New Beginnings

Over the last 20 years I have gained an entire human being.

Here's what I looked like 20 years ago, yeah - I know.... think Breakfast Club.

Here's what I looked like a few weeks ago, where'd that skinny girl go?

Way back when I was in my 20s and before my son I only weighed 120 pounds.... looking at me now, it appears as if I must have eaten that girl!

You know that expression, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired?  I'm at that point.

30 days ago I stopped drinking diet cokes (diet coke is a killer - don't fall for that zero calorie thing), I was drinking a 12 pack a day.  There's been just a ton of research on this subject.  Don't believe me, research it :)

No diet cokes, and 1 cup of hot tea in the morning and about a fish tank full of water every single day.  Someone help me, I'm floating.  I fully expected to have no energy however I was fine, I didn't even have any headaches (I think it was the water)  I remember not drinking cokes before, and I got a huge headache, so I'm not sure what the difference is now but NADA!!!

30 days ago I also changed the way I eat, I'm eating a ton of raw veggies per day with ranch dressing and then keeping my calories through the day around 1250, believe it or not - I'm not hungry.  Because I'm eating so many raw veggies which don't have a lot of calories, I get to eat a bunch.  I have so much more energy than I used to have.  I was seriously at a point where I couldn't keep my eyes open for more than a couple of hours a day - so I knew I had to do something.

After eating better for 30 days, I thought it would be nice to start working out.  So, on Monday 7/1/2013 after talking to our insurance company and finding out that we can charge our gym membership to our HSA account, we joined a gym.  Lifetime Fitness in Mansfield, where I have spent every day since swimming.  Being so much over weight swimming is a great way to get a great work out and very low impact.

Also this week, I've joined 2 different classes there.  An Aqua class, and a Hydro Training class where I get a 60 minute workout in water.  We'll see how it goes!!!

I wish I could say how much I weigh, but since I don't own a scale I won't know until tomorrow and since it's 30 days after I started a new lifestyle I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to find out.  I think I may have been a LOT heavier than I thought.

Tomorrow we have a blood work / BFI / and the dreaded WEIGH IN!!!

Update
I cheated, I didn't want to be surprised tomorrow in case I weighed in at more than I thought I should, and I'm 16 lbs lighter than I thought.  Which based on my clothing size recently IS a good beginning, and I know it has a lot to do with the food intake over the last 30 days and the exercising I've been doing this week.  I'm STOKED!!!

BTW - Starting Clothing size is a size 18, after today's weigh in I still have 103 pounds to lose.  I don't expect it to be easy by any way shape or means, but I am looking forward to finding that skinny girl I seem to have ingested.