Bring It On! Healthy You Challenge Week 2!

Awesome. I’m very excited to say that I am now an official member of the Healthy You Challenge. This will be my first week. I have been reading all about since I have started my blog and I finally convinced myself to sign up, and I am pumped to be a part of it. So many of the awesome blogs that I read are members of this challenge and I no longer wanted to be left out. So, for my first check in post, here are my details, my stats, the goods, the low down, the down low…you get my point:

My Current Weight:  209.2  lbs

My Starting Weight:  213.8 lbs

My Goal 1 Weight:    185.0 lbs

My Goal 1 End Date: April 11th, 2009

My Goal 2 Weight:   165.0 lbs

My Goal 2 End Date: October 27th, 2009

Food Action Plan:

My daily calorie intake will be 1200 calories a day, however, I can eat more if I work out, depending on how many calories are estimated to be burned from that workout. I am using MyFitnessPal.com as my tracking tool and it figures in those calories burned for me.

I am not really tracking anything else food wise, however I am trying to eat a lot more fruits and veggies, drinking lots of water, trying to eat less carbs and trying to fill up on foods that will help me feel more full  and content for longer. Maybe next month or so I will start tracking another item such as carbs, fiber or proteins to help me make even better choices. And then slowly add on to what I am tracking. Thankfully I am a numbers lover so I truly enjoy tracking calories, sometimes I think I am trying to lose weight just so that I have something to track and chart. I am such a dork!

Fitness Action Plan:

My first few weeks my main goal was to do 30 minute workout sessions three times a week. It didn’t matter what I did, or how intense it was, as long as I stayed active for the full 30 minutes and that I did it 3 times during the week. So far so good. This week I am actually going to bump that up to 4 times a week now, but still keep it at 30 minute sessions. 

Things I am doing for activity include going to the gym, workout DVDs at home, and walking or running with my dog Maliboo (we call her Boo). When I go to the gym I typically use the treadmill, the elliptical, or the stationary bike. I would like to incorporate more things at the gym soon, but baby steps for now, I am doing things I enjoy first to keep me motivated to go. Some of the DVDs that I workout to include Carmen Electra’s Fit to Strip (it’s the second disc of the series and really the only one that I like because it’s not a “dance” routine, but it’s a GOOD workout), DVDs from Self Magazine, and DVDs from Shape Magazine. I really enjoy most of my DVDs and like having a variety so that there is usually one I can do that will go along with the mood that I am in at the moment.

What’s Motivating Me:

Well, there is a lot of things driving me right now, but I will list just a few so as not to bore you.

1. Texas! Yes, Texas. I live in Ohio, with my boyfriend T.Love. However, he is from Texas, and our friend from there is getting married in April. We are going to the wedding and it will be the first time we have seen our friends and T.Love’s family in a long time. The date of the wedding is April 11th, and that’s the date I chose for my Goal 1 end date. (I split my goal into 2 parts so as not to feel too overwhelmed, I may even split it up some more in the future).

2. Florida! Disney World to be exact! My friends and I are planning a trip for there in October and I would love to be lookin’ good for that trip so I don’t have to be self conscious the whole time and so I can actually enjoy myself. Disney World is more than just Mickey Mouse and stuff to T.Love and I. It’s where we met, almost 6 years ago. It’s where I lived (and worked) for 7 months and had probably one of the best times of my life there. It’s also where I remember being the last time I was truly 100% happy with my body, with who I was. The health and shape and condition I was in 6 years ago when I was living in Orlando, Florida and working for Mickey Mouse is what I am striving to be again, it is my underlying motivation for my health and lifestyle. I really could go on and on about that time spent there, but I’d have to create a whole other blog titled “Disney Dork”. Hmmmm…..

3. My brothers wedding! Yay! My big bro is finally getting married and I couldn’t be happier for him. I love the woman he is with and I am totally honored that I get to be in the wedding. But, being in a wedding means being in a bridesmaids dress, one which I have already purchased. So gaining weight is not an option. That happened in the last wedding I was in and I was mortified. I gained so much weight that the dress did not zip at all, and I had to switch dresses with someone else and get it altered and yadda yadda yadda… no fun if you get my drift. This time, I am shooting for needing to get the dress taken in by wedding time. That would be sweet, I’d pay a lot of money for that to be the case. Oh yeah, did I mention that the wedding is in Vegas?!?!?! Yet another reason to lose weight.

4. My dog…. I love her, and she does not get enough exercise outside and I think she is going insane so T.Love and I are making more of an effort to go walking and running with her. She deserves it, she is nothing but a black fuzz ball of love to us. And, it would be nice to be able to run closer to her speed when we do run. When I do run with her, it’s pretty much her walking way far ahead of me and me running my little tail of behind her… haha, it’s a sight.

5. Ok, this will be my last one, but honestly the list could go on forever! but this one is important. here goes, you ready?, it’s ME! I want to do this for me, for my health, for a long, happy, healthy, active life with T.Love, Maliboo, Kitty( Peaches) and our future family. If I’m not doing this for myself, then there is no point in doing it.

So there you have it, my plan in a nutshell ( a BIG nutshell at that ). As part of the Healthy You Challenge, I will be updating my progress every week. Good luck to every one! and to sign out, here is a quote (my new favorite quote ) that I heard from Mary at A Merry Life. It is currently the words that I am trying desperately to live by in moments of weakness:

“NOTHING tastes as good as being thin feels”

Thanks Mary!

And Thanks Diana for starting (and maintaining) the Healthy You Challenge!