Coming Soon...

Here are titles coming sometime this week:

The Cardinal Rules of Weight Loss: Be Positive!
The Cardinal Rules of Weight Loss: Timing Isn't Everything...
The Cardinal Rules of Weight Loss: Get Some Support!
The Cardinal Rules of Weight Loss: Change It Up To Avoid Boredom!
The Cardinal Rules of Weight Loss: Move That Booty!

The Cardinal Rules of Weight Loss: Be Reasonable!

I see it happen all the time: people setting their final goal weight to whatever it was when they were at their skinniest in high school or college. Heck, I'm guilty of it! For my first couple months on Sparks, I thought I wanted to return to the higher end of my weight range in high school (I ranged from 120-125). Well, there's a lot of problems with that. For one, obviously my body has changed since high school/gaining 72+ pounds. Another thing is that I never strength trained in high school and did cardio at the gym very inconsistently. I probably had a very low percentage of muscle in comparison to what I do now.

I don't know about you, but I know I also had some very unattainable weight loss goals in my life before finding SparkPeople. For example, when I was in college and wanted to be 112 pounds (I was right around 135 at the time). This would have been close to impossible for my medium frame (without starving myself or working out all day every day). Once again, I have a large chest and thick legs...no matter how skinny I get. 112 pounds is just an extremely unrealistic weight for me (my new goal for my 5' 3'' medium frame is 130-135). Set a REASONABLE goal for yourself, not something based off a past weight. 

Like I have said before, I have broken up my weight loss goals by percentages of 10% and getting into healthier ranges (obese to overweight and then overweight to normal). My next goal is 140.9 (normal for my height) and then I'm going to analyze where I want to be from now (I suspect 130-135, but this isn't a for sure number for me). Personally, I would prefer if your goals were small with maybe a REALISTIC ballpark figure of where you where you want to be.

Along with this, your means of getting to your goal weight should be REASONABLE as well. If you know you aren't going to burn 800 calories a day because you are usually exhausted after work and have to take care of the kids, DO NOT set your goal to do so. Same with your calorie levels, you are not going to be able to eat 500 calories without going into starvation mode, so don't even think about it!

Try to share your goals with someone else who is somewhat educated on healthy living (not someone who thinks Victoria Beckham is the perfect ideal weight). Do they think your goals are REASONABLE? 

Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: Calories Are Not All Created Equal

As much as I wish I could eat 1,200 calories a day in donuts and pizza and have my body respond the same exact way as if I ate 1,200 calories a day in fruits, veggies, and lean proteins, this is just not the case my friends. It’s not just about calories in versus calories out. That is just the simple way to explain how to lose weight. It is so much more complicated than that.

I’m no nutritionist, but obviously fat, carbohydrate, and protein are all serve different purposes in the body. I could get all into the science, but instead I am just going to link you to an article that I feel explains it pretty gosh darn well. You can find it: here!

So, obviously..as you can see..calories are not all created equal. I lost wayyy more weight when I upped my protein and lowered my fat grams. I aim for a diet high in complex carbs, moderate to high in protein, and low in fat. It works pretty well for me :). And no, I don't think carbs are evil; you just need to be getting the right kind.

Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: You Are Going To Mess Up…Get Over It (NOW)

Guess what…no one is perfect, especially when it comes to losing weight. Chances are, your goal weight is going to take months or even years to get to. How likely do you think it is that you never going to mess up? Very unlikely. Food is too good and not exercising is too easy. There are holiday parties to attend, cocktails to be had, and life that happens which will get in the way of your weight loss. This is just the way it is. You have your whole life to lose weight, who cares if you mess up every once in awhile? You aren’t perfect, no one is!

Take it from me, an OCD perfectionist; you have GOT to forget about this part of your personality if it’s an issue. I’m one of those people that it takes forever to do almost everything because it HAS to be perfect. Probably one of the millions of reasons why I always failed whenever I tried to lose weight before I got involved on the SparkPeople website.

