I Don't Know What to Title This...

    Last night I was doing Pilates and I pulled my Achilles tendon. OUCH! Saying that it hurt like hell is an understatement. Buuuut laying in bed that same night, I thought about my college application. Being the obsessive, can't-sleep-until-I-know-the-answer kind of person that I am, I jumped up and went online to check it out. I got in to KSU! I don't know what I was so worried about. Both of my parents said that I would get in and they were right (hey, there's a first time for everything).  This is the first time in a long time that I have actually WANTED to go to school.  I am nervous about Math and I have to take remedial courses because I obviously am not good at doing things I don't care about.
    So I have reached one of my goals, just 4 more to go.
    I'm not discouraged about my injury. Something I have learned is that any goal worth reaching will take everything you've got to get there.

   

Skinny Laura

Starch Belly + Sugar Ass = Time to Get Serious

     I'm not being the healthy me that I could be. Sure, I limit myself to about 1600 calories a day, but I don't always choose foods that count. As a result I am hungry all of the time because I eat crap with a zillion calories. I don't drink sodas or sugary drinks, just water and herbal tea. It's the starches and chocolate that get me every time, though. I think today I am going to try to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables. How bad can that be, right? BLEGH. Then again, I thought exercising would suck, and now I love it. I didn't work out last night because I got home so late and our niece spent the night watching Despicable Me on our T.V. and our neighborhood isn't exactly the safest place to go running at night time. And of course I had a hard time sleeping because my body wasn't tired. So today I have to work out extra hard, which I am going to do as soon as I get off of here.
    I am really wanting to get rid of my starch belly and sugar ass. But (no pun intended) before I get to it, I wanted to make a list of goals that I would like to achieve before the end of the year.
                 

• Lose at least 10 more lbs.
• Purge our home of unnecessary items before we move in November (I hate it when you move and you just end up taking the crap you were trying to move away from) 
• Learn to say "No" and mean it
• Go back to school- or at least get accepted
• Meet Julia Roberts 

    I know that some of these things are going to be difficult and probably impossible (but I LOOOOVE   Julia Roberts). I'd like some other people to set goals with me, so that we can help each other pursue our dreams. Trust me, I'll make you feel guilty if you don't. 

    Off to do Pilates! 

You Know Who I Am By Now, 

Skinny Laura

The Beginning Begets the End

    This morning I woke up thinking about how the morning always seems to jumpstart my day. I remember as a kid my dad would wake me up by turning on the lights and standing me in the middle of the room. On those days I was not a fun person to be around. I would whine and complain all day. Now that I am an adult and living on my own, I have a little bit more control of the time and the way that I wake up. Even so, if I don't get enough sleep, I seem to revert back to my 6-year old self. I'm a night owl so this is a reoccurring theme in my life.

    Another key thing about the morning is that if I start out healthy, I usually am so proud of my decision that I feel guilty or ashamed if I don't continue with the trend for the day. I am motivated to work out and I am a more positive person, ready to take on the challenges of the day. 

    BUT if I mess up, I have learned to forgive myself, rather than giving up. One of the things I enjoy about living healthy is that I can take it one day at a time. If I eat a Butterfinger bar (which I have been known to do because I LOOOVE them), I know that the day is not shot. On those days I make my goal to stay within my calorie limitations, which I set by my desired weight, exercise, and foods listed for the day at MyFitnessPal.com.  I definitely work out on those days because I want to shed off some of the chocolate. 

    As far as working out, I have really been good about it. I think the key is to not believe you have to spend hours at the gym when you hate it. Since I have started this journey, I have learned about some athletic  indoor and outdoor hobbies that have become a major part of my life. I ride my bike on trails around our area that I didn't even know existed! I download yoga, Pilates, and aerobics videos from YouTube.com and play them on our television using AppleTV. Don't think that you have to do exactly what anyone else does to be healthy. As long as you are getting off of the couch, you are doing something for yourself. My husband really enjoys mountain biking and jogging, neither of which interests me. He gets his exercise in during the day; I do mine after work. If other people tell you that you need to exercise first thing in the morning, that's crap. I have lost 10 lbs. already, and sometimes I don't work out until 9 pm. The point is not the weight, it's that you are doing something for yourself. And while I do want to look sexier and physically fit, that is not the ultimate goal. My ultimate goal is to feel better about myself, one day at a time. 

As Always, 

Skinny Laura

  

New Blog, New Start!

    I created this blog to share my weightloss journey with the world-YIKES!- and to keep me accountable. I have only lost 10 pounds so far and I still have 30 more until I reach my goal. Already I can feel a difference, and my husband even commented on it yesterday.
    I have been having an interesting time trying to fit exercise into my day, although I now look forward to it, because I can tell there is a reward. It has taken me a month but I am so proud of myself that I tell everyone I meet! I guess I shouldn't say that I have to "fit" exercise in my day; it's really more about finding a time that I am motivated to do it. I have a huge problem with apathy. It's only a problem because in reality, I do care. If I didn't care then I wouldn't be blogging, working out, or eating healthier.
    Eating right has been the biggest challenge. It doesn't cost money to work out. I have my long-forgotten bike, some workout videos from YouTube and an old pair of sneakers that have been put to good use lately. It costs money and ALOT of motivation to make healthy choices. A friend of mine who is also on a weightloss journey told me about MyFitnessPal.com and I log in religiously to track my calories. I say that eating right "costs money", but really it's no more than what I spend on take out. I have slowly modified my choices by adding more fruits and veggies in my diet and cooking meals a few times per week. My biggest downfall is chocolate. I seem to be an all or nothing kind of person when it comes to chocolate and other sweets. But I am so proud of the 10 lbs. that I have lost that I don't want to stop now! I never want to be at my old weight again! I remember what started it all: the day the BMI calculator told me I was overweight. A few weeks later my doctor told me I needed to watch what I am eating and move around more.
    Change is difficult and I know that it's not always going to be fun. But it will be worth it when I feel more comfortable in a swimsuit next summer (possibly a bikini-GASP)! Now that my husband has joined me on this path I am thrilled to learn where it will take our marriage and our health.
   If this is your first attempt or your fiftieth attempt, you can do it! Don't quit five minutes before the miracle happens! Join me and we can support one another!

Skinny Laura