Guess who's back!!!

It's time to start up the weight loss blog again.  I have pretty much taken a 6 month sabbatical from blogging, sorry friends.  But it was all for a good reason.  I was busy busy dating, then being engaged, and getting married to the love of my life.  Vagner and I got engaged in April and then life just got really busy between planning our wedding, work, and continuing to lose weight that I didn't take time to blog.  We got married on August 17th, best day EVER!  Now a little over a month later, things have slowed down a little bit now, except life is completely different, for the good.  :) 

I am down to my 50# mark, 239#.  Sadly I was actually down more than that come wedding day.  I was down to 232#.  But I am back on track and ready to get down to the 100# mark!  Oh yeah!  Vagner has helped me a lot lately.  We have been focusing on eating healthy at home, when we eat out, exercising together, and just encouraging each other.  Which has helped so much.  I've been sick off and on since we got married, so the exercising hasn't been as consistent as it needs to be.  I've also noticed that I have been allowing myself to have a little too much sugar lately.  It's like I will tell myself that I've done so good and let myself have a little bit here and there, but that adds up.  So I've made a list of goals to accomplish for October 2012.  Here they are:

No sugar.  That's right my friends.  In the month where most people over consume sugar, I am going to go on a sugar fast.  It doesn't mean I can't enjoy going to parties, work potlucks, etc.  All it means is that I am going to make better choices when I am there. 

Weight training at least 3 or more times per week.  I have been slacking off on my weight training lately and just focused more on cardio.  I have seen in the past that weight training can really help my results, so it's time to get focused on that again.  Luckily I have a great weight trainer in my own home. 

Run more.  I HATE running, but last year when I was running daily I had better results too.  So the goal is that by October 31st, I will be able to run 1 mile nonstop.  I know a lot of you think that is not a big deal, but for me it is.  Again, I HATE running!  I would rather zumba all day long than have to run but if I want the results, I know that means stretching my abilities. 

Track my calories on a daily basis.  This has also been key to my success in the past.  I am going to use my Calorie Counter app until I get my new phone and then will probably upgrade to My Fitness Pal (I promise I will do that Angie!).  Tracking kcals can definitely help me make better choices and keep a healthy balance over the long run. 

That's all my friends.  Some minor adjustments and hopefully I will start seeing more results again.  I will check in again at the end of the month and let you know how it went.  Hope you all are doing good with your weight loss efforts.  What have you found to be helpful with weight loss? 

I'm Sorry My Blog Reading Friends!

Man!  I am sorry for the lack of posting since November.  Man, that's lame that I have been slacking.  BUT, I haven't been slacking too much with the weight loss work.  As of this morning, I have 1/2 pound to lose to be down a total of 50 pounds.  Crazy!  But the work will not be over once I hit that mark, I will have about another 40-50 pounds to lose.  Oy Vey!  I know I can do it.  I just have to remember that it's going to take time. 
Things that have been helping with losing weight:
*Angie!  She is the biggest help in this whole endeavor.  Even though we can get off track from time to time, working together and encouraging each other has helped a lot. 
*Vagner - he has helped motivate me A LOT over the past couple of months, especially seeing how well he is doing with his own weight loss.
*Mom - can't lecture her about what she needs to do if I'm not doing it myself, right?  She is doing great, even with recovering from knee surgery.  Keep going Mom!
*Not eating out as often.  I have been trying to either eat at home or take my lunch with me to work.  When I do eat out, I try to look for healthier options.  Sushi is the best for this!  Not the fried sushi, the other good stuff (okay, yes fried sushi is good too but not that good for you!). 
*Trying to get at least 60 minutes of exercise a day.  I LOVE that I can work out for a half hour after my lunch break @ work.  That helps a lot.  Lately I have been enjoying doing Jillian Michael's DVDs again, such as 30 Day Shred and Burn Fat Boost Metabolism.  She kicks my trash and I LOVE it!
*Tracking calories!  Tracking what you eat totally helps.  I have noticed that my weight loss is best when I am actively tracking calories.  Helps me plan my meals throughout the day and also gives me encouragement to increase my activity level when my calories are a little higher than my goal range.