A Book You've GOTTA Read!

If you haven't heard of Jen Lancaster you've got to check her out. My sister told me about her and loaned me her personally autographed copies of Jen's first three books.

They're ALL great but I LOVED the "Bitter is the New Black" and I can't get enough of #3:



This book, about our body image (Well, actually Jen's but we can all relate) and our struggle to either accept it or change it is hysterical! I'm not usually a huge laugher but with her books you can't help but BURST out laughing. Sometimes I can't stop. If you get the chance to read her books (but especially this one since it pertains to what we are all experiencing) DO SO!

By the way, she has a fourth book coming out in a few months, "Pretty in Plaid". CAN'T WAIT!!!



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Update on my day yesterday: I did AWESOME!!!!
I was right in line with all of my goals. Got my calories eaten, my 3meals and snacks consumed, my water drunk (no, I didn't actually give my water any alcohol), and my steps in!!! I logged 10,261 steps. I did W.A.T.P. One mile dvd and then took my kids to the park and walked around the trails while they played.

5K Tomorrow, anyone else?

A couple of weeks ago I read a site from someone that was going to do a 5k at the beginning of the year. She was doing it because she could never fit the ones organized in her community into her schedule. She sent out a challenge to have others join her (I think she's doing it on Saturday, January 3rd).

I accepted the challenge but I, along with my sister (HI, Nat!) and my mom will be doing it tomorrow. We thought what a great way to start off the new year.

I'm new to this health fitness and have A LOT of weight to lose so it won't be easy. We're going to go to the high school track and do it. Since there are three of us doing it together and three COMPLETELY different levels of fitness we figured the track (although boring) would allow us to always see each other as we strive to achieve our individual best times for the 5k. I may be out there for awhile, I'll definitely need some water and might try to find a Port-a-Potty to tow on the back of my car. Whatever my results tomorrow this is a starting point, a place to measure my physical capabilities. I may do this once a month to watch my time shortened, my measurements smaller and my weight lower!

Anyone else in? If you so come back and let me know your results. I'll have mine posted tomorrow after I get the leg cramps to quit!

(FYI, for anyone wanting to know a 5k is a little bit less than 12.5 times around a track).

AMAZING Site for Walkers...

Joggers, runners, or cyclists!

This site is amazing! I like to walk outdoors, when I am being healthy and loving my body (except for now in the middle of winter). I did walk outside yesterday (YAY, ME!) and as I was walking I wondered, How far have I walked. I do wear a pedometer but I'm only tracking steps and don't stop to figure out mileage throughout the day.

If you want to find out the mileage you've walked, run, or biked go to the GMAP site and type in the address along with city, state and zip of your starting point. I had to zoom in a little more and then push the record button. Double click on your starting point and then at each turn along the way (even if there's a curve) double click again. It will leave a red line showing your route and will be tallying up the mileage as you go. I found out the route I do around my home (when I do walk) is 1.977 miles. If it's okay with you I'm going to call that 2miles.

Put the site to use and go out for a walk!

Some serious pondering!

I was all gung-ho and ready to do this (getting healthy). I came up with a plan, created a blog and started. It was as simple as that. Sure that part is simple but in order to make this a life style change and really keep it off I need to dig deep and find my reasonings. Getting tagged, thanks Dani, was what I needed to stop and really think about WHY I'm doing this. So here it goes:

10 reasons to lose 10 plus pounds (for some...Another 10 lbs!)I'm adding... Or MORE!

Rules:
List the 10 reasons why you are losing weight
Tag 5 other
Be sure to post these rules on your post
Be sure to link the blog that tagged you
See, simple, right?

Here are my top 10:

10. To finally have the outside match who I feel I am on the inside.
9. To NEVER have to use seat belt extenders on an airplane again. Yes, it happened to me twice this year. It's interesting how different planes have varying lengths of seat belts. I've been on many this year but only needed it for two of my flights.
8. To be able to carry my child without getting winded. (that would have to be my little kids, no matter how fit I get I'll always get winded carrying my 6'4 14yr old.
7. To dance, run, skip and play whatever it is my kids want to do. I want to do it WITH THEM!
6. To feel sexier. My hubby loves me no matter what but I want to look better for him!
5. To feel like I can keep my head held up high when I'm around other health nuts.
4. To not have people stop comparing me to my mother, "Wow, your mom is so fit and active what happened to you?" Yes, I've heard it behind my back and to my face.
3. To be able to shop in any dang store I want to!
2. To be able to look at myself in the mirror (naked) and actually smile!
1. To keep me alive!!!! I feel if I keep heading down this road my life will be cut dramatically shorter and I so want to be here for my family and future grandkids.

