Bootcamp!!!!

The last six weeks I've been hitting it hard at bootcamp -- I haven't missed one session and I don't think I have cellulite on my calves or upper arms anymore. Imagine that. I'm learning the combination of eating right and exercising it the key to long term weight loss. I'm down five more pounds and I can actually wear shirts that are fitted instead of baggy shirts that I use to cover up Shelia (my belly). There's a lot less of Shelia these days and that's making me smile! It's been about three months since I started dieting and I've lost a little over 14 pounds -- and I know that's 14 pounds that won't be coming back. I'm eating six times a day and watching what goes into my mouth. I'm not ready for a swimsuit yet -- but I know that I'll at least be able to wear a pair of shorts this summer and not be mortified. And I also know that I'll be able to hike, bike and swim with my family and not knell over from exhaustion.
I hope to see some of you at Let's Move Nevada events this June -- check out facebook/letsmovenevada for more info. The key to health and happiness is education!

New York is not easy

Oh my gosh -- the past few days have been TOUGH. New York is crazy, it's hard to find healthy food and it's easy to find pizza, hot dogs and steak. AWWWWW! So -- I've been here for about five days and I haven't done too bad, but I've been far from perfect and that's OK. The goal this week was maintenance -- make smart decisions, don't overdo it, it's okay to stray and don't let yourself feel starving. I kept my protein bars with me at all times -- they were the first thing I ate in the AM and I made sure to eat every few hours. It helped a lot but I am human after all and when restaurants like The Spotted Pig are calling my name it's hard to say no. I did alright this week -- but I know it's okay to fall of course a bit because I'm ready to jump right back on! It's about the long haul baby!

And the Shrink Said.....

I had my first meeting with the behavioral psychologist at iMetabolic this week. At first I thought it might be a bunch of BS but after spending an hour with someone who listened to ME talk the entire time and then helped ME figure out why I eat what I do, when I do and how I do I discovered that it wasn't a bunch of BS -- but something that I should have done a while ago. There seems to be a pattern with my eating and drinking and it's called habit. I feel as if I need that wine when I get home and that it's the only thing that's going to make me relax. Or that I need that plate of cheese, crackers, oil and bread to go with the wine -- after all they do compliment each other. I remember when I was pregnant I would drink my Pellegrino in a wine glass so I felt as if I was getting that glass everyday -- it was more the habit of drinking it while I cook dinner than the actual need for the wine. Now -- I'm not going to lie. I will never give up my wine -- it is one of my favorite things. But I am going to try integrating what the therapist called "pleasant activities" into my evening. Instead of a glass everyday after work I'm going to try a walk in evening, a hot bath (with my two lovely children of course because no one can take a bath without Ever and his toys), writing in my journal, organizing my pictures -- anything really that helps me focus on ME (imagine that) and relax a bit. So -- we'll see how it goes. This weight loss plan is all about breaking habits and establishing new ones so I'm willing to give this a shot. I'm off home to sling back some Pellegrino and write a soppy love poem to Ty in my journal.

Why Do I have to Drink These Shakes

So -- I've been complaining about the shakes a bit but then Mark over at iMetabolic sent me this list of reason why drinking the shakes is going to help in my battle of the big belly. I thought I'd share these reason here!

a. Enhancing the metabolic process by sending signals to use rather than signals to store body fat.
b. Eating six (6) meals per day.
c. Permitting the overall caloric levels to come down sufficiently to burn 2 to 4 pounds of body fat per week.
d. Smoothing out blood chemistry and the glycemic index so that the metabolism will function more efficiently and at higher levels.
e. Reducing cravings that often occur for most eaters in the late afternoon and early evening.
f. Allowing a great sense of satiety (satisfaction) by telling the brain that the body is full and not hungry.

Getting Started

I weigh a little over 200 pounds. Yep -- 200 hard earned, well placed and equally distributed pounds. I've been told I carry my weight well -- my butt is big, my belly is big, my thighs are big. Lucky for me everything is very well proportioned -- so I'm just big all round. I recently gave birth to a perfect little eight pound angel and I really did expect the 50 pounds of fat I gained during my pregnancy to fall right off. I kept waiting and waiting but after two months I'd only dropped 15 pounds -- what was up with that? I thought it would all just melt away. That's when I met the folks from iMetabolic. They reached out to me to help them establish a PR campaign for 2010 and I saw a great opportunity -- why didn't I go on the diet to see if it really works? After all what better way to really rep and understand a product than by embracing it and introducing it into your own life. So -- I cut them a deal. Sure -- I'll help you with the PR for iMetabolic, but in exchange I wanted to do the program from beginning to end.
I met with Tracey, one of the counselors, and we began my journey to health and happiness. I logged in at about 204 pounds and almost half of that is body fat. It takes a lot to admit that, but I'm ready, willing and able to make that change. So -- each week I'll be posting video, photos and random thoughts about my life changing weight management plan! Yes -- photos of me in a bathing suit coming soon.