from an emotional place of strength. Today I am moving into a new healthy way of living. This is my goal….to be healthy and fit!

No pressure, but please do feel free to post your starting weight here as well. I really do want us to help support one another in this process and tho we will be starting our journey from different places (weights), our process will be similar and we can not have too many cheerleaders to give us the encouragement that we will need.

So, are you with me?

🙂