I'm sending this off to: (Click their names to check out their blogs)

Oh to Lose!
The Woman Inside Me
Rebuilding Amy
Chews to Lose
MyNenni

Thanks for all the motivation and inspiration! I'm now spending WAY TOO MUCH time on my computer (at least I'm getting my steps in!) I think it may be time to consider saving for a laptop so my family will remember who I am.

YAY, First day done!

It feels so good to have successfully made it through my first day of healthy living. I stuck to my plan and realized at the end of the day there are some glitches in it.

I was able to stay away from the junk and eat healthy things but didn't fit in all my snacks and therefore didn't get in enough calories. My end calorie total ended up being only 1000 calories, YIKES, that's not enough regardless who you are. To try and avoid that I'm going to work on making up at least a daily menu the night before. If and when I get real organized (something I'm working on)I'll make up a weekly meal plan before I head to the grocery store each week.

Eight 8oz glasses of water were tallied for yesterday! That's a huge accomplishment for me. I've noticed if I'm not trying to eat healthy I can go DAYS without drinking a single cup. I'm proud of the 8 and as soon as my body stops feeling water logged and having to pee all the time I think I'll try to up that to 10.

Exercise, another area that needs a little tweaking. I set out with the goal of 10,000 steps and I got 10,329! So why does that need tweaking? Well, as the day progressed I was just trying to do little extra things like, instead of sending a pile of folded laundry upstairs with a child I took it up myself (my kids are going to LOVE this new exercise plan I'm on!) At one point I turned on my 8yr old daughter's new High School Musical 3 CD and we (well, at least the girls and my youngest son, my two teenage boys wouldn't be caught dead doing it) danced around for a song or two. It's very embarrassing to admit that dancing with my one year old in arms to only one song got me winded. It won't stay that way for long.

At 7:30 last night I checked my pedometer to see where I stood. Only 6700 steps, YIKES! I needed 3300 more!!!! With a computer transcription job and an early arriving daycare child I try to go to bed by 9:00 so I can get up and get my computer job done before my kiddos wake up. And before falling asleep I HAVE to read for at least 30 minutes. I'm a book junkie!!!!!!!!! LOVE BOOKS!!!!! Sorry, got off track, back to my steps. So with 3300 steps needed and not much time to do it I had to figure out what to do. My four littlest were watching a movie so I decided to use the bottom of my first stair as a step and watch the movie with them while I exercised. UP, UP, Down, Down, over and over again. Okay, steps are not for me! At least not until I've lost a little more weight. My already aching knees just hurt worse and I only did it for 3 minutes. So I decided to walk. Well, it was dark and raining and I couldn't do an exercise tape because my kids were using our only watching t.v. (we have another one that is used for XBOX and Wii which the 12 and 14 year old boys usually monopolize)so I walked inside. I walked from the back door to the front door over and over again. My one year old thought it was a game and followed suit and then my four year old joined in. After 10laps I would stop and run in place to accumulate steps faster.

I'm proud of my 10,329 steps!!!! But I need to try and get them in sooner. I've decided to pull out a Walk Away the Pounds DVD when I put my little one down for her morning nap. I'm off to write up a meal plan for today and to dust off my workout DVD.

The all important numbers...

And how I'm going to go about making them smaller.

Okay, so today is the first day of my journey. Obviously to begin that journey first I have to know where I'm heading and how I'm going to get there. To find out my starting point I jumped (actually cautiously crept) on the scale. Honestly, I wasn't too shocked with the number because I have the tendency to weigh myself off and on even when I have no desire to do anything about the number I see. Well today's number was an all time, non-pregnancy, high. 318.2lbs is my starting point. I hope you're cheering from your computer seat because, although I weigh myself and recognize how obese I am, to actually type it for all to see is a HUGE accomplishment but one that's needed to acknowledge where I am and where I'm heading. Hi, my name is KiKi and I weigh 318.2lbs.

I also took my measurements today, everything from neck to left and right calves. I'm not sure I'm ready to post those yet. Those numbers really frightened me, I mean, my thighs are the size I want my waist to be at.

