Tight Tooshie Thursday :)

Are you ready for your weekly dose of all things fitness?

I have to say that this part of my health journey is beginning to be

the exciting part for me.

When I'm on that treadmill, or doing those crunches,

I can feel myself getting stronger and my body changing.

The more I do it, the more I want to do it.

It's addicting in a way.

I was pretty athletic growing up.

I danced for 10 years, I played softball, volleyball, basketball, threw shot put & discus on track-- well, let's be honest, I wasn't very good at shot put or discus, but I did get to work out in the weight room with the football players {perk!}--I'm just being honest :)

I have great memories of playing club volleyball and

playing at a level that I could push myself.

Pushing yourself gives you something to reach for.

And when you succeed, it's the best feeling!

One of the greatest accomplishments of my life so far {besides my husband and children} is when I was certified on the high ropes course at The Pines Camp back in 1999.

It was something I had no desire to do when I was first asked,

but I decided to try something out of my comfort zone.

It was the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have ever done.

I was terrified at the beginning.

But in the end, there I was, climbing 30 ft. trees, setting up belay systems, and encouraging kids to fall forward off a 20 ft. platform to zip line down.

I not only earned my certification, I was 2nd in my class.

And I was in the best shape of my life.

I used every single muscle in my body to the max that summer!

{here I am the summer of  '99 in all my high ropes glory!}

I think the key to fitness is to find something you like to do.

Working out shouldn't be boring.

If you enjoy it, you will do it.

It's different for everyone.

I am not a runner, but I have friends who love it.

I am not into riding a bike for long distances, but some people find it cathartic.

I like to dance, so I do a Zumba class.

I also like to watch TV, so I do a cardio climb on the treadmill.

It's like being a couch potato with benefits :)

I also have come to realize that I like to sweat.

When I sweat, I feel like I accomplished something.

So I like to do a lot of cardio.

I haven't done a jumping jack in forever.

I am now up to 2 sets of 40 jumping jacks, mixed with some pop ups where you bend down to touch your toes and then pop straight up in the air and back down again.

I am sweating a ton after some sets of those.

These are just a few of my fav things.

I'm not an expert on fitness.

I'm just a mom who's gonna lose it!

Weigh in Wednesday with Hope

Ugh! I feel like a horrible blogger.

A few of you have messaged me today asking where my weigh in post was.

You said "Isn't it Weigh in Wednesday?"

It made me feel bad for not getting a chance to post until now,

but also made me smile that you all are coming to expect it each Wednesday!

So cool!!!

Well, it was one of "those" weeks.

I know I should focus more on the results I feel than the weight, but honestly, I fully intended to get on the scale and be down 3 lbs, at least.

I mean, I have worked out every day this week, except one, and I haven't been that bad on my calorie intake. Of course, the Girl Scout Cookies did come this week... 

 

So, today I weighed in and I haven't gained, but I haven't lost.

I am still the same weight as last Wednesday.

Total loss of 12 lbs...still...

Now for the GREAT news, because you all know me a little by now and you should know that I can spin anything from a negative to a positive.

Well, I did my measurements and there was the success I was looking for; the validation that all my hard work is not in vain!

 

I am down 3 1/2 ins. on my waist, 2 3/4 ins. on my hips, 1/2 in. around my thighs, and 1/4 in. around my upper arm

(not going to say bicep, because that just sounds silly right now)

So, that is pretty awesome!

I have noticed that my hips have gone down a lot.

I don't know if anyone else notices that, but I do.

Oh, and who went down a size in her jeans? This girl!!

Now that shows me how hard I've been working.

I'm thinking that I'm losing fat and gaining muscle right now.

And I'm sure my metabolism is still trying to catch up too.

I'll get there...just slow going right now.

This is usually the time when most people give up on their diet or their workouts because they aren't seeing the results on the scale. If that's you, I encourage you to NOT do that.

Getting in shape doesn't happen over night. And anything worth doing is worth the effort.

 

My thought for this week:

 “All great achievements require time.”

