Monday, February 28, 2011

Moving Forward

I didn't want to run on the treadmill today, but I did.  I even ran more during the 30 minutes than I did yesterday.  I keep telling myself~ The only way to move forward is to push yourself. 
I saw a woman on "The Today Show"  who used to weigh 399 pounds.  She started watching her diet and exercising.  She now weighs 217, and says she is still a work in progress.  She is training to run a mini marathon.  If she can do it, I can too!  I just want to be able to run the 5K, but who knows where I will go from there.
~Hope

Walking + Wii = Mini Me

I'm still walking my 30-40 minutes a day, but I thought I needed to add some other kind of exercise in there too for the rest of my body.  Enter the Wii.  I did a 30 minutes walk and then about 1/2 hour later I did 30 minutes of Wii Fit Plus.  I burned another 200 calories on top of the 240 I burned while walking.  Not too bad for someone who was not exercising at all 2 weeks ago.
~Crystal

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Small victories

I have always had a hard time finding boots that fit. Even the "wide calf" boots I always had a hard time finding ones that fit. Last year I struck gold finding boots that I could actually zip over my big calves! Well, they've always been snug and I had to be careful zipping them up. Not this morning. That 1/2" gone from my calves made them a little easier to zip. To some this may not seem like such a big deal, but to me it is. It's a small victory on this journey of mine!
~Crystal


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Hope ~ RUNNING!

I am so excited!  I have been walking the weight loss program on my treadmill for one and a half weeks now.  Most days, I do it twice~ once during the little boys' nap time, and then again after they go to bed.  I don't sweat as much as I used to when I started, and I don't get out of breath.  So, this morning, I decided to see if I could run jog a small portion of it.  I was thinking that I would be able to jog about 30 seconds.  But, to my surprise, I ran 30 seconds....and kept going....and going.....and going!  I was able to run a quarter of a mile without stopping!  That was over three minutes!  Some of you may be thinking, Three minutes?  A quarter of a mile?  Big woo!  But, let me assure you, that for someone who couldn't run around the cul-de-sac last summer, it is a major accomplishment!  After the quarter of a mile, I walked at 3.8 for awhile.  Pretty soon, I felt the urge to run again.  I set the speed at 5mph and jogged for about an eighth of a mile, followed by walking at 3.8, then jogged another eighth of a mile at 5mph!  I finished out my thirty minutes by walking to cool myself down. I really want to run the 5K in May without stopping.  I don't know if that will become a reality, but I am working hard to make it one!
~Hope 

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Crystal's End of Week One Photos

Well, here we are at the end of week 1 and the start of week 2.  I saw an 8 inch decrease in size so I was expecting to be able to really see it in the photos.  I can't really tell much difference. 
I know it's only the first week.  I'm looking forward to seeing what I look like after a month or two months.  I stopped posting my food journal and I think I need to start doing that again.  It helped me stay accountable knowing that people would read it.  I will start again starting with tomorrows food journal.  I'm still keeping my journal and making good decisions, but maybe having it on the blog will help me in keeping those good decisions going.
~Crystal

Hope's Pictures and Measurements ~ After Week 1

So, here we are.  Time to post my pictures and measurements after the first week.  I absolutely LOVE Weight Watchers online as it has helped me keep track of my dietary intake and exercise.  I have really been thinking about what I put into my mouth, and as a result, have made better choices.  After one week of eating right and exercising, I feel like I should be skinny already, but the mirror shows me that I'm not, and that I still have a long way to go!  That being said, here are my pictures and stats...




