Tuesday, May 8, 2007

May Day Weight Loss Challenge

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Today is the beginning of the May Day Weight Loss Challenge and I am excited! I have not been doing very well on my own with reaching my goal. I was supposed to have lost all of my weight by May 19th....... I still have 22 pounds to go and I don't think I'm gonna make it!

My story goes like this: I was tiny when I was young. My hubby tells me I was too skinny as a teenager- but I think he's just trying to be nice. After I went off to college I started slowly putting on weight. Then I got married in 2000 and continued to slowly put on weight. Before I knew it I was 65 pounds overweight. In March of 2004 I decided it was time for a change. My diet was simple- I ate less and exercised more. One year later in March of 2005 I had reached my goal weight. I maintained my new weight for a year and it felt GREAT. Then I got pregnant.

You can read the details of my weight gain here if you want. But, the short story is that I gained 55 pounds. I have since lost 33 pounds and still need to lose another 22 pounds. I have been stuck right around this same weight for several months now and I have been getting quite discouraged.

I have some goals for myself.
1. Follow my previously made rules.
2. Stop all the unhealthy snacking.
3. Start exercising. I'm always so busy while Hailey is taking her nap working on blogging and snack eating cleaning my house that I don't take time to exercise. I will start walking on the treadmill that has been gathering dust everyday. Not everyday I feel like it, but EVERYDAY. Well, everyday except for Sunday. Sunday is my day off.
4. Drink lots of water! At least 8 glasses a day. Since I am still breastfeeding I'm sure I should be drinking even more than that.
5. I will write down everything that I eat. Everything. Yes Melanie, you will write down everything.
6. I will check in every Tuesday to keep myself motivated and hopefully get some encouragement from my fellow bloggers and my other readers.

My plan is to lose 22 pounds by July 24th. That is at a rate of 2 pounds per week, which is a healthy amount to lose. For every 5 pounds I lose I will get an awesome button from Tales from the Scales to put up on my blog and I will be recognized on their blog with a gold star. And, since I like rewards so much I will be giving myself rewards as well. Once I lose my first 5 pounds I am rewarding myself with a haircut. It has been over a year far too long since I have had my hair cut.

So for the last week I have been preparing for this weight loss challenge. I ate got rid of all the junk food in our house and I bought healthy food. I have taken my measurements. Hopefully the weeks I do not lose any weight I will still be able to see progress in my measurements from all the muscle I will be creating! I have also taken my picture and will do that each week so I can visually see my progress. You may be wondering if I will be posting those pictures and the answer to that is good gracious NO! I will happily post my "after" pictures on July 24th!

So, I'm off to get started on my new weight loss plan. More importantly, I am making a permanent change in my eating habits so that I can keep the weight off!

22 comments:

By the grace of God ... said...

Wishing you the best -- we can do this!!

Anonymous said...

If you were able to reach your goal weight just 2 years ago, you KNOW you can do it again!!!

Instead of not snacking during Hailey's nap time, why not try snacking on really healthy stuff so you won't feel deprived. There are so many yummy fruits in season right now! How about fresh tomato slices, or watermelon? (I'm making myself hungry!)

I find I do better with mini-meals built in. I don't get as ravenous that way. I went too long between meals yesterday, and even the kids' disgusting Ramen noodles were starting to sound good. LOL

Monkey Kisses said...

Well than mabey we can really help each other out.. I have an 8 month old and a 3 year old.. LOL.. :-)

Come back and visit.. i am adding you to my google reader so expect to be my new friend.. :-)

Serving Him said...

Dear Melanie, Thanks for your encouraging words on my blog. Congratulations on all the weight you have lost so far...that is fabulous. I am excited about joining in with so many women in our quest to be healthier and thinner. I wish you luck and am excited about seeing the progress of us all. Well, my 18 month old little girl and I are off for a walk! Sincerely, Serving Him

Toknowhim said...

Keeping your positive attitude will help you go a long way. I look forward to seeing what we all do in the weeks ahead. Kim

Military Mommy said...

Good luck Melanie! Just wanted to stop by and send you big wishes for a very healthy week. :)

See you soon,
Michelle

JenLo said...

You'll definitely do it! I'm with you. I'm hoping to get my first 10 pounds off by June 1 when I go to Women of Faith and the second 10 off by July 4th.

Denise said...

You can do this, I will cheer you on.

Anonymous said...

It's amazing how much your story sounds like mine. I'm with you on the getting rid of all the junk in the house. My hubby and kids can eat anything they want and still stay thin . . . not so much for me, so I just don't buy it. But then hubby goes grocery shopping and suddenly, it all reappears! Good luck with your challenge! I'll be checking in, and trying to keep up with my own weight loss plan.

Robin said...

Wow - you have been down this road before - you can do it again! I'm in the challenge too and I am just dropping by to wish you luck. We can do it!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for visiting my blog. You can do this!!! Don't forget to drink that water. :-)

Nancy Murphree Davis said...

Thanks for visiting. The Daily Plate is free to keep your food journal. You have to pay to get the nutritional totals and use the profile part. I thought it was worth it to keep myself accountable.

Christine said...

Good luck Melanie! Thanks for stopping by!

Halfmoon Girl said...

You have done this before, just like me, so we CAN do this! I was already working on losing about 15 pounds, but maybe I will join the challenge with every one else.

Sharon Brumfield said...

Thanks for stopping in to share the encouragement.
How cool to be able to share our needs and have others jump right in to help us out because they have the same need?
Good eating and see ya on the scales!

katy said...

Thanks for stopping in and encouraging me to get up and get started. This week is completely packed with Relay for life, kids drama play (4 times), dinner theater at kids school that I somehow got in charge of and work. I think I may be too busy to eat for once. Good luck and I will check in again to see how you are doing.

Anonymous said...

Good for you! You go girl. Sounds like you have a good cheerleading section to help you out. I'll look forward to seeing you post that you've reached your goal!

Laura said...

This is motivating to me. I need to lose weight too. Have you checked out "The Beck Diet Solution"? It's new, and I've been enjoying it immensely. Not a diet per se, but ways to help yourself resist temptation, etc. I'll definitely check out this diet challenge. Thanks much! I'll definitely be popping in to see how it goes for you!

Baba said...

Hi Melanie, I am a day late, but I started the weight loss challenge here also.I had lost 50 pounds over a year and a half, but since Xmas , I have put back on 10 pounds.I keep playing around......wishing you and all of us luck... Baba

Nise' said...

Thanks for stopping by with your encouragment! Great idea to take measurements sometimes we lose inches and not necessary pounds. I'm going to make sure to do that!

Nancy Murphree Davis said...

Today is a new day. Find some healthy snacks and plan on having them before you get the urge. We are pulling for you.

Dana a/k/a Sunshine said...

Hope you are doing good in your weight loss this week. Since I was sick, I am doing really good right now! Next week may be a different story - ha ha. Congrats on the weight you lost already. Your daughter is adorable also.
Dana