~Maya Angelou

{me after a quick 45 min workout}



Tasty Tuesday: Orange Teriyaki Beef

Orange Teriyaki Beef

Ingredients:

- 1 pound thinly sliced flank steak

- 2 cups uncooked rice

- 3 cloves garlic

- 2 green onions

- 1 orange

- 1/2 cup soy sauce

- 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

- tsp corn starch optional

-1 tbsp safflower oil (or whatever oil you choose)

Combine soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, diced bulb of green onion, crushed garlic, and whisk together. To thicken sauce add a tsp of corn starch. Add juice of one orange and orange zest to sauce. Set sauce aside. Cook rice as directed. Chop green part of onion to your preference and set aside. In a large saute pan or wok heat safflower oil to just below smoke point. Add meat and cook until mostly brown. Add half sauce to browned meat to deglaze pan, be sure to mix well. Bring to simmer. Add the rest of sauce. Simmer for 5-7 mins. Add half green onion, stir. 

Serve meat on top of rice, garnish with remaining green onion.  

Serves 4     1/4 of meat is 6 WW points and 1 cup of white rice is 5 WW points. 

Courtesy of my healthy chef: my hubby

I love this, it is so yummy! I'm not a huge fan of green onions though, so I leave off the garnish. :) Enjoy and let me know how you like it.

Motivation Monday ::: Guest post by Dwight Jordan (my hubby)

Introducing Motivation Monday: to help us get motivated. A guest post from my hubby. I love him!!!!!

Motivation is an interesting thing. It comes only after a deep realization of truth and then, leaves so easily. That's why so many of us struggle to stay motivated.  That is especially true when that motivation involves health and fitness. One of my favorite jokes is from the comedian Jim Gaffigan. He asks the questions “Have you ever come across a picture of yourself and it just ruins your day” or “Have you ever seen a picture of yourself and said, I better call my wife and tell her how much I love her”? Ok, I have answered yes to those questions and have found motivation in that instant. But very soon that feeling leaves me, usually as I arrive at the gym. That’s why true motivation must come from within.  To be successful at anything, one must find the desire within the soul.

Along this line of thinking I ask you to recall the greatest basketball player of all time. Michael Jordan was great. Yes, he was physically gifted and had all of the athletic gifts to become an NBA player. However, it was not talent alone that propelled him to be the greatest. It was his drive to be the best. Something inside him did not allow failure.  It was that drive, that lead him to find motivation in press clippings and little things. So every game he would perform regardless of the circumstances.   Nothing could stop Jordan when he was at his best. In fact, sports casters would often say “you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him”.  And I would sing the song from the commercial … Sometimes I dream, that he is me… Like Mike … If I could be like Mike” .  Well, there are lots of reasons I can’t be like Mike. But in one way we all can be like him. We can all refuse to quit, refuse to lose, and refuse to fail.

Back to that picture I was talking about above.  Or even the latest glance in the mirror. These items can awake that winner inside us. Awake the desire to be more and live up to our potential. For me those pictures have brought me to this point. I decided that I didn’t want to be heavy any more. I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to live along time on this earth. I want to see my Kids grow up. I want to hold grand babies. I want to grow old with my wife.  So when those fleeting glances at pictures fade away. The desire to do, to be, to live, drives me back to the gym. What drives you ?

Before

This morning: 100 + pounds down

                

Fat Be Gone Friday ::: Robyn's weigh in

Real life happened this week...... my birthday!!!! It just so happens that in this little city I live in there is lots of free food on your birthday. I thought a lot about it before hand. I tried to sort of strategize and to remind myself that although the food was free the calories weren't. :) At the same time though, I didn't want to worry too much about diet and calories on my birthday. So, we went for the yummy free food. I ate small portions. My hubby and I shared dessert. I sent pictures of everything I ate to Hope. It somehow made me feel accountable if she knew what I was eating. :) I was really proud of my self-control. I didn't finish anything. I also gave myself my birthday off from the gym. I opted for a bubble bath instead. :)

I had some great work outs this week. I am also really making an effort to be more active in my daily life. We are parking farther away and walking. When I take the kids to play at the park rather than sitting and watching them I will walk around the park. If I have a couple of free minutes I’ll do squats, crunches, or push-ups. I have made this shift in my thinking to always consider how I can be more active.

