Thin Me Down Thursday

Today is the beginning of Thin Me Down Thursday.  This is where I will be sharing with you my weight loss/fitness journey (or struggle).  I'm a pretty open person- I don't mind sharing the details of family and farm life; however the idea of sharing my weight loss journey with all of you kinda freaks me OUT!  Mainly because I feel to be effective in sharing my story and passion for farming I have to be real, open and honest and those ideals carry over into all blogging topics- including this one.  And frankly I don't want to be honest about this- I want to daydream that I am 50 lbs lighter, tan with perfectly toned arms and legs not to mention a killer bootay to match but that's not me....

this is me...I am an obsese semi-active mom who spends 40 hours a week at a desk, helps on the family farm daily, cooks supper at 8 p.m. and caters my cooking to include traditional southern dishes like country fried steak, homemade mashed potatoes, pan gravy, biscuits, and fried squash (dang I'm hungry).  (**Please note that this does not mean I will no longer prepare these sinfully delicious dishes just with less frequency). 

But it isn't just supper expanding my waistline...lunch is a contributing factor as well.  Many days I grab a bite with co-workers or hit the drive through without even glancing at the calorie count (I have a deep love for Zaxby's buffalo chicken finger plates to the point the girls at the window know my order by heart). 

In addition I do very little in the way of exercise...maybe if you add up all of my farm work, cleaning, and chasing lil man you might get a few hours each week but obviously not enough to keep the scale from creeping its way up. 

How did I come to this realization??  Well it's simple last week I did a television interview and saw this picture afterwards


...needless to say I was in complete and utter disbelief...devastated that I had grown so large (in fact I now weigh more than I did when I had Wyatt).  So that's why I'm beginning this journey- I am tired (literally and figuratively) of my size...I want to be able to chase my lil man without getting winded, run a mile and not see my life flashing before my eyes, be proud of the body I have and enjoy shopping for clothes again.  But I also want to be healthier and set a good example for Wyatt.  Not to mention I think losing a few pounds might help with conciving baby #2.   Wyatt sees William work hard day in and day out eating what he wishes (William requires like 3,500 calories a day to maintain his weight with his activity level...which did I mention any extra weigh he gains during the winter sheds the moment May arrives) but he doesn't see me doing the same.  I want Wyatt to learn that it takes hardwork to get what you want in life no matter what it is...he sees us work hard for everything else but not our health and I want that to change.  Plus I NEVER EVER want another photo like that unless I am getting ready to deliver quads or something!!  So there you have it-my reasoning, my motivation...now for my POA (Plan of Action...I know FFA peeps its really Progarm of Activities but just go with it!)

1.  Excerise more...like 6 days a week for 20 minutes a day.  (I am starting off with Jillian Michael's 30 day shred program) and walking 30 minutes 3-4 times a week.

2. Change my eating habits; now I'm not going to force my family all onto some crazy diet but I am going to practice portion control and prehaps not deep fry the majority of our meals.  I might even cut out some starches-the main differences will come with my breakfast and lunch choices (yes that means limiting my consumption of Bojanle's ham biscuits and Zaxby's). 

3. Talk about it!  I'm pretty good at talking so this should be easy but I struggle with it...Talk with my family and my friend (including all of you) but mainly pray about it.  This isn't something I would typically discuss with God but with his guidance and support from the peeps in my life I can do this!

So what are my goals on this journey:
1. Excercise 6 days a week for the next 8 weeks
2. Make better food choices at each meal
3. lose 25 lbs by July 4th (that's 18 weeks or 1.4 lbs/week)
4. lose 50 lbs by Dec. 31st 2012.

There they are written down for all to see...so now I have to get to the part I have been dreading...I don't really want to share where I am starting from...but I can't be accountable without it...so here goes (please don't judge me)

Height...5' 2"
Weight... 209lbs
Waist.... 47 inches
Hips..... 49 inches
Bust....
pants size 16

This is my before picture...muffin top and all...well jumbo muffin top



Each week I will check in on Thursday and let you know how things are going...like did I meet my exercise goals that week or eat fried chicken daily or maybe just maybe lose 10 lbs overnight (happy thought) and measurements, weight and occasionally a new picture .  And I really don't want to do this alone so just in case you would like to join I will be developing a linky for next week's post  so you can take the steps to reaching your fitness goals.  If you don't blog don't worry just post your updates in the comments section each week.

So until next time-

Caci