Stats for week 1:
  • Weight:  197.4 lbs.
  • Waist:    41 in.
  • Hips:      46 in.
  • Bust:      43 in.
  • Arms:     14.5 in.
  • Thighs:   25.5
  • pants size:  18 (loose, but 16s are tight)                                                                                                                                    
post signature

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Hope's Weigh In ~ Feb. 24, 2010

I was hoping to have my weekly pictures to add to this post, but it has been a very hectic week for the Masseys, so I will have to post them tomorrow.  Since Friday, I have been following my online Weight Watchers program.  I love it!  It really helps me stay on top of my eating habits since I have to log everything into my points tracker.  As I stated in an earlier post, I get 29 points per day, and an extra 49 points per week.  I also track my activity on the activity tracker.  I can plug in any exercise I do and the calculator will assign points to it.  I can choose to either cash in the points for extra food, or just leave them unused.  To date, I have not cashed any in.  (Yay me!)  I am learning to love my treadmill, and now feel guilty if I don't use it twice a day.  I can choose different weight loss programs on it that make the walking interesting.  The speed and/or incline change every minute, so it is not so monotonous.  I don't have a TV near it, (which I would LOVE), but I do listen to music.  It really helps the time to go by faster.  Some of you may not know that I have four kids.  Two of them stay home with me during the day, and because they are only 13 months and 2 and a half years old, I have to get my activity in during nap time in the afternoons, or after they go to bed at night.  It makes it a little difficult, but I am trying to stay true to achieving my dream of being a healthier, more active mom. 

Last week, I did not use any of the 49 "extra" points that I am allowed, and I did not cash in any of the 20 activity points that I had earned.  I exercised every day, and on Sunday, I walked the treadmill twice AND walked the subdivision with a friend/neighbor.  The entire subdivision is about a mile and a half. 

Now to the good stuff!  I began last week weighing 201 pounds, and I got down to 198.8 a couple of days later.  Well, I am still at 198.8, but I feel a lot better!  I wore my black dress pants to Indianapolis today, and they were really loose in the waist.  Unlike Crystal, (who I am so proud of!), I did not take initial measurements, but I hope to do that this week.  Even though I didn't have a drastic loss this week, I know that  the end result will come if I continue to exercise and watch my diet.  I am determined to do this, and I will succeed!  It also doesn't hurt to tell myself that "Nothing tastes as good, and looking great feels!"
~Hope

WEIGH IN DAY!!!!! {Crystal}

Well, today was the first weigh in day of this new renewed journey.  I have to say I was nervous.  I had been getting on the scale and wasn't seeing any movement.  Which concerned me since I was doing everything I was supposed to be doing.  I always wear the same skirt (size 20) to weigh in because it's light...well it was in the dirty clothes and I have another one just like it only the next size smaller (size 18).  When I put it on and zipped it up I could tell it wasn't as tight.  So, I went to my weekly WW meeting this morning.  Of course I was running late like I usually am.  I weighed in and just went in not even looking at my weight log book until I sat down.  The meeting had already started and I looked to see what my weight was.  It was the same as last week...246.2...0 lost...I felt defeated.  At the beginning of the meeting my leader always has you share if you've done something good for the week that you deserve a "Bravo" sticker for.  I said how can I do everything right and follow program so religiously and not see any movement.  We talked after the meeting and she said that I was doing everything right and that she was so proud of me for making the decision to really get motivated and DO IT this time.  You have to understand my WW leader has been such a constant support for me the last 10 years.  She's been there and she knows me and my mindset pretty well by now.  We had a great talk and I felt so much better after talking to her.  So, Elizabeth if you are reading this...thank you for being such a wonderful leader and letting me cry so much!! 

Anyway...I had been taken my measurements last week so when I came home I measured myself.  I lost a total of 8"...8" PEOPLE!!!  I was shocked to say the least!  I lost 3" in my chest...1.5" in my hips...2.5" in my waist...1/2" in my arms and 1/2" in my calves
I was so excited!  What is better pounds lost or inches?  This week I'm favoring the side of the inches.  Especially since my skirt is fitting so much better.  I will admit that I was looking for pounds lost, but I am SO happy with the inches lost and praying they stay away for good!!!
~Crystal
P.S.  I am getting rid of the scale in the house because it is making me crazy.  I am wanting to check my weight every day and I can't do that because it's messing with me mentally.  I'm just going to stick with the once a week and whatever it is, it is.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Breaking bad habits