I would be eating great all day..maybe even for the whole day. Then the night would come and I would get everything I needed to get done for the day done. Then came watching TV…followed by thoughts of all the food that was in the cabinets just feet away from me…followed by me stuffing my face…followed by me feeling guilty because I ruined everything I had worked for ALL day in a matter of 20 minutes for no reason other than the fact that I was bored. This, more or less, led to me thinking I was a failure with no self-control who could never possibly lose weight. Eventually, I’d give up on losing weight and completely not care about what I was putting into my body (I’m sorry, body! Haha).

A great deal of me giving up on myself is because I expected pefection..which is the last thing that’s going to happen while trying to lose weight. Food is unlike any addiction (even if you don’t have one), because no matter what you HAVE to eat…it’s not like a drug or cigarettes you can cut off cold turkey. It takes a tremendous amount of training yourself in order to resist all the delicious food that is in this world, especially when you KNOW how good it is. Lucky for you, eventually after you stop eating that junk, you start to CRAVE healthy food and unhealthy food isn’t as appealing. It gets easier, I promise. 


I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've messed up. There have even been a couple of full weeks I haven't worked out or ate healthy. Now I'm getting more into a routine, but what would have happened if I had given up? I wouldn't be almost 45 pounds down since March...that's for sure. You are perfecting habits (eating healthy, portion control, working out consistently) that are going to prove to be so useful for the rest of your life...give yourself some sympathy if you mess up!! You are changing your LIFE for the better...and there's nothing greater than that!

Anyway, the whole point of this is to make sure you do not completely freak out every time you have a “bad” day—you literally have the REST of your life to lose weight. This is a lifestyle, not a diet. Think of it as a metabolism booster…after all, if you restrict calories for too long, your body gets used to running on that many calories. When you amp up your calories, even for a day, it keeps your body guessing. That’s how I look at it whenever I go over my calories (especially when it’s a lot). It’s OK and it’s not the end of the world, I promise!!!

As far as when you mess up…instead of saying “I’ll get back on track tomorrow (or next week or next month)”—get back on track NOW. So you had a bad meal, who cares?! Why sabotage yourself even more? Autocorrect and start eating healthy the VERY next time you eat. That way you will prevent a downward spiral from happening way before it’s even a possibility. Remember, YOU are in control of your journey!

Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: Stop Comparing Yourself to Barbie, Your Sister, Sister-In-Law, Mom, Grandma, Britney Spears, Adriana Lima, OR WHOEVER

I am going to point out the obvious because many people do not get this one. YOU are NOT your sister, sister-in-law, mom, grandma, Britney Spears, Adriana Lima, or Barbie. Everyone’s body types are different so you can (and have to) stop comparing yourself to these people right now. Focus on YOUR body type and what is ideal for YOU. Remember, this journey is ALL about YOU. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you make your journey A LOT easier on yourself (and much more likely to be successful).

I’m going to get into celebrities later—that’s a whole other bag of issues that society started. But, If I had a dollar for every time I heard one of the people I know compare themselves to their skinny sister or sister-in-law or how their mom/grandma used to be when she was younger…….I’d have close to a million dollars I’m pretty sure.

Here's the deal, if you haven't noticed...you are NOT anyone besides YOU. So quit comparing yourself to other people, you are only sabotaging yourself and forcing yourself to feel sorry about your "predisposition." Take my "predisposition" for example--I have a medium frame and I'm 5' 3''. Like I have said before, I have always (even as a little girl) had thick thighs and a huge chest (those developed later-haha). My sisters on the other hand? Welp, one of them is 5' 7'' and 130 pounds with an extremely small frame (no boobs, butt, or thighs either) who never has to watch what she eats or workout and the other is 5' 3'' and 120 pounds with a petite frame (but does have to watch what she eats). So yep, I'm the fat sister. Does it bother me? Not at all. haha. And I'm being honest.

Here's why...even though my sisters may have what society deems to be "better" bodies--there are a lot of other qualities that they are jealous of that I possess. That's just how it is. No one is 100% happy with who they are and that is the #1 reason why I created this blog. I want people to be as happy as possible as they are with themselves. So while you are thinking someone has it all...don't...no one does. And let's pretend that they do..who cares? You feel like you are missing something--so let's work on that...not waste time thinking about how someone else is SO lucky to not have to worry about it. Who cares? If you do...let's cry about it and move on (pause here to cry). The sooner you do that, the sooner you'll be successful on your journey to happiness (and weight loss). 

