It's time!!!

So I have noticed that I have been leaving myself out of photos with my beautiful daughter. I have been ashamed of my size for some time now. It wasn't always this way, but I was never what I considered thin either. At this stage of my life I just want to be healthy, who cares what I look like, I need to be around to play with my daughter, and hopefully my grandchildren someday.

With this in mind I jumped at the opportunity to join our "Biggest Loser" competition at work. I was thinking if I take you all on this journey with me I will be more apt to stick to this new "way of life" Since I will have obligated myself to report out publicly. So...here it goes!

Tuesday I weighed in at the nurse on site here at work (I guess part of this public part is telling how much I weigh)...260.5 lbs!!!! can you believe it?! YIKES! Well I am here to do something about it. So I have logged onto the Mayo Clinic website (listed in links on the right) and searched for Calorie Calculator: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598

Through this tool I found out I am supposed to eat 2350 calroies a day if I consider myself active. That is a whole heck of a lot of calories! So I decided that if I go by the average caloric intake (1200-1500) and stay active in the gym 3-5 days a week, I should burn off some of this fat. I believe the caloric calculator is telling me what I need to eat to stay where I am, not what I need to eat to loose weight. So that is my goal, 12-1500 calroies per day and go to the gym at lunch hopefully 5 days a week.

I will be keeping a daily blog of my food and the calories and my activity level. I don't know that this will help anyone but me. I just need to be accountable to someone (if there is anyone out there). I also will be trying to limit my carb intake (white carbs) and increase my H2O intake.

The incouraging thing is that I have only started on Tuesday and just by tracking what I am eating I have lost 5 pounds! I was able to make it to the gym today I power walked 2 miles ont he treadmil and did some wieght lifting.

So I will start with my diet today:

Breakfast:

Shake -

1 cup O.J.-------------------------------------------110

1 banana--------------------------------------------94

1/4 cup bluberries----------------------------------20

1 scoop of protein powder --------------------------87



Coffee with coffemate-------------------------------35



Snack:

Banana---------------------------------------------94

5 crackers and slice of laughing cow cheese----------115



Lunch:

Spicy Peanut Chicken with 1/4 cup rice--------------340

1/2 avocado------------------------------------------80

bluberries 1/4 cup------------------------------------20

no sugar/non fat pudding-----------------------------45



So far my day has had 940 calories, with 260-560 calories to go by the end of the day, I don't think I am going to make it. YES I WILL!

Here is a picture that I found from when my husband proposed to me, 5 years ago. This is my goal for now. at this point I was 200 pounds. Still at least 20-30 from my absolute goal, but WAY better than where I am.

I am open to suggestions too, if you have a website or information you have found helpful please feel free to pass it on! Thanks and I hope you enjoy my journey.