I was talking with a friend of mine on the phone yesterday and I was telling her about the positive changes I've been making.  I guess you could say I was bragging on myself a little bit.  Any change at this point is positive change and I am breaking habits that have become bad...to me.
I used to have 3 Tbsp of creamer (3 points) in my coffee.  I don't know why I thought I needed that much, but I did.  Now I'm down to 1 Tbsp of creamer for 1 point.  Why was I "wasting" those other 2 points by drinking them when I could be eating something?
I have had a long time obsession with Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi...anything diet, but I prefer Diet Coke.  It has been a weakness of mine.  I would crave it...and in turn it would make me crave sweets.  I can't say the craving for sweets has went away as evidenced by Monday's episode, but it is diminished severely. 
I can't say my go-to snack has EVER been fruits and veggies.  But this week I vowed to change that and make fruits and veggies (since they are 0 points) a bigger part of my diet.  I can say for this whole week I HAVE been able to get in at least 5 (sometimes more) servings of fruits and veggies.

So, there you have it.  They say it takes 21 days to make or break a habit.  Here's to the first 7!!!
~Crystal

A confession

Let me just start off by saying I don't know what happened today...I don't know if it was the rain...or the fact that the kids were home from school...or if it was because I was just feeling blah...I had a 69...yes you read that right 69 point day!!!  YIKES!!!  WOWSERS!!!  UH-OH!!!  Let me also say, I am human and I have weaknesses.  One of them right now is the boxes of Girl Scout cookies that are in my house.  I HAVE GOT TO GET THESE THINGS OUT OF HERE!!!  LIKE YESTERDAY!!!  I was doing so well too...this just proves even with the best of intentions we all have weaknesses.  I don't know what triggered me to do it...I just did it...I ATE A WHOLE BOX OF GIRL SCOUT SAMOAS COOKIES!!  There I said it...I feel better...not really.  You see my pattern in the past is...well, you've messed up...you might as well give up...you can't do this.  NOT ANYMORE!!!  I counted them...I turned it around the next day and got right back on it...I even have managed to stay within my weekly points range and have 4 weekly points left over...we'll see if it shows up on the scale tomorrow though.  So, here's my horribly awful food journal for Monday.

15 Samoa cookies 31 points...AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!  NNNNNOOOOO!!!

Total for the day 69 points
I had to use 32 of my weekly points...which leaves me with 4 weekly points for the next two days...I'm going to try not to use them.
I did manage to get in all my liquids, milks, vitamin, oil, fruits and veggies.  But alas no exercise today...

I did it... I can't take it back...what's done is done...moving on...excuse the moment of weakness...
~Crystal

Monday, February 21, 2011

Weight Watchers~ Are you kidding me?

Oh my goodness!  I was very pumped after joining Weight Watchers online because, with four kids, I don't really have time to sit in on meetings.  I did, however want to go in for an official weigh in.  I got ready Sunday and headed out to the site at Meadows Shopping Center. When I entered the store, the woman at the counter was very friendly and asked if she could help me.  I explained to her that I had signed up online and just wanted to weigh in.  She then asked me if I had gotten the monthly pass.  I didn't get a pass because all I wanted to do was weigh in, plain and simple.  I didn't want the start up materials, just wanted to step on the scale.  She told me that because I signed up for the online program I could not weigh in.  Are you kidding me?  I almost had to pick my jaw up off the floor.  I was thinking, I paid Weight Watchers over $50, and all I want to do is step on a scale, and you are telling me, "No"?  You don't even have to read me the number.  I can look at it and read it myself.  Seriously?  She told me that if I wanted to pay $13, I could weigh in.  Yeah, right!  I think I'll keep my $13 and stick to my own scale.  Anyhoo, I started browsing the products because I was informed that I could still purchase some of those.  I spotted a dining out book and thought that I should buy one to keep in the car for those times when we are forced to grab a quick bite when out and about.  I thought that I was getting lucky because it was on sale.  I grabbed one and took it to the counter.  I was expecting her to tell me that it was $7.95, but she told me that I owed $9.95.  Once again I had a weird look on my face.  She proceeded to explain that I am not really considered a "member", so I cannot purchase items at the sale price.  Now, I was really started to get irritated, but I wanted the book so I handed her $10.  Afterward, she said, "Oh yeah.  We are out of the calculators, but when they do come in, you  cannot buy one.  They are for members only."    With that, I took my little book and headed to Walmart to buy my Weight Watchers snacks.
The point of this post is to warn others to be careful when purchasing a Weight  Watchers program.  Luckily, I don't want to attend the meetings and I have a scale at home, so I will survive.  I do find it a little silly that they wouldn't even let me put one toe on their scale.  I guess the online members are the red-headed step-children of the Weight Watchers family, maybe even a distant third cousin, twice removed.  ~Hope