I still am really working on my attitude and self esteem. The fact is that it is not easy to be a chubby girl in this world. We have the world bombarding us from every direction telling us how we should look and dress. I did a work out with my hubby and ventured to the dreaded weight side of the gym. I nearly talked myself out of it several times on our short drive to the gym. I easily could have found myself in tears. But, I told myself that if I work hard I will see the results. I told myself that I could care less what other people think of me.  I tried not to look in the mirror. If I did I focused on my pretty face rather than my jiggly body. I tried to ignore all of the brawny men lifting weights. In my mind they were laughing at me. But, I did it. I worked out like a man. I did everything my hubby told me to do and sweat like crazy. I’m still sore. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy for me to return to that side of the gym. It’s not!!! But, I’m going to do hard things so that I can become the girl I want to be. It won’t be long before I will be proud of the reflection I see in the mirror. I will remind myself daily that I am a daughter of God and that this body is a miraculous gift from him. It has given me 4 beautiful children. It’s time for me to take care of it. It’s time for me to take care of myself.  Whew, I feel better now that I got that off my chest. J

So, this week, my birthday week, I am

down 1.6 pounds

for a total of 13.6 pounds down

Man did I work for every ounce. Slow and steady wins the race. But, it’s not a race, it’s a journey and I am enjoying every moment.

Tight Tooshies Thursday ::: Squats on Crack

Hope and I have decided to blog more often in an effort to keep ourselves committed and motivated. Thursday we have decided to dedicate to all things fitness related. Since one of our major motivations is jeans with booty bling and we mention it to one another often, we thought Tight Tooshies was a perfect reminder for Thursday. Plus it's silly and makes us laugh and we like a good laugh.

So fitness, where to start? It can be overwhelming. We both have gym memberships and work out hard. One of the things I have learned is that you really have to work for it. You shouldn't leave the gym looking the same as when you walked in. You have to sweat, to really  push your body. One of my problem areas is my thighs and booty. I think lots of women can relate. This week I discovered some amped up squats. They'll really leave your inner thighs burning for days. I'm calling them Squats on Crack.

The first ones are really simple. You do a regular squat. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Your toes should point out slightly. Bend way down. Your butt should stick out and your back should be straight. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor and your knees should not go past your toes. Here's the crack part, rather than standing back up to repeat, push hard through your thighs and jump as high as you can. Lift your knees as your jump. Don't think about how white men (or women) can't jump like I do. Think light as a feather, Air Jordan kind of jump. Start with reps of 10. Do as many as you can. This will get your heart rate up too. Believe in yourself and don't wimp out.

The second one you have to imagine a pit of lava. It's about 3 feet wide, or wider if you're strong. You are going to jump back and forth across the lava. You do a squat with your right leg slightly lifted off the floor. You are going to jump to your right as far as you can. I sort of kick my right leg out. You will land on your right leg and go into a squat with your left leg slightly off the floor. Then jump back to your left and land on your left foot. This takes lots of core strength.

Squats are great for weight loss and strength training. I challenge you to add some Squats on Crack to your work out this week.

Weight In Wednesday ::: Hope

Well, it's that day again.
Weigh in Wednesday!

I feel like I did really well this week.
My calorie intake wasn't bad and I had a couple killer workouts.
A couple of times this week, I left the gym shaking.
I think my body was revolting! But I felt great!

Here is an example of one of my workouts form this week:
 

1.5 hrs at the gym.

30 min on the treadmill doing a cardio incline of 15.0,

50 crunches on the exercise ball,

2 sets of 30 jumping jacks,

2 sets if 12 dips,

3 sets if 10 ab extensions,

2 sets of 12 pop ups (those are killer),

and just when I thought I could do no more,
30 min on the elliptical which was a HUGE mind game the whole time.
I wanted to stop so bad, but so proud I didn't!

Over 800 calories burned!!

 

So, I got on the dreaded scale this morning and I lost another pound from last week.
I will admit that I thought it should have been 5 lbs from the way I worked out.
But I also know that with girls there are certain times of the month that they may retain more water than others, so I really can't be upset
when my body may have been working against me this week.
I am super proud that I lost this week and I know that next week will be a great week!

So what do you do in a gym when there is no one else there? Workout super hard, do exercises you would never do in front of another human being, and...
take pictures of yourself in the mirror, of course.
Here I am down 12 lbs!

 

 

And one more thing I must do today...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBYN!!!

I hope you have a fabulous day!!

By the way, Robyn will now have to up her

age on the elliptical...hehehe ;)

 

 

Tasty Tuesday ::: Slow Cooker Lasagna

So Robyn and I have come up with genius idea of

posting recipes that have a healthier spin.

We will post these recipes on Tuesdays, hence, Tasty Tuesday. Clever, huh?

I decided to post a crock pot recipe today because, seriously, who doesn't

love the crock pot?