So I know where I'm starting from and now I have to determine where I'm going. I checked out my BMI and found out it was 43.2 (yes, very obese). I decided I wanted to get my BMI to be right in the middle of the normal range. To do that for my height of 6' tall that would be 160lbs. I don't remember the last time I weighed that, but then I've struggled with my weight for most of my life. So for right now I'm setting my goal at 160 lbs (if I get to 159 that would be HALF of what I weigh right now) and we'll see how attainable and maintainable that is as the numbers on my scale get within that range.

Starting point: 318.2, Goal: 160, Total weight loss desired: 158.2. Another number I'm willing to share is clothing size. Right now I'm wearing a 26/28, mostly 28. I would love to get into a size 12.

How am I going to proceed on this journey? Good question. I don't have a specific plan that I'm following although I know I do better with NO SUGAR and JUNK FOOD. I'm planning on writing everything down, every bite that goes into my mouth. I'm going to consume between 1500-1800 calories a day. I'm going to fluctuate that number daily so that it keeps my body guessing. I don't want to start my calories out too low because then as I lose weight and need to adjust my plan to keep the pounds coming off there's room to move the calorie amount down. Specifically I'm going to drink 8 glasses of water each day, eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks which include proteins, whole grains, lots of veggies and some fruit.

One of the key elements for me to have a successful weight loss journey is getting my body moving. I could eat an apple and gain weight if I'm just sitting around. This is going to be a hard part to get started. Honestly, I HURT! My knees hurt, my hips hurt and I feel like an old woman just trying to get off the couch. So at the beginning there will be no jogging/running, no elliptical, and no gym. So what am I going to do? WALK! More specifically use a pedometer. I have a pedometer attached to me right now and my goal is to get 10,000 steps in a day. Right now it's about 10:40 a.m. and I have 2300 steps logged. As the day goes on and I know I'll need to get more steps in then I'll dance around with my kids, take them on a walk or put on a Walk Away the Pounds DVD.

My goal is to lose at least 2lbs a week. I'm hoping that the plan I came up with will make this happen. I'm confident it will at first but when the time comes that it starts to slow down I'll adjust my calories and increase my exercise. I know that as the pounds come off I'll have the strength and energy to workout harder. I want to be a mean, lean machine!

Major overhaul needed!

Hi! My name is KiKi and I am Morbidly Obese. I've technically been obese for many years but to see the word Morbid associated with obese makes it seem more serious. Little by little I've been killing myself. Not with drugs, alcohol, or any sort of weapon but with food and inactivity. I have EVERYTHING to live for so why aren't I?

I believe our health and lives are not stagnate things they are constantly growing and changing. They're either improving or declining. Unfortunately most of my choices have caused my state of health and way of life to be in the decline mode. As I mentioned I have EVERYTHING to live for and I do! I have seven amazing kids (ages 1 to 16), a terrific husband, a wonderful extended family and supportive friends. Although I know they're all there for me I've made choices that have put me where I am today; morbidly obese with one foot in the grave, not embracing life and pushing loved ones away.

I chose the title of my blog to be "Overhauling-Me" because that's what I need, one major overhaul. I want to lose weight and look great in a mirror wearing smaller sized clothes but that's not all. That's only on the surface, a facelift. I need the overhaul, I want the changes to begin under "my hood", from the inside out. I need a brain that makes better choices, I need organs that are alive and functioning to their best capacity, I need bones and muscles that are strong enough to carry me and my very heavy daily load, I need a stronger relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior, and I need to be a better mom, wife, sister, daughter, and friend.

WOW, that sounds exhausting and it would be if I try to do all of that at once. The interesting thing for me is when I begin to focus on me and getting healthy everything else seems to fall in place. How do I know that? Because I've done it all before. Like most everyone else I've tried several diets. I've had success with them all, great results with some of them but not lasting results with any. WHY???? It comes down to two letters -ME! I didn't go about it the right way, I was focusing on the facelift, the immediate results that everyone could see not the essential beginning for a long-term life change, the inside.

I'm looking forward to the process and dreading it at the same time. I want to see quick results to keep the motivation burning but at the same time I know a true overhaul is a slow, time-consuming procedure. I could use all the support I can get in this journey and look forward to strengthening relationships and making new friends along the way.