Sunday, February 20, 2011

I hope I don't regret doing this...Crystal's starting point

Seeing Hope's post with her before pictures really got me thinking about posting mine.  I really didn't want to...I hate to have my picture taken too...I'm always the one behind the camera taking the pictures, but if I don't then what is the point of this blog?  We are here to inspire people and be real with ourselves and others.  I need to get real and just put it all out there.  I wasn't going to post my weight at all, but like Hope said how can you look at me and not realize how heavy I am.  So, here it is...the big number that I am so ashamed of...this is what I weighed in at Weight Watchers on Thursday, 2/17/11...246.2 lbs

Oh, my!  It's out there now.  I feel so ashamed of myself for letting my weight get that high.  I wasn't even that big when I was was pregnant with either one of my children!  I have to get a grip on this before that number goes any higher.  Like Hope I want to cry about this number, but if I sit here and feel sorry for myself what good does that do?  NONE!!  It's time to do something about it.  That's why we started this blog. 

So here it is...my starting point pictures.  I had these taken today and like Hope will take them once a week to show my progress.  I'll have them taken on Thursday since that is my weigh in day.  I look forward to seeing changes in myself and in Hope.  We are supporting each other and we know that we have a long road ahead of us, but we know we CAN and WILL do this!!
Pictures taken February 20, 2011
This one isn't so bad
This is the one that I do not like...I have to work on that area in the mid section
So, there it is...it's all out there.  I'm feeling very exposed right now and raw...please don't judge me...especially my friends.  It's just a number and I look forward to these pictures getting better and better every week...month...year.

Hope's Starting Point

This is a very hard post to write.  I guess that I have been in denial for awhile now about how large I really am.  Today is the day that I am letting it all out.  I had my husband take pictures of me so that I could remember where I started.  I was shocked when I actually looked at them.  Truth be told, they made me want to cry.  I hate to have my picture taken, but hopefully, a few months from now, that will all change. 
I have also been contemplating putting my actual weight on the blog.  After viewing my pictures, it's hard for me to believe that anyone would not think that I weigh as much as I do.  It's really not about the number anyway, so I will go ahead and post it.  When I weighed myself, Wednesday morning, I weighed a whopping 201 pounds!  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever weigh that much, but it's true.  I can't change the past, but I can change the future.  Since weighing myself on Wednesday, I have lost 2 and a half pounds, so I now weigh in at 198.8.  My long term goal is to weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. 
I will post my pictures weekly and hope to see some slimming along the way.  It will probably take a few weeks to notice any kind of change, so I am trying to be patient.  I keep telling myself: I CAN DO IT! and I WILL DO IT

Starting Photos ~ February 20, 2011 ~ 198.8 lbs.


Here comes the really scary one...
(I'm not pregnant, in case you were wondering)...

I'm not proud of the photos, but sometimes I need to be reminded of the severity of the issue.  At least, now, I am doing something about it!  I will take photos every Wednesday, and post them every Thursday, along with my weight. 

