Road Trip

Looks like I will be taking a road trip in mid-March to see Steven. They are having a Family Weekend at the end of Basic and before he starts AIT ( his job training ). So I will be driving up to see him. I'm so so excited. He will have a 3 day pass in which to leave the base. Unfortunately, he has to stay within a 50 mile radius so coming home is not an option. But we can stay in Louisville. The main thing he wants to do is go eat at some buffet restaurant where he can eat steak. Not that he is not getting enough to eat, but just to have something different.

Boy, do I have a lot to do before I go. As many of you know, I am trying to loose weight. What you may not know is that I have a goal of 80 pounds. That, of course, is my long term goal. It may take close to a year to reach that and I'm ok with that. But, I also have a short term goal of reaching 40 pounds but the time I see Steven in May. I was thinking that would be the first time I would be seeing him. So now I have to have another shorter term goal. Now I need to have lost 20 pounds by the middle of March. I have some serious work to do. The good news is I am over half way there, as of right now. I know that at this point in the weight loss process it is not uncommon to hit a wall and the weight loss stops. I just don't want to stall out, so I have to be careful and keep up all my hard work.

So you may be asking "what are you doing to loose weight?" Well, I am working out in the gym for 45 - 60 min every day I am off. And I am working on behavior modification when it comes to my eating habits. Usually, I will eat whenever and whatever I want. I had a bad habit of eating late at night, things like ice cream, cake, cookies, chips and dip, or cheese and crackers. This is a very bad habit. It had to stop, so I changed to fresh vegggies (plain), or sugar/fat free jello if I want something sweet. During the day, I avoid foods that I know are unhealthy. NO more double cheese burgers from McDonalds. At work I have soups and salads a lot. Which is ok, since they have a good variety of soups and the salad bar is yummy. I have also stopped drinking soda of any type and in an effort to support me, Jimmy has also stopped drinking soda. Can you believe it? He has been so supportive during this entire process.

In case you are wondering what made me decided to make these changes, I will tell you. I have actually been feeling very bad about myself for some time. I am sick of being tired all the time, sick of looking like a cow. I don't feel attractive and eventhough Jimmy says he loves me no matter what...I was having a hard time loving myself. I needed to do something! The only way I was going to get better was to take better care of myself. It was by coincidence that the hospital where I work was implementing a weight loss incentive to, not only their employees, but to the whole city. The idea is that people form teams of 4 members and together they support each other in their weight loss efforts. There are no specific rules on how to loose the weight, but it must be done in a healthy way. In the end, which is the beginning of June, the team with the highest percentage of weight loss will win new bikes for each team member. There are also a variety of prizes awarded throughout the process. Anyway, in the beginning of Janurary, one of my co-workers asked if I wanted to join their team, and I thought "why not". What have I got to loose, except weight. So, there you have it. Last I checked I was down 12 pounds. I have more energy, I am happier.

I still have a long way to go but I know I can do it. I know this because I am only making changes that I know I can live with. I do not totally deprive myself of all of the things I love, but I enjoy them in moderation and at the appropriate times. I feel very good about the changes in my life. Well, I was just reminded by Carmel that we are supposed to be going to a soccer game this AM and I need to go work out before we go. So, I will end this blog now. Thanks for listening.