Whew!

So today is Friday :) and it's almost my 21st birthday! So I guess that's why I'm in a spectacular mood! haha I worked out on the treadmill and am eating fresh raspberries watching the sun set over the lake. It seems like heaven to me :). Anyhow, I've been on track lately, had a small piece of cake today at work because they celebrated my birthday, skipped the pizza for a salad and plan to drink just a little tomorrow haha, I can't pass up one drink on my "legal" birthday. But I just thought I'd touch base, I'll have some more free time soon because I work less hours, so I'll update more often hopefully! Hope you all are doing well and most importantly, enjoying summer time!

So Worth It

Hey! So I finally got some time to sit down and update! It's still been insane around here. Unpacking boxes and organizing, while working long 8 hour days for a rotation! But I realized I don't mind actually because it's "so worth it." I heard this phrase today and it just seemed to apply to my life. Sometimes I think it's so much hard work lately with weight loss and working and moving, but it is really worth it. I'm enjoying my rotation a lot and learning so many new things. I'm enjoying my new fit body and becoming more adventurous. It really is worth it!

On a different note, I'm still mentally catching up with my weight loss. I am down to 147 this morning. That's so amazing to me considering there was a point not so long ago when that same scale read 280! I see the difference in my body and I know that I am a size 10 now, not a 24, but mentally I am still far from "healthy." I am still self conscious about fitting into small places or borrowing my friends clothes (which I do fit in :) ) I know I need to focus on this because in order to maintain my weight loss I have to accept my new self. I will make more of an effort in the upcoming weeks to acknoledge my weight loss and accept that I am healthy and I have come so far. It's ok to consider myself healthy and beautiful and worthy. I just need to keep reminding myself! I'm sure with time I'll reach that point where I don't see the "fat" me. Alright, enough of a tangent there haha. I'll check back in later this week! Until then, I'm working, enjoying the lake and family. I hope you all have a great week too! :) Thanks for reading!

Time Flies

Hey! So I haven't had internet access for most of the past week and even if I had, I would not have had time to use it! We've been busy moving. Still have boxes everywhere of course, but the rooms are freshly painted (time consuming, but worth it), so I guess it's okay. My cousins and aunts came over today and we spent some time on the boat and out in the sun, so the day was pretty perfect. I can't believe how much I love this new lifestyle on the lake already!

As for my weight, I'm down to 148.5 lbs! :) I decided that I'm going to transition to whole grains, fruits, and dairy (from Medifast) when I reach 140 lbs. I'm not completely happy with how I look right now, but I'm healthy and I'm getting to accept the way I look (which is a big step for me). At this weight I will still be "overweight" BMI for my height or at the very top end of BMI healthy range, but I have a medium frame and I do not think I would look healthy at the low end of the suggested weight range. Anyhow, time flies when you're having fun, so I'll try to update more often, but no promises :) haha

Stress!

Hey guys! So these last few days have been slightly stressful. We're getting ready to move to our new lake house and it's been crazy around here. I'm going with my parents when they sign the papers on thursday, then staying out there to help my dad paint, then traveling back here to help my mom clean and direct the movers! It's a lot all at once. Oh, and I start some rotations that are required for college in the beginning of June! Along with some health tests that are being done, this week looks to be a handful. I guess I'll take it as it comes, but it seems overwhelming right now. Thankfully, I've stuck to exercising daily, drinking my water, and eating right. It seems that these are the only consistent things for me right now, so it's almost comforting. Let's hope it stays that way, so it'll be easier to stay on track! anyhow, gotta run and organize some more. I won't have internet for a while, so I'll check back later this week or next week! Hope everyone has a great week! :)

Here I go..

So I just wanted to thank everyone for such kind comments on my first blog post ever :) It means a lot to read all of them and see how much support is here for me! I hope to provide some of the same support back to you all! So I guess a little more background on me...I weighed 260 lbs my senior year in high school and thought that I could not get any bigger. I was wrong. My first year of college I ballooned up to 280 lbs and stayed there for almost 2 years. I hated what I looked like. I felt tired all the time. I hate my classes that were located on the 3rd floor of the classroom building, just because I had to walk up 3 flights of stairs. I realized I needed to make a change. As I said I am down 130 lbs for a current weight of 150.2 lbs. I hope to end up around 135 lbs, the higher end of a healthy BMI for someone my height.

My goals include exercising 5 times a week (for atleast 30 minutes), staying well hydrated, applying lotion daily (still working on accepting my skin issues after losing weight :( ), weekly weigh ins, and staying on my nutrition plan 100%. Over the past 2 months I've given myself the okay to "have just a bite" or used the excuse "I'm so tired right now, I can't exercise." These are lame excuses that even I can see through, so I need to stop making them and start sticking to my goals. So I guess the point of this blog was just to set up my weekly goals. I'll keep you guys posted on how that works out. Oh, and if I can find my camera cord thing, I'll hopefully liven up my blog with some picture posts too :). Thanks for listening.

P.S.- I got a few comments on the picture I posted for my "after." This picture was taken in NBC studios, when I traveled to NYC to attend Dr. Oz's "100 people who lost 100 lbs" episode. We each held up signs with how much we had lost. What an amazing experience! (Some fellow bloggers, like Lori, also went to this episode.) On a side note, this trip was also that week that NYC was all shut down because of the blizzard hahaha. So my first time seeing NYC from the top of Rockefeller center (Top of the Rock) was in the midst of huge snow flakes. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything!

Accountability

People start blogs for all sorts of reasons. My reason is accountability. I've lost 130 lbs in the past 1.5 years through hard work and dedication (using Medifast as a tool). I've now slowed down in my weight loss and I think it's partly due to my lack of focus and drive. I still have 15 pounds I'd love to lose, and I think that maybe blogging will help hold me accountable. I guess I'm getting ahead of myself here. To introduce myself, I should start by saying that I'm a 20 year old full time student. I've been overweight (obese, really) for most of my life). About 2 years ago, I realized how unhappy I was and made a change. My mom inspired me to begin my weight loss journey, and here I sit 130 lbs lighter! This has made such a huge difference in my life. I feel like a different person. I'm happier, more alive than ever before. I'm excited about how far I've come, but I do not want to become complacent. I read somewhere that only 5% of people maintain weight loss and I really want to be included in that small percent. So, I guess this blog is my way of holding myself responsible. I'll wrap up this post tonight, and I'll give some more background information in my next post! Thanks for reading! :) I hope to make some new blogger "friends" for support!!