I'm off to exercise now....those photos were a HUGE reality check! (Get it?...HUGE)
~Hope

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Old WW Program vs New WW program

I was asked by a friend of mine to give some of the differences between the old and new Weight Watcher program.  A lot of this info comes straight from the WW Points Plus Getting started book.
  • The first major change is that you get more points based on your height, weight and age. 
    • Along with that a lot of the foods went up in points. 
  • The point value is no longer calculated based on just calories, fat and fiber. 
    • Now points are calculated by fat, carbs, protein and fiber. 
      • For example the minimum daily points target on the old program was 18 points per day, then microwave popcorn was 3 points and a soft pretzel was 3 points. 
        • Now, with the new program minimum Daily Points Target is 29 points with that same popcorn being 3 points and the pretzel is now 6 points.
  • All fruits, fresh and canned in their own juice, are 0 points. 
  • Most veggies with the exception of starchy veggies such as corn, potatoes and peas are 0 points. 
  • You must be careful when choosing bread. 
    • A lot of bread you can find for 3 points for 2 slices and some are 2 points per slice. 
      • Read the labels and use your calculator
  • I am eating breakfast now.  I used to just have a WW smoothie and now I am making a better effort to use some of my points on breakfast and I have to admit it is helping me not be so hungry at lunch time.
    • For example a medium croissant with butter is 270 calories and is 7 points
    • 1 poached egg, 1 slice of whole-wheat toast with a pat of butter and 3 oz ham is 270 calories and 6 points
      • Which breakfast would you rather have?
    • Even though the calories are the same the second breakfast has more protein and fiber thus less points
  • Also, the weekly points allowance went up from 35 to 49
    • This is built in to the week to allow for special occasions or to treat yourself
    • Your allowance is optional you may choose to use them or choose not to use them. 
    • They are there if you need a cushion to fall back on
    • If you don't feel like you're getting enough points per day take your weekly points allowance and divide it by 7 (days of the week) and that will give you 7 extra points per day
I hope I've covered a few more things than last time...I may have repeated myself...it takes some getting used to if you've been used to the old program or if you're just new to WW.  Keep with whatever you have chosen to do! 
~Crystal

Hope- Starting Weight Watchers

I signed up for Weight Watchers online yesterday.  It was only a little over $50 for a three month membership. That makes it worth it to me to have a place to keep track of my food intake and daily exercise.  I only get 29 points per day, so I have to reevaluate the way I eat...no shocker there!  I'm still learning the ins and outs of the program, and Crystal is a big help.  I love taking this journey with her as she is very encouraging. 
I love to snack, which probably relates to boredom.  I knew that if I couldn't find snacks to fit the program, it would mean bad news for me.  I still need a little something between meals, both in the morning and the afternoon.  Luckily, I came across these:


They are crunchy, yummy goodness!  I am heading out tomorrow to see if I can find some more snacks that won't kill my program.  I'll let you know what I find.

~Hope

Crystal's Weigh In Days

My weigh in days will be every Thursday, whether good or bad, I'll be posting what I lost and hopefully didn't gain.  After much discussion and thought I will not be posting my weight just yet.  I feel like it's too big of a number to put out there and I am going to keep this number to myself for a while.  I think once I get past a certain number I will be more free to share the starting weight number, but for now I'm going to just be posting how many lbs gained or lost.  So, that being said.  This Thursday, 2/17/11 I gained 3.8lbs from the last time I had weighed in at Weight Watchers on 1/27/11.  Hopefully this is the last time I will see a gain this big ever again.  I am also keeping an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my weight, my measurements and my mileage walked.  I hope to see the weight and measurements go down and the mileage just keep going up.  Along with our monthly photo I will be checking my measurements monthly to see how that is coming along.
~Crystal

