jennymae

Well these past two weeks I have been MIA because I was in Quito, Ecuador.  I used to be a volunteer for a full year in Quito about four years ago so it was great going back and visiting all my students and the kids from the foundation that I volunteered at.  I also got to spend a bunch of time with my close girlfriends that also made the trip down to Quito.  I was a bit nervous about weighing in again when I got back… but no worries I didn’t gain a thing.  It was nice just having two weeks of just not worring about food or exercise.  Maybe I am learning new things cuz I only eat when I was hungry and was able to practice portion control without really trying tooo hard.

Now my next goals are to get my life back in order, aka laundry and unpacking and getting work stuff under control.  Today I would also like to go to the Grocery Store to stock up on some healthy foods and food in general.  It is sunny out so I also want to go for a nice walk this afternooon to enjoy the spring weather.  I will be back later with some specific goals… I think I only have two months until my dad and step mom come to visit me here in Spain so the goals could be related to that.  Hope you all had a good Easter and I am excited to be back and blogging again.

Well day 8 was a sucess!  I eat really well and drank a bunch of water.  I also got in my exercise. I finally started a strength training program and I think I am going to like it.  It is very basic but what I need to resculpt my body.  Okay I am feeling good and need to stay on this high.  Have to get going but hope to be on later to write some more.  I hope you all have a great Tuesday!  My goals….

Eat fruits and veggies

Drink lots of water

Walk, walk, walk

Find a good Ab workout and do it!

No sweets or chocolates!

Well the first few days were really good… and then came the weekend.  Some of my friends from Barcelona came to visit and things just went downhill… then we went to a Secret Santa party with Gonzalo’s friends and that was just a lot of drinking.  So why is it that I can do soooo well monday thru thursday and then the weekends I am sabatoge all my efforts.  Well I am getting quite fed up with this…

Well I found a good strength training video from Fitness Magazine.  It is nice cuz it has six basic exercises but then they show you how you can make them harder and more advacned as you become stronger.  I really need this workout cuz I feel that my body is loosing its shape.  So I am going to start this workout tonight… It is a three times a week type of workout.  They say in two months you will be ready for the beach.  We will see about that.  Well here is to day 8…

My goals

1) Take my vitamin

2) Drink 4 termos of water

3) STart the strength training video

4) EAt veggies and fruits

5) Go to bed early to at least sleep 7-8hrs

I hope everyone has a great MONDAY!

Well day 2 went quite well.  I mean I ate some food that I shouldn’t have but I ate it all in moderation so I am counting it as a good day.  I got in my fruits and my veggies and some lean proteins.  I did eat some cheetos with my sandwhich but that is life and I am not going to complelty eliminate unhealthy food from my diet because for me that is not lifestyle change.

Well this morning I woke up and did my neck exercises… I have a bad neck due to a car accident five years ago.  Still gives me greif so I am trying really hard to keep up with my exercises.  I had my coffee and about to eat some breakfast and I am off for a run.  I love running and I have a great friend that I go with usually twice a week.  I have been kind of bad latley about going running so I am really excited today to go and sweat a bit.  It is cold here… well cold for spain… like 32.  I have my food more or less planned out for today so I am thinking it will be another good day.    Okay go go and get ready for my run… my friend is waiting.  Have a great WEDNESDAY EVERYONE!

Well, this is not really day 2 because I have been on this journey for a long time.  At least I haven’t quit right?  Well day 1 went pretty well.  I mean I only eat when I was hungry, I drank a lot of water and I got some veggies and fruits in.  I know I can do better and that is what I plan to do today.

It is just so crazy how much better I feel today.  Just in one day I can not that my body is not sooo bogged down.  Whenever I eat the right amount and healthy foods my bodys feels fueled and refreshed and ready to tackle my days.  I need to remember this feeling and just hold it in my head when I want to have burger king or pizza.  I am hoping that blogging will help me just write down what I am feeling.  Like most of us on here I am also an emotional eater so when something goes wrong in my life or I am stressed I turn to food. I am hoping that this blogging thing will help me overcome that.  I have gotten a lot better since I started this journey a year ago but I still need to work on it.

