I'M SO EXCITED - AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT! =)

Just a quick little update - Jon and I went to the gym this afternoon and I did 4 miles of cardio and some weight training. I was so proud of myself! Well, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy to say that for the next 6 months, 3 days per week, I will be working out with a TRAINER! =) Yippee! I am SO incredibly excited! I know that he is going to help me get the absolute MOST out of my workouts! YAY! =)

Shame, Shame, Shame...

Well, I come to you in shame. I have not been to the gym in two days. Circumstances, circumstances. However, I HAVE stayed on my diet and I AM going back to the gym this morning! Yay! Funny thing is, I REALLY missed going and wanted to workout!

Hmm...I have a lack of words this morning. I think it's because I am the only one awake at my house, and I feel like I am wasting valuable time that I could be using CLEANING! I just can't concentrate on anything else. So, I am going to go and do that right now, and I will report back later on my workout. Sound good? Great!

I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC day!

Oh, one more thing...I posted that crazy picture of myself because a) That is totally me. b) I think it is a great representation of this journey I am on. =)

Love and Hugs!

Oh. My. Lan. Ta.

So…I met with a trainer for the first time last night. I was a little nervous going in. To be honest, I always worry that people are going to look at me with disgust wondering how in the world I got this fat! After some encouragement from a couple of people, I realized that this feeling is the LAST thing that I should be worried about. The gym is where I NEED to be. Anyway, the trainer and I sat down and discussed my medical history, my lifestyle, goals, etc. Then came the fun part…the workout! Oh, Mylanta! I KNEW it was not going to be easy, but I NEVER DREAMED it would be as difficult as it truly was! He wanted me to do a “warm up” (HA!) on the Elliptical Machine for 7 minutes. That sounds easy enough, right? Yeah stinkin’ right! Not for a 291.4 pound hottie in the wrong body who’s “major workout for the day” is walking to and from the printer at work!!!!! I. Thought. I. Was. Going. To. Die. To make a long story short, I lasted ALMOST 4 minutes. I quit because I seriously felt like I was going to be ‘sick’…FOUR TIMES! That was not my proudest moment, but after talking to a couple of friends, they said they could only last a couple of minutes as well after beginning to exercise. It was definitely a reality check of just how out of shape I actually am. We then did lunges and some weight training, and some crazy, but fun, exercises with rope and we were done! The whole workout lasted about an hour. It was crazy hard, but even more rewarding! I would love to work out with the trainer 3 days a week, but I think I’m going to have to settle for 1. While I believe that it’s worth every penny, if you don’t have the money, you just don’t have it! So…I will take my one day a week and learn all that I can! I am SO excited for the opportunity to learn the things that I need to know to make the most of my workouts! I wish that I could take a glimpse into my life about 6 months from now! I would love to have a preview of how much better the quality of my life will be. Maybe I can walk with no pain, or without getting out of breath after a short walk, or be able to actually keep up with my precious son. Maybe I won't have to take any more medicine. The possibilities are endless! I really can't even fathom how wonderful those things would actually be. I know that I did not gain all of this weight overnight, and it will take time to get to a weight and healthiness that I am proud of. As quoted from the movie "Soul Surfer", which is excellent by the way, "I don't need easy. I just need possible." The scripture I keep leaning on is Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!" I am so thankful that I serve a God who loves and cares about me so much and who I know is rooting for me and has provided me with the greatest support team known to man! I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your encouragement! =)

By the way...I worked out again today. I tried to use the weather as an excuse not to go - just being honest. I mean, the news people DID keep saying that it was going to hit DFW by rush hour. But, lo and behold, I walked out of work at 4pm and it couldn't have been more beautiful. =) I had a great cardio workout, and I am actually looking forward to conquering new goals tomorrow!

Until then...

A New Beginning!

Yesterday, May 22, 2011, Jon and I joined a gym. It was time. To give a little history, last October I went to a weight loss specialist who told me that if I didn’t lose weight I would be lucky to live five more years! I was all ready, mind made up, TOTALLY motivated to dedicate to this program full throttle. It consisted of a very strict diet and exercise regimen that would last for four months and I lasted all of two weeks. It was working. I was feeling GREAT – better than I had in YEARS! I lost 8 pounds in three days. And I quit. It was very costly and I got completely overwhelmed. Financially, we just couldn’t swing it. I was disappointed, but I quickly got over it and went back to my old lifestyle. Fast forward a few months to May 18, 2011. I was told by my doctor that the walls of my heart are thickened. This is obviously not good…at all. I HAVE to lose weight and get in shape. I do not want to die and leave my baby without his Mommy. I can not and will not let this happen!!!!!!!!!! This blog is dedicated to him, my sweet Zachary. I am hoping that it will be a great tool to keep me accountable, motivated, and SANE! =) Please feel free to leave comments that could help me on my journey to losing not only my weight, but also my low self-esteem, my lack of energy and hopefully other health issues including my High Blood Pressure and Asthma. I know I can do this. I HAVE to do this. It will not be easy. Please pray for me. Thank you in advance for walking alongside me on this journey! HERE WE GO! =)