Secondly, as far as celebrities…just STOP. If your goal is to look like a celebrity, you crazy girlfrand. No seriously, those bitches are like 0% body fat. Plus, my guess is you aren’t going to ever have a personal trainer or a personal chef that makes sure you are eating healthy (or a cracker-whichever) and working out EVERY single day for 2 hours. In most regular people’s  lives, this just isn’t feasible. Ever notice that tons of these celebs eventually end up with eating disorders? Ahhh...yea, we want to avoid that. I personally would rather eat and weigh a healthy 130 than starve myself everyday to weigh 108 (SICK). 

Not only this, I know you’ve heard it before, but the average model is 5' 11'' and 117 pounds. That's a 16.3 BMI (UNDERWEIGHT PEOPLE). They are probably eating a cracker a day so they can be that thin (or they are freaks of nature, but highly doubtful). Either way, this height and weight only represents 2% of the population. So you’re not a part of that 2%, big deal..neither am I or 98% of American women. They are the freaks—not you! Shame on the entertainment industry for making us think otherwise. Don’t buy into it—use your brain! A BMI of 16.3 is NOT healthy according to any standards. So why is it so many people want ridiculously low body weights like these?

Even if you aren't talking models...take a look at this: Celebrity Heights and Weights ...look at how many of the celebs are UNDER weight (or super close to it). WHY on Earth would anyone want this to be their motivation???

Bottom line, don't buy into it...be realistic with your weight loss goals so you don't set yourself up for failure. These celebrities have to watch every morsel of food they stick in their mouths and work out for hours each day...even after they reach goal weights. Their bodies aren't supposed to drop that low in weight most of the time, so they can very easily gain weight (as we see all the time). I don't think it would ever be worth it....

Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: As Jillian Michaels Says: “Results Aren’t Coming For Free”

You want this…right?! Like really, really want it? Well, guess what?…no diet pill or quick fix out there is going to get you the results that you want. So forget about it. Quit being one of the people that contribute to the billions of dollars that are spent on weight loss products (food, pills, “do-it-all” equipment, etc.) each year. Losing weight is not going to be easy, but I will tell you it’ll be worth it.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you look at it), you are going to have to WORK for your weight loss and you are going to have to work HARD. So if you don’t think losing weight is worth the time and effort it takes to get there (contrary to what the infomercials at 3 AM tell you…it DOES take time and effort), you might as well stop reading this now.

Your results are not coming for free, as my favorite celebrity fitness trainer (and girl crush-haha) puts it. You are going to have to eat healthy (most of the time), you are going to have to burn some calories by working out, and you would be doing yourself a big favor to strength train. I understand, there are going to be some people with limitations who are not able to do all these things, but if you can do these things…by all means DO THEM.

I look at it this way, especially after joining Sparks…by not giving it your all when you don’t have limitations, you are literally slapping the people in the face that DO give it their all and DO have limitations. So think if it that way the next time you don’t want to work out…not everyone is BLESSED (that’s right!) with the ability to get a really good workout in. Don’t take it for granted, and get that butt moving!

Bottom line, forget everything you’ve heard about quick weight loss fixes…they are all a bunch of BS in some way shape or form. Remember, instant gratification doesn’t exist in the world of weight loss. When it comes to what causes weight loss, USE YOUR BRAIN…fruits and veggies = good, processed food = bad, water = good, soda = bad, etc. etc. etc.

This is what I try to do when I am considering whether or not I should eat something….I ask myself the question: “Could I have eaten this 1,000 years ago?” If the answer is no, chances are my body is going to have somewhat of a hard time breaking it down and digesting it. Our bodies are still not evolved enough to digest processed foods properly (that’s why they don’t make us feel too hot)…remember this little tip.

Your results may not be free, but they will be worth every single second of hard work IF you stick it out. That’s a guarantee.

