My Journey Begins

I have never in my life been skinny, nor do I ever want to be. I want to be a healthy weight that looks good on my frame, curvy I guess. I wish I could say that the reason for all my extra weight was because I quit smoking. Let's be honest, that wasn't the main factor that contributed to my weight gain. Yes, I did quit smoking which made me want to eat when I wanted a cigarette. But, I could have walked. Heck, I have a dog, I could have walked her instead of just taking her out to do her business and going back in. Laziness was my big problem. Laziness is what caused me to gain all the weight that I did. I also gained some weight when I got pregnant with my son, but after giving birth I was only left with 10 extra pounds.

About a year ago my husband and I started using Myfitnesspal to keep track of our calorie intake. We both lost 30 lbs each. YAY. Then we moved... We decided to give ourselves a free weekend since we were moving and didn't really have the stuff we needed to prepare actual meals. That weekend turned into months. Once we fell off track, it was so hard to get back on. 

A few weeks ago, I talked my husband into getting us a gym membership. I don't know how I managed to convince him. I had already talked him into buying a $400.00 treadmill that I did not use as often as I said I would. When you sign up at LAFitness you get a free "training assessment". This is how they try to get you to sign up for a personal trainer. I went in for my assessment and had my free session. WHEW he gave me a heck of a work out, but, I felt really good afterwards. If I was still single, I would have signed up right then and there. But, since I'm married (and I have learned my lesson in getting ripped off), I needed to talk to my husband first. After talking, we decided that I wasn't a good idea at the time. We had vacation coming up and other bills to pay. I agreed.

My first day back to the gym, after my assessment, was terrible. Despite talking to a friend before hand, who had given me a whole list of work outs, I felt lost. I had no idea what to do or how to do it. I felt like an idiot wandering around the gym. What's worse, I felt like everyone was staring at me and wondering, "what is this idiot doing". For me, that is one of the worst things about being overweight. I always feel like people are staring at me and judging me. While there are a lot of people out there who do in fact do that, I know that not everyone is like that. After wandering around like a lost puppy, I gave up, went upstairs, did my cardio and left. After that day, I made an excuse not to go back the next day. Finally, my husband sat me down and we talked about it. He then decided that he would talk to the management and see what other deals they offer for training. He ended up talking them down in price and signed me up to receive 2 training sessions a month. I love that man!

My first real training session was on Tuesday. My trainers name was Ben. What a great guy. Not only did he discuss everything with me, but he made sure I had what I needed to be able to work out without him. I got this  "handy dandy" notebook to log all of my workouts in. He even wrote down what work outs I should do on the days when I am not training with him. His plan for me, 2-3 days of strength and 4 hours of cardio a week. I was so confident after my first session that I went back yesterday and did my work out without any issues. I worked out my legs and then did 30 minutes of cardio. Later that night, after my son was in bed, I did another 30 minutes of cardio. Once I finish this entry, I'm going back again.

I have a lot of positive, supportive people in my life, which really helps me. I also know that the world has it's share of negative nellys. People need to remember that no matter what size someone is, they have feelings and you don't know what they are going through in their lives. I am tired of paying extra for clothes because they charge more for plus sizes.I'm tired of being out of breath when I try to teach my daughter how to ride a bike.

I am making a change!

Starting weight: 242 lbs (4/10/12)

Goal weight: 150 lbs