If you try this recipe, let us know how you liked it! :)

For all you fellow Weight Watcher peeps out there,

this recipe is 10 points per serving, FYI.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

*taken from www.weightwatchers.com*

Prep time: 20 min *Cook time: 360 min *  Serves: 6

 

Ingredients

	1 pound(s) uncooked 93% lean ground beef
	1 small uncooked onion(s), chopped
	1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
	28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
	15 oz canned tomato sauce
	1 tsp table salt
	1 tsp dried oregano
	1/2 tsp dried basil
	1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
	1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
	1 1/2 cup(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
	6 item(s) uncooked lasagna noodles, no-cook
	1/2 cup(s) shredded parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
  
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
  
• Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
  
• Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
  
• In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.

Notes

• To boost your vegetable intake, add a can of zucchini in tomato sauce to the meat mixture. You can also add 2 cups of sliced shiitake mushrooms to the beef mixture.

Robyn::: weigh in #3

I learned at an early age that we can't control a lot of what happens to us in life. We can however control how we react. We choose our attitude. This process of trying to lose weight has reminded me about choosing a better attitude. Rather than dwelling on where I am and how far I have to go, I am focusing on my daily triumphs. I am reminding myself of all the good I do, my strength, and my value. I am giving it my all because I want it and I am worth it. Am I doing this for my kiddos and my hubby? Yes, of course. But, more importantly I'm doing it for me!!!! I will be a better wife, a better mother, and a better me because of it. Although I am sad that I gained so much weight back, I am incredibly grateful for this journey that I have the opportunity to share with Hope and all of you! I truly feel like Hope and I were meant to do this. We were meant to share this journey. Rather than being sad that I have so much weight to lose, I am happy that I get to prove to myself and all of you my strength and ability. We are doing this!!!! I am so excited.

A friend brought me a little box of chocolates the day before Valentine's Day. She told me how she really contemplated doing it because she knows I'm dieting. I'm so glad she did though. :) It gave me the opportunity to show myself that I have some will power. I have eaten a few pieces each day. I still have some in the little box!!! Before I easily would have eaten them all in one sitting with a big soda and wanted more. You don't have to give up chocolate to lose weight. I don't want to live in a world without chocolate. You can eat treats and still lose weight. It's all about moderation and portion control. I am eating the things I love, just less of them. I am also making good healthy choices every day. 

I did a very small last chance work out with my fit hubby. I wanted to hurt him. It was so hard. I am realizing though that I want to be strong. I want to find the athlete that lives inside of me. I am going to continue to increase my work out intensity and difficulty. I need to work out with my hubby more often. My attitude towards working out has changed though. It’s not about a leisurely workout. It’s about really giving it all that I have in a way that really hurts. I love seeing that I can do more than I thought I could. This body that I have so many mixed feelings about is incredibly capable. I am pushing it further and further.

So, I’m proud of my week. I live in a real world with real temptations and I made mostly good choices.

I’m down 2 pounds this week.

12 pounds total. I feel more confident in myself. I am happier in my daily life. I am choosing to have a more positive attitude.

Here I am this morning ready for the gym. 12 pounds down. My waist is feeling smaller. :)

A big thank you to my hubby for all of his support in this journey. Not only is he my cheerleader and my healthy chef, he is really picking up my slack while I try to figure this all out. He is doing tons of laundry, dishes, and kid duty. I am one lucky girl.   

Hope ::: weigh in #3

Well, it's my fav day...
Weigh in Wednesday!
 

This week was a test for me. Everyone knows that when you're in your own environment, it's easier to lose weight. It's easier to have consistent exercise. It's just easier to control things.
 

So, as most of you know, I'm the Director of Youth Ministry at our church. Well, this weekend was our annual high school ski trip in West Virginia. Needless to say, I was a little worried about being away from home. I mean, what would I eat? They have a lodge there with pizza, chicken strips, curly fries and cheeseburgers. Did I mention curly fries? I {heart} those things! But not exactly heart healthy, you know what I mean?
 

I also decided not to ski.
Me + skiing = not a pretty sight--trust me.
I was worried about sitting down all weekend, not getting any exercise.
 

So here's what I did:
 

* Brought my own snacks.
I even counted out portions of the goldfish and packaged them in baggies so I didn't find myself eating a whole bag. Brought carrots, goldfish, 90 calorie granola bars and unsweetened apple sauce. I drank water the whole weekend. OK! I may have had 1 Diet Coke.