Friday, February 18, 2011

Crystal's Plan of Action

As I hinted to in my earlier post, I am following Weight Watchers Points Plus program.  This is a new program they rolled out in December of 2010.  I am not one for change so it has taken me a while to come to grips with this new plan.  I have been a Weight Watchers member since January of 2001, so 10 years.  You would think after these 10 years I wouldn't be where I am today and would have more money in my pocket.  The fact that I pay the monthly membership fees and it's just going down the toilet is wasteful.  But as I was doing my grocery shopping today I ran into another WW member.  She said to just think of how big I might be if I hadn't been coming to WW all these years.  She's right!  No matter how many times I skip a few weeks here or there, I always go back.  I know that eventually it's going to click for me and it's going to work.  So, I'm going to explain a little (to the best of my ability) about the Points Plus Program and I am in no way an expert on WW...obviously, but these are a few tips I've picked up and am going to be using in my journey.

With Weight Watchers I get a daily points allowance based on my weight.  This can fluctuate from week to week based on my weight.  Right now I get 37 points per day plus a weekly allowance of 49 extra points to use if I go above and beyond my daily points target or if I have a day that there is a party or special occasion.  I can also earn activity points, but I do not plan on using these.  For example today I earned 5 activity points for my walk, but I am just banking them for the positive side and not using these extra points that I earn.  It's like making a deposit into my savings account.  The one thing I am excited about is that most fruits and vegetables with the exception of corn, potatoes and peas are 0 points.  This is one thing I did not do on the old program because I didn't want to "waste" my points on fruits and veggies.

Some tips of Weight Watchers:
  • Eat all of your points each day
    • You are given a daily points # and this is how many points your body needs to fuel it and lose weight at a healthy rate
  • Do NOT "roll over" unused points
    • Either use them or lose them
  • Use your 0 point fruits and veggies in place of chips and sweets
    • They don't cost anything and most of the time you're craving something sweet a piece of fruit might do the trick and sometimes the crunching on fruits and veggies can curb the craving of crunching on some chips.
  • Use the optional 49 weekly points sparingly
    • The daily and weekly points work together so that if you have a "bad" day or a special occasion you don't have to starve or deprive yourself all day to use all your points at once.  That is what those 49 points are for, those "extras" like a piece of birthday cake
  • Do be active
    • At least 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days per week or 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise 3 days per week
    • Try in the beginning to earn 2 to 4 activity points
    • As you progress try to earn 4 to 6 activity points
    • Try not to earn no more than 6 activity points at a time to prevent injuries
    • You can use your activity points, but I am choosing not to (savings account)
  • Do track what you are eating
    • This has been my mistake over the last 10 years.  I haven't tracked enough.  Perhaps if I would have tracked all this time and realized what I was putting in my body I wouldn't be where I am today.
    • My WW leader says, "If you bite it, write it"
      • That means all the bites, licks and tastes
        • They all count!!!
  • Don't deprive yourself
    • If you want a donut, eat a donut...just make sure you count it!!
  • Learn to recognize your hunger signals
    • Are you eating out of boredom, stress, anxiety, etc...or are you eating just to eat
    • Make sure you are truly hungry and not just "grazing"
    • Don't wait until you're too hungry or you'll eat everything in sight
    • Don't stuff yourself or you'll be miserable
  • Do make sure you get in all the good health guidelines everyday
    • 5 servings of fruits and veggies each day
    • 1-2 servings of lean protein
    • 2 servings dairy
    • Whole grains
    • 6 glasses of liquid (milk, juice, seltzer, diet drinks, coffee or tea) try to stick with water
    • Take a multivitamin
    • 2 tsp of healthy oil a day (olive, canola, safflower, sunflower or flax seed)
    • Be active
    • Watch your intake of sugar and sodium
Like I said this is the program I have chosen, it may or may not be for you.  It's what I'm doing.  That's the whole point of this whole blog, to do what works for you.  Everyone is different, every one's body is different and what works for some may not work for others.

I will be posting, no matter how boring it is, my food journal for each day the following morning.  Try not to judge to harshly what I'm eating, I'm in the experimental phase of what works right now for me. 
~Crystal

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Crystal's Goals

Well, Hope listed her goals...we have a lot of the same goals...so, here are mine. 

