Saturday, April 26, 2008

The Wager

When my Dad heard about my goal to lose all this weight, he suggested a wager! He has decided to go on a weight loss program as well, and we will compete to see who can come closest to our goal weight during the program period. Here's how it works:

Dad's goal: Lose 60 pounds by Christmas 2008
My goal: Lose 75 pounds by Christmas 2008

We'll set a weigh-in date around Christmas, and we'll use the following formulas to calculate winnings/losses:

G - APL = DFG

DFG * 10 = DPO

where:
G = goal weight loss (either 60 or 75 lbs.)
APL = actual pounds lost
DFG = distance from goal
DPO = dollars paid to opponent

So, if I lose just 65 pounds, I owe Dad 100 bucks.

Weigh-Ins

The last time I stepped on a scale was in the doctor's office on Wed April 16: 225 POUNDS! Since then, I have given birth to our new baby girl via Cesarean section... she was 8 pounds, 10 ounces at birth.

I will start my weight loss program on Monday, April 28, 2008.

I will weigh-in every Friday, beginning on May 2, 2008, and record my progress along the way.

The last weigh-in at the end of this program will be on Friday, December 19, 2008.

The Plan

Here are the strategies I plan to use to lose weight:

1. Breakfast - I will focus on low-fat, high-fiber meals.

2. Lunch - I will prepare lunches in the morning at least 4 times per week, and focus on low-fat, high-fiber meals.

3. Dinner and dessert- I will focus on portion control.

4. I will drink a full glass of water with lunch and dinner every day.

5. I will not consume anything other than water between 8pm and 6am each day (except one "special day" each week).

6. I will take a walk for exercise 4 times per week; I will do another form of exercise at least twice per week.

7. I will create a chart with weekly weight goals and record my weight on the chart each Friday.

8. I will plan (in advance) to have healthy snacks and beverages between meals.

9. I will generally try to burn more calories by taking stairs, being more active, parking farther from stores, etc.

10. I will set goals, chart progress, and record my thoughts throughout the process.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Big Girl With Big Goals

Ok, let's face it. At a height of 5 feet 8.5 inches and a weight of 225 pounds, I'm a big girl. However, just 3 years ago, I was a fit 150 pounds. Two pregnancies and some other big life changes have brought about the 75-pound difference in weight. I'll start by sharing a brief summary of those life changes:

early 2005: regular walking, basketball, and other activities, healthy eating (~150 pounds)
Nov 2005: became pregnant (~150 pounds)
Nov 2005 - Feb 2006: pregnancy nausea relieved by eating regular snacks (~160 pounds)
Mar 2006 - Jul 2006: pregnancy hunger! (~190 pounds)
Aug 2006: birth of baby Anna by Cesarian section (~204 pounds max weight)
Aug 2006 - Oct 2006: reduction in exercise due to c-section and care of newborn (~180 pounds)
Aug 2006 - Feb 2007: nursing the baby helped with weight loss (~160 pounds)
Feb 2007: surgery caused reduction of exercise (~168 pounds)
Feb 2007 - Apr 2007: weaning Anna made weight loss more difficult (~168 pounds)
Sep 2007: pregnant again! (~168 pounds)
Sep 2007 - Dec 2007: pregnancy nausea relieved by eating regular snacks (~180 pounds)
Jan 2008 - Apr 2008: pregnancy hunger! (~220 pounds)
Apr 2008: birth of baby Jamie by Cesarian section (~225 pounds max weight)

My goal is to set up and follow a weight loss program that will allow me to lose 75 pounds and weigh 150 POUNDS by Friday, December 19, 2008!