Coming soon...

These following blog titles are coming within the next week:

*Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: As Jillian Michaels Says: “Results Aren’t Coming For Free”

*Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: You Are Going To Mess Up…Get Over It (NOW)

*Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: Stop Comparing Yourself to Barbie, Your Sister, Sister-In-Law, Mom, Grandma, Britney Spears, Adriana Lima, OR WHOEVER

*Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: Calories Are Not All Created Equal

*Step One: Develop A Support System

Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: There’s A Million Reasons Why The Scale Isn’t Showing A Loss

I can remember when I was trying to lose weight when I was a freshman in college (before I gave up), I would weigh myself everyday. At the time, this was a BIG mistake because I’d get discouraged the second I didn’t see movement on the scale after eating “healthy” and working out the day before. Eating healthy to me at the time was staying within my calorie ranges (probably 1200-1500). It didn’t matter to me what I was eating. Hence why I was eating Lean Cuisines like three times a day and thinking I was doing well. Of course I had a sodium bloat and of course the scale didn’t show movement…so I’d give up. Ahh..if I had only realized that instant gratification isn’t something we should tie to weight loss (or Lean Cuisines…haha).

The first thing you need to keep in mind is that the scale isn’t always going to show a loss. Just because you are working hard doesn’t mean the scale will immediately show that. I will tell you that if you DO keep on working at it, you WILL eventually see results. Do NOT give up because you aren’t instantly seeing results or your results start to taper off in comparison to how much you were losing when you first started. All the people who are successful are able to forget about the scale because there are so many factors that contribute to the number that shows up on it.

Here are just SOME things that make what the scale says completely inaccurate:

1. Water retention (from sodium, upcoming period, not getting enough water, etc.) – At any given time, your body can be holding onto a couple pounds of water because of these reasons. Believe it or not, the more water you drink, the less you retain (your body knows it can depend on a consistent supply of water if you are supplying it with it regularly so it doesn’t hold onto it). Sodium causes water retention, as well as (obviously) that time of the month. Watch your sodium, drink your water, and be mindful of when your period is coming. This will help you understand why you’re a couple pounds heavier during certain times (and prevent you from getting discouraged by it).

2. The time of day it is – I suggest weighing yourself first thing when you get up in the morning, weight fluctuates up to five pounds in a single day. You should always be weighing yourself at the same time so you can get the most accurate reading. I say first thing in the morning because your food is usually digested. Use the bathroom if you need to go beforehand, because that will obviously make a difference as well.

3. If all your food is digested – Extra food in your stomach does have weight to it, so keep this in mind if you ate a ton before bed and are weighing yourself in the morning. Many times food doesn’t completely digest.

4. If you have gone to the bathroom – Your bowel movements (and urination) do make a difference in how much you are going to weigh in at as well. If you are aiming to lose 1-2 pounds a week, that half of a pound can make a real big difference in your weigh in. Make sure that you have done these things before weighing in so you can get the most encouraging weekly weigh-in.

5. The fact that everyone’s body is different – Some people won’t show a loss all week after eating healthy, but will drop two pounds overnight. Some people show a steady weight loss all week. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter…your continual healthy choices WILL make a difference eventually…so just keep on keeping on!

6. You are weighing on a different scale – Stick with the same scale for your weigh-ins…scales aren’t going to all be perfect and you are just going to confuse yourself if you use different scales to weigh in on. Pick one and stick with it.

Just forget about the scale…there’s so many different ways to measure your progress. I would start by taking measurements of your waist, thighs, arms, bust, etc. and checking your progress every two weeks. That way if you are gaining muscle and losing fat, you won’t get so discouraged. If you continue to have problems with the scale…toss it! Stop using it (or use it once a month). You will also be able to tell you have lost weight by how your clothes fit (or if your rings are getting looser). Trust me, if you are having issues with the scale..then forget about it! Stop weighing in! At least until you get your healthy lifestyle habits perfected a bit more and you know you won’t stop just because of what the scale says. 