 

* Committed myself to finding other ways to exercise.
 I found this driving path along the side of the mountain that was steep and windy. I walked that 3 times. The last time I made it to the top and it was beautiful! I told Carl that it was amazing what God can show you when you actually venture out of your comfort zone. The view was awesome!

 

* Tried to go for the healthier choices.
I went for the turkey sandwich instead of the cheeseburger, the grilled chicken sandwich instead of the fried one. I also let myself splurge on the curly fries, but I made sure to share them so I didn't eat them all. Oh, and I did eat 1.5 pieces of pizza at 10pm one night, and for that, I still feel guilty, but MAN was it good!!!! ;)

 

Here are some pics of the scenery I was surrounded by all weekend!
Pretty great, right? Bottom right pic is the view from the top of my hike.

 

So, I know why you all are really here.
It's what I had been anticipating all week. My weigh in!

Well, I am thrilled to report that I am
down 2.5 lbs
from last week! That means I have
lost a total of 11 lbs.
I also did some measurements and I am
down 2 in. on my hips and 2 1/4 in. on my waist!
Now THAT is exciting!

Below is my pic from tonight before going to work out.

11 lbs lost--so far!

Robyn:: weigh in #2

I'm feeling really emotional today! This whole weight loss thing is much more than a physical journey for me. I really am trying to maintain a positive attitude. I'm trying to believe in myself. I’m reminding myself that my value isn't measured in pounds. 

I had out of town visitors over the weekend and then the Super Bowl. I ate a few things I shouldn't have including a chocolate cupcake and some full sugar soda. (I might have sent a picture of it to Hope while she was at the gym. I sent her a picture of veggies a couple days later though. :)) Weekends are always hard for me. I really got back on track on Monday though and have counted every bite I've taken since then. I have eaten more veggies this week than probably my entire life. 

I increased my workout time. I am leaving everything I have every time I go. I'm talking serious blood, sweat, and tears. Okay, not blood really, but seriously sweat and I could cry being the chubby girl at the gym. My hubby tells me to work out like a man. :) I am pushing myself. I also started some strength training at home. Push ups, sit ups, lunges, squats, leg lifts, and light weights. I can feel my body changing. My attitude and strength are changing too.

So, Friday is here and my weigh in time has come.

I am down 1.4 pounds this week

Which means a total of 10 pounds down for me. I just have to do that 6 more times and I'll be at goal. 

I am incredibly grateful for all of the support we are receiving. I am getting messages from old friends I haven't heard from in years. It has been so uplifting. This is a really scary thing for me, to share this journey with the world. But, it's changing my life. We are doing this. I am so thankful to have Hope in my corner. 

P.S. At my doctor's appointment this week my blood sugar was down. :) I'm still pre-diabetic but not for long. That’s a huge success!!!! 

Here I am down 10 pounds. Do I look skinnier? :)

encouragement is {key}

So as I was doing my cardio incline workout on the treadmill tonight,

I saw my phone was blinking.

I had a message from a friend on facebook.

Here is what it said:

 

Just wanted to tell you that I am cheering you on!!! I am proud of you for wanting to tackle this! Wish I could offer some time to join you and push you through the frustrating times - they will come but even if you get to that point, try me...I may be frustrated enough with school that I need an outlet!! LOL!! Keep after it girl!! You will get the results you want and you will be thankful and stronger bc you fought through it!! :)

 

Wow! I needed that. I have been having this problem where my toes are going numb while I'm doing cardio. It is pretty annoying. But this little message gave me the endurance to push harder and finish strong.

Thanks April :)

 

I have been feeling the love this past week, so I just wanted to say to everyone who stops me while I'm out, everyone who posts encouraging words on facebook, to Robyn for her awesome texts during the day, and especially to my husband who says he's proud of me and just bought me new kicks...

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

 

{the new kicks my honey bought me}

Hope ::: weigh in #2

Nothing lost, nothing gained.

 

This COULD be the whole post since I neither gained, nor lost weight this week.

But hey, my name is Hope.

It means optimistic, so I feel it's my duty to look at the glass half full!

Even though this was the first full week of working out at the gym,

I am still down the same 8.5 pounds as last week.

I have to admit, I was a tad disheartened.

I mean, all that work and I'm still the same weight? Really?

I really had a great week of watching my portion size and what I was eating.

I mean I ate a banana for the first time in 2 years people!

And I enjoyed my workouts more than I thought I ever would.

