And so it Begins . . .

1/15/2006

I decided to start this blog to track my weight loss journey. It's my way of being accountable to myself and to, hopefully, learn from and inspire others.

I'm 36 years old and have been overweight since college. In college, it was only a few pounds - maybe 10 or so - but it's gotten worse as I've gotten older. In fact, I'm not quite ready to share with you how much I weigh yet . . . wait . . . this is to make me accountable, right?

As of 1/14/2006 I weigh 231.5. YIKES! At 5'4" that a lot of me . . . .

A few weeks ago I decided to try NutriSystem (NS). I've done other weight loss plans in the past and have been successful, but the weight ALWAYS comes back. Right before I had my son (Jacob) I had gotten down to 160 (from 185) and felt great. I gained about 60 lbs while pregnant. I was able to lose 30 lbs after Jake was born, but it eventually crept up to 238. Scary, huh? I was able to lose the 6.5 lbs on my own, just by making a few "smarter" meal choices. But, the progress was just too slow. I think it took 2 months to lose those 6.5 lbs.

As some background . . . I currently work in the software industry and have a very demanding position. I work a lot of hours (50 hours is a GOOD week) and travel frequently. With the fast food joint being right next door, it's been very convenient to just run in and grab a burger and fries. Also, I don't like to cook, so my hubby (Vincent) is in charge. I think Vince may weight 125 lbs with his steel-toed boots on, so he doesn't always cook stuff that's figure-friendly. (Yes, Vince is underweight - LOL! Jake is a skinny little thing, too!)

I decided to try NS for a two main reasons:

1. It comes with food that doesn't have to be refrigerated/frozen and is easy to prepare. Heck, even I can use a microwave . . . Also, because I don't have to worry about the food spoiling, I can take it with me when I travel. How convenient!

2. The plan is based on proper portions and a balanced diet. This is one of the reasons why I'm a huge Weight Watchers fan.

So, with NS I'm getting the proper "training" on what to eat and how much to eat, with the added bonus of not having to "think" about the next meal.

I've literally been on the program for one whole day, so I'm super-motivated right now. I weighed this morning and was already down 2.5 lbs! I was stunned! I look forward to my official weigh in on Saturday.

More to come in the future. Thanks for stopping by!

With friendship,

Care'