Things Everyone Should Consider Prior To Trying To Lose Weight: Don’t Count On Instant Gratification

I see so many people give up on their weight loss journeys just because they don’t see immediate results. In the world we live in, this is clearly no surprise. We have everything at our fingertips: the Internet, drive-thru restaurants, drive-thru banks, delivery drivers, etc. Everyone expects everything as soon as they demand it. This isn’t the case, especially with weight loss.

I can remember starting my weight loss journey and thinking in my head, “how the heck am I going to do this?! I have 72 pounds to lose before I’m at the weight I was before I started gaining.” I was overwhelmed to say the least. I set my SparkPeople ticker for 125 pounds (which was less than my final goal is now) and even though I was losing a decent amount of weight every week…it was going down SO slowly.

To help decrease how overwhelmed it made me feel, I decided to set my first weight loss goal at 10% of my overall weight (19.7 pounds). I didn’t know this at the time, but they say that the first 10% of weight loss is not only an obtainable goal but also has the most health benefits. So I reset my goal weight on my ticker to 177.3 pounds. When I made my goal, I set it to get out of the obese category (168.9). After that, it was 10% of that weight. That comes to my next goal, which is to weigh 152 pounds. I’m 3.6 pounds away from that goal right now. After that, it will be to get out of the overweight category (139.9 at my height of 5’ 3’’). My goal is somewhere in between 130 and 135, so at that time I will re-evaluate and decide how much more I want to lose. All these goals are obtainable and are never TOO far away. Plus, it makes dealing with wanting that instant fix a little easier.

You need to keep in mind that it’s the people who see past instant gratification that are successful in their weight loss journeys. I had to lose a good 25 pounds before anyone outside of my family started making comments about my weight loss. While the comments are nice because you work so hard to get where you are at, that shouldn’t be the only thing keeping you going on this journey. Some people just aren’t going to say anything or notice at all. Don’t let that get you down because (trust me) YOU’LL notice. So who cares if others don’t right away?

This is why creating a list of why you want to be healthy is so important…this list includes things that don’t JUST have to do with weight loss. Things you’ll be able to appreciate even when the scale isn’t moving in your favor. Don’t rely on the fact that you’ll always be seeing results because more than likely you will not. BUT…if you keep that in mind and stick it through the hard times, you WILL be rewarded and eventually get what you had started to work for in the first place.

Are You Ready To Lose Weight!?: Figuring Out And Tackling Any Psychological Issues

Most people think they are ready to lose weight just because they don’t like their appearance or feel like they could lose some pounds. This isn’t the case. After all, if this were true, practically everyone would be skinny. When there is a large weight gain (like my 70+ pounds in four short years), there is often a psychological issue behind it. The sooner you figure out this issue (if there is one), the sooner you will be able to deal with everything else.

In order to aid you in figuring out if there’s a psychological reason behind your weight loss, I am going to use my story as an example:

I have really big issues with control, but very different than a lot of other people’s control issues. My issues with control are that I always need to feel as though I am in control of myself. If someone tries to control me, it REALLY bothers me. Upon reflection, I think this is because of my parents’ relationship. My dad was always VERY controlling of my mom and had serious control issues. I don’t have problems when it comes to controlling other people (in fact, I’m pretty lax), but I do have serious issues when people try to control me.

When I was younger, I felt that there were people in my life who were trying to control how I should look through negative reinforcement. By saying things like “you’re getting pudgy,” “you’re fat,” etc. (which by the way, I was 5’ 3’’ and 115 pounds and later 128 pounds when I was told these comments so I wasn’t fat at all), I felt like they were trying to control how I looked and felt about myself.

Logical me knew I wasn’t fat because I would get tested in gym class and would fall in the middle of the normal range. But the other me that had been criticized since I was in sixth grade by family members had major body image issues. It wasn’t that I necessarily thought I was fat when I was younger, I just hated my body. My parents and my grandma had taught me before I had even entered high school to hate my body by making comments about how I was fat or “getting fat.”