Short term goals:
  • Stay on track with my allotted points for the day. 
  • Track my food everyday
  • Exercise 30 (or more) minutes a day
  • I am allowing myself 1 rest day a week, Sunday
  • Drink more water
    • I'm doing 1/2 of my daily water plain and 1/2 Crystal Light, I don't really like plain water
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables
  • Cut out the Diet Coke
    • I'm getting there, already 4 days Diet Coke free!!
  • Take one day at a time
  • Lose at least 2 lbs a week
  • Have more energy
  • Take my vitamins every day
  • To be able to fit into the roller coasters comfortably when we go to Disney in April
  • Walk/run a 5K in May
Long term goals:
  • My ultimate goal is to lose 100 lbs! 
    • That sounds like a huge goal and I'm not going to let that big number scare me.  I know it's possible if I set my mind to it!
  • To get into a single digit dress/skirt size
    • Haven't been in a single digit since the year Craig and I got married, 1998
  • Like Hope, my goal is to get up to 60 minutes of exercise a day
  • Participate in the local 5Ks with Hope
  • Make my kids and husband proud of me
  • Be happy with the way I look and feel
Super long term goal:
  • To run the 2012 One America Mini Marathon with my husband and brothers and Hope!!
I know each of these goal are attainable if I just keep my eyes focused on the prize, which is a healthier, happier me.  I look forward to crossing each one of these items off my list!

Tomorrow I will be posting what program (obviously Weight Watchers) I'm following and what steps I am taking to stay on that program.

~Crystal

Hope's Goals

Some of you might be wondering what my specific goals are, so I have decided to list them for you. 

Short Term Goals:
  • Lose at least 2 pounds per week, 10 pounds per month
  • Exercise at least 30 minutes daily
  • Modify my diet to exclude fried, fatty foods and sweets
  • Drink more water (which I hate)
Long Term Goals:
  • Lose 60-70 pounds total, 40 pounds of it by my 40th birthday (YIKES!)
  • Exercise at least 60 minutes daily
  • Run a 5K by the time I'm 40 (July 4th)
  • Kick the diet Coke habit!
  • Have a family photo taken this summer.  We haven't had one taken for over seven years!
  • Set a good example for my kids
  • Participate in local 5K runs year round
  • Live a healthy/active lifestyle
  • ENJOY LIFE!
Long...Long...Long Term Goal:
  • Run a mini marathon!
I have never been a runner.  In fact, my dad was my softball coach growing up, and used to throw tennis balls at me while I was running to encourage me to run faster.  It sounds harsh, I know, but he wasn't really mean about it.  The truth of the matter, though, is that it didn't work, it just made me scared of getting hit by the balls as I was running.  Nice try, Dad!

I have my eyes on the prize and am ready to check off my list, one goal at a time!

~ Hope

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Follow Us on Facebook

We have set up a "fan" page on Facebook.  Be sure to stop over there and "Like" us.
Thanks so much for the support!

Here's Hope!


Hi!  I'm Hope!  I am very excited about starting my weight loss journey- blog style!  It sounds crazy to be putting something as personal as your weight issues out there for everyone to see, but I think that it will help to keep me motivated. 
I haven't always been overweight.  In fact, as a child I was very slender and wore slim clothes.  In high school, I played softball and worked out, so while I wasn't exactly a toothpick, I wasn't a big girl either...just middle of the road.  When I went to college, I did gain the "Freshman Fifteen", but was still within the average range.  My weight didn't really get out of control until my daughter was about 2 years old.  That was the year that I went back to college, for teaching, and life started getting busy.  My husband and I worked opposite shifts, so I didn't really fix meals at home.  Megan and I would just grab something, which was usually fast food.  At that time, we also lived in a shady part of town, which prevented us from doing anything outside.  Eating fast food and being confined to your home is a recipe for disaster!  I picked up weight, and I picked it up fast!  I probably gained about 50 pounds within the first four years of marriage.  Luckily, I am married to a great guy who has never belittled me about my weight.
I am now at my all time heaviest, and not happy with the way that I look or feel.  It prevents me from experiencing things with my family, which is robbing all of us of precious memories together.  Last summer, I didn't want to do anything because of my weight.  My family wanted to go to Holiday World....we didn't go.  My family wanted to go swimming at The Landing....they went, but I didn't.   On vacation, they all had fun swimming in the pool at the condo....I sat and watched.  It's time for me to take control of my weight, so that it doesn't have control of me.  I didn't have kids to be a spectator.  I want to experience life with them, not through them! 
Follow me on my journey back to me.  It won't be easy.  I have a lot to lose, but so much more to gain!