So instead of getting down about it, I told myself

"hey, at least you didn't gain weight, right?"

Then it hit me...go check your measurements...

 

So I did...

 

And THAT will be my success story for the week.

Are you ready???

I am down 1 inch around my hips 

& 1.5 inches around my waist!

 

SWEET!!!

 

So I guess those hard workouts paid off!

And not eating that chocolate cupcake and soda, too {right Robyn?.... ;)}

All in all, I think this week was a success.

I didn't gain weight, I am still down 8.5 lbs AND I lost inches!!! See, the glass is half full ;)

And I just have to say that I have been

overwhelmed by the support from Robyn.

She has been incredible this week with texting me little affirmations and cheering me on.

It seriously makes this journey so much sweeter!

 

If you don't have a support buddy, I highly suggest you find someone to share your journey with. Even if you're not doing a whole weight loss thing--maybe you're just trying to eat better or exercise more--having someone who builds you up and encourages you is just plain

AwEsOmE!

{Thanks Robyn!!!}

Thank you!

In the past 2 days since we announced our little blog we have had nearly 500 visitors. We are so overwhelmed by your love and support! Keep coming around and keeping us accountable and motivated. We have some big plans for posts coming soon!

Super Bowl Sunday {without the perks}

I WANT TO EAT SOMETHING GREASY AND NOT GOOD FOR ME.

There. I said it. I feel much better. Well, I would feel better if I actually had some wings and onion rings, but oh well.

So today has been a hard day.

I was up last night with a really bad sore throat that kept me from sleeping. It got so bad today that I was almost in tears because it was so painful to swallow. Every time I did, it felt like someone was stabbing me in my ear drum. Not good.

I really wanted to kill it at the gym tonight because I haven't been doing stellar on my calorie intake. But I just didn't feel up to it. So I took some Tylenol, took an antibiotic, and headed to the gym to do some light walking on the treadmill. But that was really frustrating. I really wanted to have a hard work out like last night. I don't want to slow down for fear I will stop.

So, yes, it's been a hard day. I'm sure there will be more. I'm sure there will be better days. I do give myself credit for going to the gym, though. I only burned 185 calories, but it's 185 more than if I stayed at home on the couch, right?

And to top it off, I came home and had a banana while surfing facebook and seeing all the awesome food everyone else was eating.

I'll say it again.

Today has been a hard day.

Robyn: weigh in #1

If this is your first visit to our site, scroll down to the bottom to read from the beginning. :)

Whew! The week has come and gone and weigh in day is here. It’s an exciting but scary day. This has been sort of a crazy week for me. Hope and I chatted on the phone last Sunday and started planning our little weight loss endeavor. It changed me. My entire attitude and perspective are new.

 A few years ago I lost over a hundred pounds. I remember the feelings that I had on my way. It was exhilarating. I was so motivated. I wanted it so bad. The success was incredible and I felt like I could do anything I put my mind to. Gaining it back is a long story for another post, but I had lost my confidence. I was dejected and discouraged. This week I found my confidence again. I found the inner desire to really do this again, the passion to really give it my all and not make excuses for myself.

  Weight loss is incredibly difficult. There are a million fad diets out there. There are pills, and surgeries, and injections.  Then there is good old fashioned calorie counting and exercise. It’s the kind of calorie counting where every bite counts, and the kind of exercise that seems as if your life depends on it. Maybe it does. That’s how I plan on losing 70 pounds.

I had a good week. I stuck to my WW points. That doesn’t mean I didn’t eat cheeseburgers. I did. I love food. It just means I had soup for lunch if I wanted a cheeseburger for dinner. I planned ahead. I felt hungry sometimes and then ate a piece of fruit and drank a glass of water. It’s about making good choices and managing calories like you would money. I really thought before I ate. My intensity at the gym heightened. I worked out like I meant it. I was aware of being more active during the day. The kids and I did a lot of Just Dance sweat mode. J

I’m so excited to say that this morning I weighed in 8.6 pounds down.  That means only 61.4 pounds to go.

This is me today. I feel like I've lost weight in my face, hands, and waist. I'm anxious to lose weight in my booty, hips, and thighs. It's gonna happen!

I have a long road ahead of me, but I’m excited for the journey. I hope that you’ll come along for the ride to help encourage us, motivate us, and keep us accountable. I hope that we can inspire you to reach a goal, to follow your dreams whatever they may be.