January, Oh how you've been good to me...

Thank you very much January 2013. You've been good to me... Making some changes but not anything absurd or over board (if you'd like information on what changes, let me know), I've managed to destroy 12 lbs of FAT in the month of January! I couldn't be happier. I'm off and running! 

Eleven more months. Bring it on February!

Tara
A thinning Fat Girl. 

One Month Down... Eleven to Go.

What can I say... January is going to end very well. I'm on course. I'm motivated and I'm not wanting for anything! I've had sweets, I've had pasta, I've had red meat...

But I know come February 15th, I'm going to hit that wall. I'm going to have to buckle down. I'm going to have to take that next step in healthy eating and cutting out the things I don't need. But I'm ready! Bring it on! I don't plan to end February with anything less than 8 lbs of useless, lumpy fat off this body. 8 lbs... that's alot of FAT.

To get a good idea of what I've accomplished in January alone, I went to the internet to look at things that weigh 10 lbs. (as I plan to finish the month at around 11-15lbs lost, may as well use 10 lbs as my visual). The one I fancied the most was a sack of potatoes. I got a sac of lumpy potatoes off this body in the month of January.

So then I thought... wonder what that really looks like. So I looked up 10 lbs of FAT. What I saw disgusted me. 1 lb of fat equals the size of a coffee mug. So 10 lbs.. OH MY GOSH! So I had my visual on the fat, my idea of the feel of the weight. Then realized that what I had to destroy was 12 TIMES THAT AMOUNT! That is a lot of FAT!

Each month that passes I'll look at the size of what I'm dumping from my frame. I will measure myself as well because, let's face it... weight is just a number. If I build muscle, the scale is no longer going to be my friend as muscle weighs more than fat.

1 month almost down and I have a solid plan in place already that has been more than effective. I feel confident in my ability to change my patterns and thinking about food. Now let's see what the results will be!

Tara
Still 11 lbs lighter but my jeans are falling off :)

Sweeter than Sweets!

Today is proof that there is no sweeter thing in the quest to get healthy than stepping on the scale and seeing the results of your determination and hard work. There's no candy or pastry that would ever replace the satisfaction I received this morning. 

I am seeing that in times past I made the excuses that I couldn't follow a decent meal pattern because my husband refuses to. And the kids don't like the things I do. So I ate the pre packaged, flour packed, sodium packed meals they wanted. But this past month I've come to realize, there was absolutely no reason for that to happen! 

All it takes is some knowledge and application in a tricky way to get everyone on board. Maybe not fully, so on those nights I'll have my separate salad or Healthy Choice soup rather than the craziness they demand. And don't get me wrong. Over the Month I've "swayed" at least 5 times and eaten meals that were NOT healthy by any means. And yet I still made more progress this month than I'd ever dreamed I would. 

I guess it's like when I quit smoking. I woke up one morning and said I'm not going to do that anymore. And I didn't. I've been a non smoker for over a year now. After Christmas, I woke up with a candy and goodie induced hangover of sorts... I felt sick to my stomach, my body felt gross and I just wanted to lay there and not move. I said to myself, I'm not going to do this anymore. So far so good. 

Everyone has their own breaking point. And even when you reach it, you can still stray from the path if not properly motivated to reach the prize at the end. I'm writing this blog to keep my self accountable. I don't want to come back here in 6 months and see that I was talking out of my ass. I want to be here every day recording the reasons and struggles and blessings that will come with my journey. I want to finish what I started this time and mean it. Own it. 

This is my motivation. And hopefully yours. 

Tara
11 pounds lighter today. 

When Life hands you lemons...

My name is Tara. I'm a 30 something mother and wife that has battled weight issues since I was 8 years old. I've heard everything from "you bring it on yourself" to " have you seen a doctor" to "take this miracle drug...".

What I can tell you honestly is that people who haven't struggled will truly never understand the mind of a person with a weight issue. Be it too thin, too heavy, etc. What creates the monster inside can vary from a true disease of sorts to pure and simple laziness and failure to eat healthy.

I'm a procrastinator. I love food. I love sweets. My entire family is overweight. Many suffer from diabetes. Those factors equal a plump, 250something lb me. With many failed attempts at destroying the extra weight (I don't "lose" weight as I'd really not like to "find" it again). Over my last 20somthing years, I've lost and gained over 100 lbs. I've used everything from Weight Watchers to Paleo to Southbeach to pills and more. When what I should have been doing was eating to live. Eat what my body needs to live rather than everything in my ravenous path.

January 1, 2013, I started watching portions, kicking out some of the less healthy choices and adding in some fruit, veggies, salads and lower fat items. I have made sure to remain as active as I can during the day at my "sit on my butt" job. I've made sure to throw some treadmill time or heavy house cleaning time in to every day. I've not starved nor have I felt deprived of what I wanted to eat. And today, 1/22/13 my weight destruction for the month is 8 lbs. Not too shabby for a lazy, fat girl.

I've been a part of an online weight destruction support site for almost 3 years now. I use it for tracking my food and exercise. I use a Fitbit to track my daily routine burn and sleep patterns.

My goal is to be 120lbs lighter by January 1st, 2014. I also plan to record/share everything I use or find helpful during this journey in hopes that maybe one day, it will help someone else that might be in the same situation I've been in for 20+ years.

Here we go. 

Tara
Fat girl