Woo Hoo!!!

I have to send a huge congratulations to my gal pal Lynette. She has lost 59 1/2 inches and over twenty pounds over the past few months! How amazing is that? I am super proud of her and all the hard work she has been putting in. You go girl! Pop over here to read her story and give her a vote if you like what you read. She inspires me and I bet you'll think the same after you read what she has to say!

Weight Loss Musings

So, I've been dieting for about two weeks now. I had lost 12 pounds, but gained a few back over the weekend. Guess I just have to work harder this week! My pal Lynette is doing this with me. She is doing shots, Alli, and has a Curves membership. I am going the old fashioned route just counting calories. For exercise I am doing the WiiFit and a slew of assorted exercise videos. I have so much weight to lose, it sometimes seems impossible. I am trying to set short term goals and work like crazy to achieve them. I put a weight loss ticker way down at the bottom of the blog , that I plan to update weekly. Maybe sharing this here will help keep me more accountable!

The whole family has gotten in on the healthier eating. I am really quite proud of the kiddos and Dan, they are not screaming for sugar like I thought they'd be. I did splurge and get a variety package of those 100 calorie packs of cookies and stuff. They are great for Dan's lunches and the kids grab one for after school. One of them had Rice Krispie treats in it, which I was super excited about, I love those things! Anyway, over the weekend I went to Dollar General to get more and they didn't have any. Imagine my surprise when the box of regular Rice Krispie treats proudly proclaims they are "still only 90 calories'! What? I paid $1 a box more for the others and got more calories than the normal version! It has made me aware that I really need to read labels!

The hardest part so far has been making myself eat. Yes, you read that right, I don't eat most of the time. Usually breakfast with the girls then nothing until dinner. Well, almost nothing, I actually usually end up cramming junk down around 3, so eating regularly has been a big change. It seems to be working though!

Do y'all have any weight loss tips you want to share with me?

Feeling Great!

I am seriously hooked on Wii Fit. I love the fact that it it good for me and fun. It beats the heck out of exercise videos with perky, perfect women telling me how good I'm doing while I am about to pass out. I have been working out faithfully for two weeks and am already seeing a difference!

I feel better, have more energy, am in a better mood, and have more self confidence! My tummy is no longer sticking out past my boobs! I am so happy! I plan to keep it up because I am a much better mom and wife when I feel this good!

We have all drastically changed our eating habits as well. Dan and I are eating much fewer carbs and sugars and such. I am eating more than I normally did during the day, but it is the right foods rather than the wrong ones. I do not feel all that deprived, although I am sure missing bread. I hope to keep this up so the whole family will be healthier and I will shed some extra pounds. The addition of more fresh vegetables and fruits sure isn't going to hurt any of us.

Are any of y'all trying to get healthier during the summer months? I am hoping this works, because I normally get discouraged with dieting. So far, so good. I'd love to hear what you all are doing to help keep your family in shape!

Slacker Mom Getting Healthy

It is one of those days that I have 4.6 million things to do and not nearly enough time to do them in. Not sleeping well has left me unmotivated to do many of the things I should have done early in the week. I just haven't had the energy or desire, My name is Vanessa and I am a slacker mom. But, we all have off weeks, right?

One thing I am very proud of is the fact that I have worked out everyday this week. This is probably not a big deal to some people, but when you are as large as I am, it's a big accomplishment. I am very proud of myself! I will keep this exercise routine up! I do not like exercise, but I like obesity even less.

High on my to do list today is doing the meal plan for this month, or at least the next two weeks. The next logical step in trying to get healthy is to change the way we eat. The whole family needs serious help in the diet department. I figure if we all change the way we are eating, then I won't feel so deprived. Plus, we will all be healthier and maybe Dan will even manage to lose a few pounds. I see nothing but good coming from this. The only problem I know I'll have is from me and Dan with sugar cravings. So, I am trying to figure out what to do about that. There has to be something healthy, yet yummy to take the place of our night time sugar binges.

What are your favorite healthy sweets? Fruit cups, dessert flavored yogurt, or what? I'd love to hear what satisfies your sweet tooth without hurting your waistline!