The truth is, I wasn’t fat during this time at all. I have a medium frame and will have huge boobs and thick legs no matter how skinny I get. It’s just my genetics. So basically, when they were calling me fat…that’s what they were talking about. I was naturally thicker than other girls my age because of my body type. I developed boobs in the beginning of sixth grade and developed way before a lot of my friends did. So because of this I deserve to be ridiculed by family members?

This is where older, more smart me gets angry. How are grown adults who should know better have the nerve to criticize a girl who is growing into her body? I can remember counting calories in the seventh grade and doing hundreds of sit-ups even though I didn’t really understand why. I just knew that this is what you were supposed to do if you wanted to lose weight, which is what several older adults in my life made me feel like.

Do you think I would have hated my body if I didn’t have the adult role models in my life criticizing my weight? Would I have been worrying at such a young age about my body if it wasn’t for their comments? No, probably not.

So I developed psychological issues and when my parents (and others) began to put more emphasis on my looks, I began to gain weight (and lots of it). I wanted to show my parents what negative reinforcement (their primary parenting method) can do. I was going to do the unthinkable in my family *GASP*….I was going to stop caring what I looked like and start gaining weight. And I didn’t stop until I proved my point effectively and was obese. This was something subconscious me needed to do in order to get back at my parents for all their superficial BS they had put me through my whole life.

I know, to some people this may sound like the most ridiculous thing in the whole entire world..because in reality, I was just hurting myself. I can’t tell you why this was my train of thought because I didn’t even realize it at the time, but it just was. After I found Sparks, I did realize I was just hurting myself. But quite honestly, I’m glad I gained all that weight…it made me a way more understanding and compassionate person. Plus, I will never have body image issues ever again. This was a huge issue for me when I was younger because of all the crap my parents and society fed me about how I SHOULD look. Now I realize, the only way I should look is what makes me comfortable, not what makes OTHER people comfortable. Very few people actually meet society’s standards anyway…and nine times out of ten it’s not the people who are judging you (i.e. both my parents and my grandma, the three people who drilled my appearance are all three overweight).

So are there psychological issues holding you back from losing weight? Really dig for the answer to that question, especially if you gained a lot of weight in a short period of time (and there wasn’t a reason like a pregnancy behind it). Also, if you have failed to lose weight after trying numerous times…there’s most likely something that is holding you back. Most people have the willpower to do whatever they want when they REALLY want it. You won’t be ready to lose weight until you figure what these issues are. It is crucial to your success with whatever type of program you decide to follow (whether it be rigorous or slowest loser style).

Are You Ready To Lose Weight!?: Doing This For YOU And ONLY You

When many people think of why they want to lose weight, here are some reasons:

1. “I want my husband to think I’m sexy again.”

2. “I want to wow everyone at my 10 (or 20 or 30) year high school reunion.”

3. “I want to look skinny in my bathing suit this summer.”

4. “I want to find a boyfriend.”

5. “I want my significant other to stop bothering me about how much weight I’ve gained since we’ve been together.”

6. “I want to get back at my ex for cheating on me by looking so good the next time I see him.”

7. “I want to be as skinny as my friend.”

8. “I want my family members to get off my back about not losing weight after my last baby.”

9. “I want people to think I’m sexy.”
10. "I want to look like Britney Spears."

The list could obviously go on and on and on and on and ON…

What is the problem with this list? Well, for one, some of them set a deadline and don’t offer an incentive for AFTER. But the number one problem is that you are doing this for OTHER people. Rarely do people say, “I want to lose weight for ME.” It’s always for other people’s enjoyment. That’s your first mistake. You need to change why you are losing weight for YOU. Otherwise, what will happen if your ex doesn't want you back...even if you have lost all this weight? Or your boyfriend doesn't care what size you are? You most likely will revert into your old habits, maybe gain even more.

I also strongly recommend you don’t focus on weight loss as the main reason why you are doing this. SparkPeople has a strong motto of this being a LIFESTYLE and not a diet! You have to make a commitment to live healthy for the rest of your life in order to see the results that you want to actually see. Trust me, if you are living healthy, you will see a response from the scale that you like. Take it from me, I’ve lost 42 pounds in 4 and a half months.

