Weight Loss Wednesdays: A Look at my Weightloss Goals

I have never, ever, ever been skinny, plain and simple. Well, not by the rest of the world's standards. I think the smallest I've ever been was a size 10/12 in junior high and high school. Even then though, I was still bigger and taller than the rest of my friends. Forget swapping clothes. Even if the waist would fit, my legs were longer and my boobs were too big to fit their clothing. But, I was healthy and that's what mattered. I was involved in sports which meant I was at practice 5 days a week. I probably wasn't eating the healthiest (if I was eating at all), but who does when they're a teenager?



I haven't grown vertically much since then. I was and still am about 5'11". If I remember correctly, I weighed about 140-160lbs. I would absolutely LOVE to be that size again. I may not have grown vertically, but I have grown wider, which I absolutely HATE! Near the end of high school, I started working at a fast food restaurant and stopped playing sports. I moved during high school and the new school already had their players picked (despite the fact that I actually tried out and was better than some of the girls that were on the team) so I decided to cut out sports and got a job instead. There aren't many places besides fast food restaurants that will hire high school students, so that's where I went. I worked full-time after school, so I often had dinner there. BIG mistake. After about 6 months, I started noticing that my clothes weren't fitting well anymore. I LOVED the money, so I wasn't going to quit. But the food was so good and I was so hungry. After high school, I continued working there and tried bringing my own, healthier food. But even that wasn't enough to take the weight off. I was working even more and had even less time to exercise.



Anyway, long story short. I'm now 24 years old, still 5'11", but I weigh around 315 pounds. I've gotten married, enjoy cooking, enjoy eating out even more, and I'm not a mommy. It's hard to work out when you have a little person depending on you every moment of the day! I'm sure you other parents out there know that.



Moving onto my weight loss goals:



Find Exercise Videos and Other Workout Methods That Can be Used at Home



I don't think I'm quite ready to take the plunge into getting a gym membership. As awesome as it would be, I'm just to self-conscious to go to a gym right now.

• Our Netflix subscription has a "Watch Instantly" feature so we can watch things on our computer (or other compatible machines) and I found out not too long ago that there are exercise videos to watch! How awesome is that? So, I'm definitely going to be taking advantage of this feature!


• I'm also going to be looking into other free exercise video offerings online. Surely YouTube or other networks have videos available for streaming.

Research Local Gym Offerings

Pretty explanatory. Even though I'm too self-conscious to step foot in a gym at the moment, I'd like to know what's available.

Put an Exercise Plan into Place

This will probably be an at-home exercise plan at first. I'd like to get comfortable with working out before I put myself on display in front of all the in-shape people! It's finally getting warmer outside, so I can utilize the out doors too.

Buy a Scale

Again, self-explanatory. We don't have a scale in our house right now. I've been avoiding them for years. When I was going to the doctor regularly for my prenatal appointments, I even avoided looking at the scale. I DREADED getting on that thing even though I only gained a grand total of 7lbs during my entire pregnancy. I left the hospital smaller than I was when I got pregnant. And that was without doing any exercise or anything of that sort.

I've finally decided that I want a scale so I can actually track my progress with a real number, not just the fact that my clothes are fitting better. I want to know exactly how I'm progressing.

I'd like to do some research on the kinds of scales offered. I know there are a lot of fancy scales with cool features. I'll probably go with something simple, but I'd still like to know what's available.

Keep a Food Journal for One Month and Use it to Adjust My Eating Habits

Over and over, I've heard how keeping a food journal is the best way to take responsibility for what you ingest. I had to do this during a college nutrition class for 3 days, so it wasn't quite as eye opening as a full month, but I know what I need to do.

• I'm going to create an easy form to print off to keep track of my progress. I could do this with just a simple notebook, but I prefer the "form" method. I'll even share it with you when it's completed!

I know, from past experience, that the key to weight loss for me is exercise and controlling what I eat. I need to make time for myself so that I can be a healthy mom and wife.

Do you have any advice or tips for someone starting their weight loss journey? Do you have an inspiring story to share? I'd love to hear what you have to say and might even feature you in a future post!