HHHEEERRREEE'S Crystal!!

Hello!  My name is Crystal and I am an over eater...insert "Hi, Crystal!" 

I didn't used to be this way.  Let's start at the beginning.  I was always a healthy child, never to big or too small, just right.  I was super skinny in high school.
See!  Super-skinny!  I call this my Pretty Woman dress.  That was my favorite movie.  I loved the scene where she's wearing the brown polka dot dress.  Well, this was my red polka dot Pretty Woman dress. 

Fast forward a few months and I met a man named Craig.  Craig was 9 years older than I was, but age was nothing to us.  We talked, then he started coming to church with me.
We dated...
Vests must have been really big in the late 90s
Got engaged...
So skinny and tan!
Got married
Still super skinny, but there's a story behind the dress.  I had to have it let out 3 times.  On the third time the seamstress said if I gained any more weight I'd have to get a different dress.  I attribute this to eating out a lot as part of our dates.  That's just what we did, we were a dating couple and as a dating couple you went out to eat.
Went on our honeymoon
My friends got married, and I got bigger
I graduated college and I got bigger
I had a baby and I got bigger
And bigger
And bigger
Had another baby and got even bigger
Here I am today...14 years after the Pretty Woman dress...the biggest I've EVER been, even pregnant I wasn't this big.
But, I have to say my husband loves me no matter what size I am.  I do want to lose weight for him, for my kids, but mostly for myself.  I want to get healthy and make better choices.  I don't want to be the "fat mommy" at school anymore.  I want my kids to be proud of me and my husband to be proud of me.  I WANT to be proud of me.  I want to get control over this before it's too late. 
That's a little about me.  I'll be posting again letting you know what I'm doing to aid in losing the weight.

Here we go...Doing Life!!!

We are Hope and Crystal and we welcome you on our journey to weight loss and a happier/healthier life.  We hope that you follow us on this journey and hope that we can encourage you as we get encouragement from others along the way.  First of all we have to say thank you to Ben from Ben Does Life.  He has been an inspiration of what can be done if you just set your mind to it.  If you haven't read his story, hop over there to his blog and check it out.  Better yet, search for his video on YouTube. 
It is very moving and encouraging. 

We got together last week and after talking about how we are both at our heaviest and how unhappy we are with the way we look/feel, we decided to start this blog.  Okay, now on to why we decided to do this on such a public forum as a blog.  We did this because there are so many diet/health/fitness blogs out there and wanted to make our own spin on that.  We are two stay-at-home moms who have lots of activities going on with our kids and that leaves us with little time to focus on ourselves.  We did this to be accountable to each other, to ourselves and to those that are reading this blog.  Too many times stay-at-home moms put themselves on the back burner to put their children's needs/wants/activities above their own.  Now is the time for us to take charge, learn to say no and make time for ourselves! 

We are each going to do our own posts as well as posts together.  We will be having weigh in days and you can follow our progress.  We will be discussing our meals and our fitness/activity routines.  We will document our successes and our failures.  You will see us at our best and at our worst.  Bear with us as we are by no means health or fitness gurus, but we are just lay people giving our advice and documenting our story. 
 There will be a lot of ups and downs, but we will be here supporting each other and helping each other along the way.

HERE WE GO!!!