I’ll be honest, I started out on my journey to lose weight, but since then I have learned that life is about having fun. If it takes me a couple more months to reach my goal weight in exchange for going out every weekend, so be it. If you stretch yourself too thin as far as what you expect from yourself, you will fail. Take this one day at a time and leave a little wiggle room!

I want you to come up with ten reasons why you want to be healthy (not just necessarily lose weight) for YOU. Here are mine (to give you an idea):

1. “I want to be able to workout without being winded” – Because of this, I gave up cigarettes and started to workout regularly to build my endurance.

2. “I want to be able to snuggle on the couch with my doggy” – May sound funny, but at my heaviest, my Japanese Chin didn’t like to sleep next to me because he didn’t have enough room to curl up in a ball like he likes to do so he’d sleep at my feet. Now that I’ve lost weight…he cuddles with me every night :)

3. “I want to have enough energy to play with my nephews and eventually my own children.” – I can remember before I started losing weight, I went to this inflatable bouncy place where it was just a bunch of moon jumps and blow up obstacle courses. My (much skinnier) sister was able to play with him no problem…I was having a hard time getting through the obstacles. I remember thinking on that day that I wished I could play with him more because he looked like he was having so much fun.

4. “I want to live longer.” – I want to be here for my grandkids, I’m scared that by the time I have kids my parents won’t be here because of their terrible habits (cigarette smokers, alcohol abusers, and food choices). I want to be around long enough to see them grow up, maybe even watch them have kids.

5. “I don’t want to get irritable and depend on something like cigarettes/any addiction.” – People when they don’t have their cigarettes and they get all angry make me kind of disgusted, even though that’s how I could be. I hated being that type of person and don’t want to have to go back to being like that.

6. “I don’t want to have to go to a special place to buy clothes/pay extra money.” – At my heaviest, my boobs had gotten so big that I started wearing sports bras and probably wouldn’t have fit into Victoria’s Secret bras anymore. I was on my way to having to shop at a plus size store, which is NOT cheap. Especially considering you can get an outfit at the place I shop now for like $15. Haha. I don’t want to have to pay extra money for my clothes or have to shop at specific places.

7. “I don’t want to have to pay extra money for insurance/not be able to be covered.” – Some policies won’t cover you if you are above a certain weight or make you pay a lot more because you are a risk to them, I don’t want to have to worry about this.

8. “I don’t want to have to worry about my weight when I get older and my metabolism slows down.” – If I learn how to eat properly and work out regularly now (and form habits) while it is easy to lose weight (and my metabolism is higher), I am less likely to gain a ton of weight when I’m older like I did the past 4 years.

9. “I want to feel confident because it will help me in virtually every aspect of my life.” – Confidence means so many things…getting the job you want, more friends, being happier..I feel like it helps to be confident in so many different ways. If I am able to take off all this weight all while being healthy, I will definitely have a newfound confidence!

10. “I want to have the convenience of being able to share my friends' clothes.” – This one might seem silly, but not being able to just borrow an outfit from most of my friends was definitely something that bothered me. It was just downright annoying.

Now it is your turn!!! Feel free to share your ten reasons! The more you are doing this for you, the more likely you are going to be successful.

My Story Prior To Weight Loss

Growing up (and to this day), my parents put a tremendous emphasis on physical appearance, something I didn’t care nearly as much about. The second I gained an ounce it was “you’re getting fat!” or “you’ve gotten so big!” As a little middle finger to them, I subconsciously decided that I WOULD actually get fat. Funny, huh? I decided that their negative reinforcement should be responded with their worst nightmare: their daughter actually getting fat. I’ve been called fat by family members (and other people) since I was 115 pounds and in eighth grade. You never could win with them…so this was my pay back:

Over the course of about four years (my senior year in high school and my college graduation), I gained weight like crazy. I was as low as 123 pounds my senior year and by the end of it, I was 143. I went to college and over the summer worked out and ate healthy (or what I thought was healthy—Lean Cuisines, haha) and lost 10 pounds temporarily. For part of my first semester, I worked out semi-regularly and watched what I ate. Then I got lazy and I gained it all back as I could not juggle the drinking, classes, working out, and socializing. By the end of my freshman year in college I was back up to 143 pounds.

