More Photos From Recent Trip

Photos From Recent Trip

All photos were taken by me and I own full copyright authority.

Blogging

Blogging is therapeutic for me. I wish I would do more of it. When I sit down and write what I am feeling, it tends to allow me to release myself. While I am not the best writer, I do find writing to be an awesome tool. I just wish I did it more.

I mentioned on twitter that I would become more of a blogger and I am keeping my promise. Starting this Saturday, I will post every two days. All of my blog entries will not be about weight loss, although a good portion of them will. I will use this blog to release some of my thoughts and feelings on other subjects as well. We will see how it goes, wish me luck!

LiFe

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. The agreed that is was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked."

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

I thought this was a great lesson, so I wanted to share....life is short, be sure you are doing the things that matter most with the people that matter most.

By the way, I am doing great and on program. I love the gym...!!!

-Embarrassed Fatty-

My WeeK in Review

The past week has been very good to me. While I am not where I want to be, I have made strides in the right direction. Here are a few highlights from my week:

• I watched everything I ate. We dined out a couple of times this week, but I made very good healthy choses. Instead of having a burger with fries, I had a grilled chicken sandwich (open faced) with a side of fruit.
• I have worked out more this week than I have worked out in the past 3 months. I have a total of over 10 hours of exercise recorded. On days I did not make it to the gym, I was able to walk 2-3 miles in my neighborhood. This is a major win for me :)
• I have met awesome people on Twitter and on blogs regarding weight loss/eating healthy. This is awesome because I now feel like I am not in this alone. Thank you all for your kind words. I am looking forward to communicating with you all while we face our weight loss journeys together.
• Can you say water? I have had so much water this week (and stayed in the restroom because of it). I am so proud of this accomplishment.
  
• I know I mentioned my exercise has increased tremendously, but the ULTIMATE highlight of my week has been I was on the treadmill for 65 minutes at one time. I am so proud of myself. This is huge and allowed me to know that I can push myself more.

I am eagerly awaiting my weigh in on Tuesday. While I am not a member of Weight Watchers right now, I am following the plan. I will weigh in on Tuesday to capture my weight gain/loss for this week and then I am thinking of joining Weight Watchers with a weigh in day of Friday's.



I hope you all had a wonderful week just as I did. Here's to this upcoming week, it will be even better - be a winner!!!!

**Update: My weigh in day will be on Monday's at 5:30p.m. First official weigh in will be tomorrow - woot woot!

Give'em Something To Talk About

This evening as I was out on my 3 mile walk I was listening to my iPod when a Bonnie Raitt song was played from the list of shuffled songs on my iPod. I immediately starting walking at a faster pace as I listened to Bonnie sing Let's Give Them Something To Talk About. Oh I was jammin', singing every word.

Immediately after the song ended, I started to phase out from listening to the next song that played on my iPod and started thinking about giving people something to talk about as it relates to my weight loss. You see it has not been an easy road for me and my weight gain.

As an ex-athlete it has not always been easy for me to accept my weight gain, nor has it been easy for people to communicate with me after seeing how much weight I have gained. Since I stopped participating in sports, I have packed on the pounds in a big way. While everyone who knew me as the athlete that was healthy and fit, when seeing classmates from high school or college now my weight gain has not been looked at in a positive way. Instead of asking me how I am doing after not seeing me in 5-10 years, the first thing someone says now is "look at you, you have gained so much weight, you don't play sports any more?". Shamelessly after this question is asked, I feel a huge pain that shoots through my body and I start to sink deeper into believing that I will never lose the weight. This has been a huge issue for me as I started to stay indoors or try to find places to shop, relax or eat where I do not believe I will run into any one from my past. Embarrassed to mention that if I see someone first while I am out, I used to (and sometimes still do) be sure I stayed out of the way of them seeing me. It is sad, but so very true. I find myself running from the people in my past as I am ashamed of the weight I have gained. I do not need for any one to remind me of how much I have failed and allowed myself to become this size.

You see Bonnie message in her song is clear where she wants to give them something to talk about, but I am going to remake her version this time around.....my version will be called "Let's Give Me Something To Talk About".......I will do it, watch...one day at a time.

-Embarrassed Fatty-

Terrific Tuesday

Today has been a terrific day. I could not have drawn it out any better than it was. I woke this morning and although I was late to work, I had a decent day at work. After work I told myself that I had to head to the gym. Since I now am a member of the YMCA and not the gym at my job now, I can come home, grab my workout bag and then head to the gym. Today I almost sabotaged my going to the gym. Once I reached home, I immediately thought about taking that same ole same ole nap that I have taken all too much over the course of the last two months. I had almost talked myself out of attending the gym when I reached for my phone and tweeted "EmbarassedFatty: Is about to get her workout on....YMCA here I come!". Would you believe that this tweet held me accountable? In fact, it was immediately after I tweeted this that I jumped up and grabbed my bag and headed out the door. I thought that once I tweeted that to all of my followers that I could not let them down. Guess what, it worked!!!!!

When I arrived at the gym, I knew I would work out on the treadmill. So I jumped on it and worked out as if no one was watching. I had my upbeat music on my iPod and I jammed for 35 minutes - and it felt good. It was long enough to make me have a good sweat! After I finished the treadmill, I wanted to get on the elliptical, but all three machines were taken. I thought to myself, what else could I do? I wanted to get twenty more minutes in of exercise. I went to the front desk and asked was there open gym? To my surprise, there was. I immediately went out to my car, grabbed my high top tennis shoes and basketball and went to the gym where I shot basketball for 20 minutes...what a fitting ending?

Today I have named terrific as I am truly proud of my fitness accomplishment. I hope to keep this up for days/weeks/months to come. Wish me luck!!!

-Embarrassed Fatty-

I Can't Stay Focused

Today I have been thinking about tons of things in my life. One of the things that kept coming to mind is that I can't stay focus on one thing. I started to wonder if I suffer from ADD and not know it. Over the last three to four years, I have started many many many projects and honestly I can't say that I have finished any of them. I open myself up to do things, but never truly get them done. This is true also about weight lost. I have lost 40 pounds, only to gain all of them back, plus more. I am well overweight, needing to lose 140 pounds. I always start off well, but after losing some of the weight, I revert back to the old ways. I attend the gym three weeks straight only not to ever go again. I am so tired of this lifestyle, I mean really I am a liar. I lie to myself.

This must stop today. I got off on a great foot today, but tomorrow will be better. I will not engage in any other activities until I am done with my time at the gym. That is my goal this week, that and eating right. I will make myself a priority...today.

-Embarrassed Fatty-

This is IT

You know, I am tired of the yo-yo dieting, the ups and downs, the I will start tomorrow diets.....I am tired of it all. I am tired of lying to myself, lying to my family & friends. I have to do it, no more excuses. All excuses have been used and I am fresh out of using them as a crutch to not losing weight. I will start now, today, this minute, this moment....I am taking my life back from the fatards, from the lying and the excuses.

I will do this by first watching what I eat, then I will incorporate Weight Watchers in. I will also use the YMCA membership that I have been paying for. No need to continue to throw money away. I will start by attending the gym 3-4 times a week, also walking on my lunch hour when I can. This is a new day, a new me....I have to get it done!

-Embarrassed Fatty-