Week One: Done

Though I started this blog at the end of last week, today is really the official weigh-in for the end of week one. As of today, I am down by 2.5 pounds! That's right, one pound over my weekly goal.

So how did I get here?

The most important change that I have made is watching my calorie intake. I can do this easily with the help of thedailyplate.com. (If for some strange reason, you desire to follow my journey on there, my screen name is MrsMcW0408.)

What else led to this point:

- Working in the hot summer sun while clearing the ugly bushes in my front yard for about three hours Saturday morning.
- Drinking LOTS of water. I typically have one Diet Dr. Pepper (a habit I am working on kicking) first thing in the morning and follow that with water for the rest of the day... lots of water. Usually I have two 16.9 oz bottles at work and one large (size unknown) bottle at home.
- Choosing salad - I actually really enjoy salads! I have recently discovered that I love the salads at Potbelly Sandwich Works. The Farmhouse Salad consists of lettuce, bacon, blue cheese, red onion, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, cucumber, and chicken. Paired with non-fat vinaigrette, it's only 484 calories - and is about two meals for me!
-Eating approximately every three hours. I try to keep my major meals around 400 calories and snacks around 100 calories
- Vegetables - I actually love vegetables! I am making a conscious effort to eat more veggies and cut back on starchy items like french fries as a side item.
- Weight tracking: I do weigh myself every day - more as a means to find out if what I did for the previous day was effective. Did I eat good calories? Does eating later have an effect? I do it at the same time every day: in the morning just before getting in the shower. However, I only "officially" weigh myself on Monday mornings. And every Monday, I write my current weight in bright red pen, and then flip forward one week and write my expected weight for the next week in pencil.

Coming up... The plan is to use my Wii Fit more often for an easy morning work out to get my metabolism and energy up and running for the day. I am also hoping to get the husband on a walking plan - to go for a nice walk with me a few nights a week.

Introducing... 50 lb heavier me

My name is Gina and I am overweight. There I said it.

I am 5'4" tall and weigh about 50 pounds more than I should... or so my Wii Fit tells me. I am fortunate to only be considered "Overweight" and not "Obese" by Nintendo standards.

What an introduction! So, why am I opening up so quickly to you? Because that's why this blog exists. I am on a journey to lose 50 pounds by April 8, 2011. This blog will serve as a place for me to open up about this journey, so why not come out with the admissions early.

Why April 8, 2011?

I was fortunate to marry the most wonderful man in the world on April 8, 2010 in a wonderful ceremony in Las Vegas. So, by the one year anniversary of our marriage, I want to have lost 50 pounds.

Being from Cincinnati, Ohio, I feel that getting married in Vegas has set us down a path of traveling as a tradition. We didn't take a honeymoon since we were already vacationing. We did however promise to take a one-year anniversary honeymoon-esque vacation. So, you know I have to look good in a swim-suit.

But that's not all...

My husband and I have a very packed social life. Before we really start a family, we want to be as social as possible. We made a list of all the things that we want to accomplish in our home town before our first year of marriage, and we agreed that once we have done all of that we can begin working toward having children.

So if in one year, we find that we are expecting, I want to be in the best health for my future children. I want to start from a healthy weight so that I am not trying to lose weight on top of losing baby-weight.

So why blog about it?

I am starting this blog as a place to share my weight-loss journey.
I am starting this blog as a place to keep me on track.
I am starting this blog as an outlet to be honest - with myself and others - about my weight.
I am stating this blog to act as a chronicle of all the good and bad things that occur along the way...
a place to find life lessons...
a place to teach others...
a community of support.

It's going to be a journey, but I hope to enjoy the ride.