Then the summer started again, where drinking was even more prevalent than the normal school year in my college town. Most students only took two classes during the summer, leaving a lot more free time than usual. This meant drinking more often. By the end of the summer, I had crept up to 155 pounds.

During the school year, I would usually maintain whatever weight I ended during at during the summer (regardless of the fact I was binge eating). I would never work out, I was constantly tired/hungover, and enjoyed binge drinking 4-5 nights a week.

During my summer going into junior year, I gained another 19 pounds and got up to 174. This is when my binge eating really got out of control, probably because more and more people were starting to notice my weight gain and making comments about it. I subconsciously made the decision to keep on gaining weight (I didn’t want them to win, now did I?).

By the time graduation rolled around..I had gained another 23 pounds, putting me at 197. I hadn’t stepped on the scale in forever..and when I did..I couldn’t believe that it said I was almost pushing 200 pounds. But I still didn’t want to do anything about it. I still binge ate and I still treated my body like crap.

I was living in St. Louis by myself after a long Mardi Gras weekend (quite the party) of chain smoking cigarettes and binge drinking. I had decided I was going to quit smoking…something I had tried numerous times with no success. In order to do so, I knew I had to give up drinking as well. Drinking had always been my downfall when I would quit smoking cigarettes. I would be so good sober and then I’d get drunk and have “just one.” Eventually, after this incident happened numerous times..I’d end up with a pack the following day and sober me would have a cigarette sober. Eventually I’d go back to smoking full time.

I knew this time I had to axe the booze in order to be successful. To gather further incentive for me to stay quit, I called up my dad and asked him if he’d bet me that I couldn’t stay cigarette and alcohol free for Lent. He laughed, knowing how much I drank (remember, 4-5x a week in college) and how addicted to cigarettes I was (I had smoked for six and a half years, and for about three years of college I smoked a pack a day). He didn’t believe I could quit so much, he told me he’d pay me $20 a day for all of Lent to not drink or smoke (he NEVER thought I'd make it). If I had one cigarette or sip of booze, I got nothing.

Obviously for a broke recent college grad, this was a fantastic incentive. Not only that, I really WAS ready to quit smoking this time (I downplayed this to my dad ;). So I accepted the bet…to my dad’s surprise I went those 46 days cigarette and alcohol free (actually it was more like 60). I haven’t had one cigarette since February 14, 2010. I won roughly $1,000 AND saved SO much money on cigarettes during that time. Plus, I realized I really COULD go without cigarettes.

During these 60 days, there was a complete change in me. For the first time in my life, I realized what it was like to have high energy levels. I even worked out with my dad a couple times for the first time in years. After about a month of quitting smoking, I found SparkPeople (well, I started using SparkPeople, I had known about it for a few years)…which ended up completely changing my life.

Since I joined SparkPeople on March 9, I have lost 42 pounds (I’m writing this on August 3). I’ll get into how in later entries…but in the first month alone I lost almost 17 pounds. That’s how much I was abusing my body with terrible processed food/never working out.

I have decided since joining Sparks, I want to be a life coach and help people with their personal problems. This isn’t coming from someone who has been a size 2 their whole life or who has never smoked a cigarette either. This is coming from someone who had a serious addiction to cigarettes and has been obese before. You can do anything you put your mind to, that isn’t the question. The real questions you have to start asking yourself is WHAT put you where you are right now. Once you answer that, you will be well on your way to figuring out what you can do to better yourself.

About This Blog

This blog is going to mostly be about how to continually improve (Kaizen means "improvement" or "change for the better" in Japanese). Since I have had the most requests to talk about my weight loss/how I did it, that is what the beginning entries are going to be about. Slowly after I finish covering the basics about some steps you can take to make it easier to lose weight, I will add in other topics.

If you have an ideas for topics that you would personally be interested in reading about, please drop me an e-mail and let me know. My e-mail is sparkgirl32@gmail.com or you can find me on SparkPeople at http://my.sparkpeople.com/sparkgirl32.