Hello to ME! :)

Hello Me...I'm back! :)

Did ya ever just feel like u have been gone from yourself for a while? or haven't paid enough attention to yourself? or neglected your own needs?
Yeah, that's where I was! But not anymore.
March 1, 2011 was the 10th anniversary of me quitting smoking!
Wow! Awesome job if I must say so myself! LOL When I decided it was time for me to quit, no one thought I could do it. Heck, I didn't even think I could do it! I shocked myself! I had determination on my side. One of my good qualitys ;) (hey, I need to start a list of good qualities!) I was determined to prove I could give something up for good, forever, for my health! No matter what anyone said.
So naysayers I proved you wrong!! :) Yay me!

I didn't come here (yes, I've noticed my long absence too! LOL @ me!!) to brag about my anniversary, even though it is pretty awesome to be able to say I haven't smoked a cigarette in over 10 years! :) I came here to write about my new determination, goal, life change, etc.
Ever since I started writing this blog I have been trying to transform myself. My mind, body, and soul. For the better. I thought writing would help me. I wanted big things from this blog, but now I realize I'm talking to myself (mostly) and I'm okay with that...for now. lol!
One goal at a time...we all know how much I suck at them. Cept when I'm determined.

Yeah I know that no one reading this will really understand unless they truly know me...and my silly ramblings. But I do have a point.

On March 1, 2011 I decided to make changes in my life, for the better. Again, 10 years later...I am finally determined again.
I want to be healthy. I have decided to track what I eat every day, change the way I eat, start exercising regularly, and just over all feel better about myself.
I must say, I was kind of nervous at first...I mean I know all the rules already...i know that I haven't been following them. What makes it so easy now? Why all of a sudden am I going to be able to give up sweet treats and chocolate (my fav love next to ST baby! lol). How am I going to exercise, and not be so lazy. Probably why it has taken me a full month to write about it.

My determination...that's how.

I gained over 50 pounds since I quit smoking.
So far, since March 1, 2011...I have lost 8. eight lousy pounds in one month of torture! (or what seemed like torture at first!)
I'm finally adjusting. I haven't checked inches though, and I did fit in a smaller size, so I'm happy with only 8 pounds. I'm convinced that I have to have some type of muscle conversion thing going on somewhere.

I have been exercising regularly, and on Tuesday (which is weigh in day - it just so happened this is the day March 1 fell on, so it works?), one month since I made my changes, I started taking the steps every where I go! No more elevators!
I work on the 5th floor! :)
108 steps to the top (from 1st floor, 125 from ground floor). Strange enough, I had to go to the NOB today, and climbed up 110 steps to get to the fourth floor. Then back into my building to go up 108!
Yes I count them to distract myself from not being able to breathe! :) I'm getting better though.

I truly do feel better. I know I am going to lose at least 10 pounds in this next month (yeah, that's another goal...even though I suck at them!) and hopefully I can just continue on this path. I'm just gonna keep writing about it too and try to keeps tabs on myself by writing here as well.

I do need to say...I have been learning new things about being healthy since 2007, I tried several times to follow a "diet" plan and actually stick to it. It never worked.
This time, I made the decision to change my life for the better. Again.
I have made up my mind and am determined to get in better shape, lose some weight, and feel better about myself. I have learned some new perspectives in the past few months, and what a better time to prove to myself that I can do this, than on my 10th year-of-not-smoking anniversary, right?

I have been reading some new books, including "Made to Crave" by Lysa Terkearst and "A Course in Weight Loss" by Marianne Williamson. These books are about spiritual learning and weight loss. Nothing like I have ever read before...I am on my second time through Made to Crave, and haven't quite finished the other one yet. (I have to read that one at my computer, I have a Kindle for the PC). They are awesome books that helped give me the final "push" to do this.

My friend told me about the free exercises on Comcast, which I just got, on Exercise TV. I tuned in and watched one day...just watched.
On Monday, when i went to work, I found some free ones from Exercise TV online!
So I have been trying new workouts. I was doing P90X, for a while, then stopped, then started again (the bad cycle of before) and started out at the beginning of this month doing it again. There are just certain things I don't like to do in P90X, therefore, it makes me not want to do it all. (Excuses) so I am looking for a perfect exercise video, or maybe not even perfect, just something I LIKE. so I can continue...every day. Exercise TV gives me FREE (lol) variety to try all kinds of new things. So that helps A LOT. I just started these new ones this week. I think I will keep checking and maybe combine some of them, or do them on and off, while I keep trying different ones.

I have also started a journal basically tracking what I eat each day and what exercise I do as well. We have made dramatic changes in what we eat. I went to the store and bought all fruits, veggies and meat.
If it don't come from the ground, or have a mama, Im not eating it! (for the most part! lol) I learned to stick to the perimeter of the store for groceries...it works! :) No more High Fructose Corn Syrup! No more chocolate, or chips, or fattening cereals. Yes, this is drastic, and I heard lots of complaints (as late as just the other day, after being a month into this!) ...
my new motto is if I do the grocery shopping, then I get to pick what we buy.
If you want bacon, then YOU go to the grocery store. (yes turkey bacon was the latest battle with the boys!) I did allow them to keep the katchup and the grape jelly (which both have HFCS). I haven't completely cut them off, but I did me. I refuse to keep poisoning my body!

I do allow myself a treat once a week, which is usually a McD's Mocha! mmmmm...I love them, and YES I did give them up too! I have faithfully had one each week, with the exception of 1, the week I had chocolate as a treat.

Hey, nobody's perfect!
I am already seeing results. I just need to stick to it! ;)