Day 1 - Today's the day!!

I woke up today thinking "I can do it!".

I have been following my friend Dawne on her weight loss journey the last few weeks, all the while thinking "I wish I could be so committed to losing weight". I have done a few other programs, Weight Watchers, Weigh Down, and lost the weight (about 50 lbs) but gained it back within a few years of losing it. Talking to my friend Kim yesterday, I guess I realized that I actually haven't wanted to get serious about my weight. Sure, I've tried in the last 6 months to get serious about it again but I just haven't been able to keep at it. I am not one who can do it on my own, I need the accountability of at least someone knowing that I'm on a "program" and someone who will ask me how I'm doing. But even that isn't enough. I have to be committed to losing the weight. I really haven't wanted to get serious yet.

Then I woke up this morning to a quiet house and I just lay in bed thinking about all of this. And I thought "I can do it, I want to do it!". I'm tired of my clothes slowly getting tighter, and always feeling self conscious about how I look. I know that God, my husband and my kids love me, whatever size I am, but I sure don't love myself all that much when I've got all this extra weight on me.

So, today's the day that I make a change. I don't want to be constantly counting points or measuring. So I decided to follow a program similar to Dawne's. Here's the plan (sorry Dawne for copying from your post).

My food plan will look like this:

Breakfast - Fruit, Yogurt Smoothie, cereal (haven't decided which one) or 1 egg omelet and fruit

Lunch - Salad with some protein or soup, fruit

Supper - Salad or veggies and whatever I am cooking for the family but never overeating! I will eat to just about full every supper (I'll start by cutting what I used to eat in half).

Snacks - fruit or low calorie yogurt - mid afternoon

Once a week, if I need it, will be a Freedom Day. This is not a day to pig out, but a day where I am free from the constraints of my program.

Once a Month - fast and pray. (liquids only)

Exercise: Walk at least 5 days a week, 30 - 45 minutes.

Weigh-in: Tuesday morning, around the same time each week.

I'll weigh myself today so that I know where I'm starting from. My goal is to lose about 50 lbs and it would be nice if it was off by the beginning of next summer.

This is really scary for me putting this on my blog for everyone to see (really it's only one person) because I feel if I completely mess up and don't lose any weight, everyone will know it. As if no notices by looking at me that I've blown it!!

Well, here goes, I'm off to start my first day!

Andrea