The other thought that came to my mind is that soon it will be spring time and summer.  I want to look and feel awesome in shorts, skirts and tank tops.  I don’t want my clothes to be tight what so ever.  It is time for me to realize that hiding in my warm winter clothes is not going to last much longer.  Okay off to start my day of teaching.  Here is to the second day.

So for the past month  I have been in a bit of a rut.  I just have been like whatever and getting whatever I wanted.  Well I haven’t really gained much weight only like 2-3lbs but I most get back to where I was.  I just really want to loose the rest of the weight.  I am going to Ecuador in 2.5 weeks and would love to go there and just feel really good about myself.  So this week I must exercise a lot and feel my body with nutrious and healthy food.  My goals for today…

Drink a lot of water

Eat veggies and fruits

Walk at least 45minutes

I must find some type of weight training workout that I can do at home.  Has any one got any ideas?  All I have got are dumbells and a yoga mat.  Okay time to get my body healthy again.

Okay so I have been struggling with night time eating for ummm my whole life.  Just a snack here and there, but these snacks are unnecesary because I am not even hungry.  So I am declaring war against this unneeded late night snack a thons I have been having.  Here in Spain we eat dinner late… like between 9-10… so I am making it a goal not to eat anything after 10:30.  I have been saying that  for weeks and I have not been able to achieve the goal…  But now I have a plan.  I will set my alarm to go off at 10:30 and at that moment I must brush my teeth, floss my teeth, and rinse with mouthwash.  I am hoping after my teeth are soooo clean I will not want to eat.  Also as a reward, each day I do not eat after 10:30 I will give myself a 2 euro coupon towards a pair of boots that I really want.  Okay I can do this!

Well my last blog was about six months ago and I am still at the same weight… actually one pound heavier.  So you would think I would be frustated, upset with myself and etc.  But really I am not.  I haven’t been happier in my life with my weight.  I know I still have some more to loss but I know I will get it done.  So instead of just looking at my weight I am trying to look at other things I have accomplished.  Like On Friday I ran for 40 minutes in a row!  Last year I could only run like 12 minutes… so that is a huge accomplishment.  Okay when I say run I mean a slow jog…. No sprinting or fast pace.  Maybe that will come with time.

Yeseterday  I went shopping for pants… a nice pair of dress pants.  I was nervous cuz for the last three years I haven’t been able to buy pants here in Spain cuz they didn’t have my size… that is in normal stores.  If I wanted to I could buy pants but in a special store for 100 or more euros.  And in the US I wore at my heaviest weight a size 16.  I said no way to that!  Well yesterday I found a pair of pants… and they weren’t the biggest size in the store.. a size 42.. which is like a US 12.  However, when I buy jeans in the USA I get a size 10 to 8… Here the sizes are smaller.  All women are twigs here… which at first was hard for me.  Now I realize that many of those women don’t eat and therefore cant workout.  Their diet consists of expresso with milk, cigarettes, and then almost noghting to eat.  So I may be bigger… actually I prefer curvy, but I am healthy.  I love being a curvy woman… We are meant to be a curvy and not stick thin.  We were given bearth bearing hips… no more models that weigh 90lbs are gonna tell me what is sexy!  We need to embrace our bodies!

Now that I am loving my body and embracing the new me I think I am ready to start the next phase of weight loss… okay I only have eight more lbs.  One quick question for everyone… what are your goal weights and how tall are you?  I am not sure if my goal weight is too high or low?

Well it has been seven months since I have joined BS and decieded to turn my life around.  I was letting myself go and really not paying attention to the fact that I was gaining weight and becoming more and more unhealthy.  One day I woke up when I saw a picture of me… I was like no, that is not me.  I am that big?  So I weighed myself and I was like I really need to do something.    I joined Buddyslim for the support and motivation and that is what I found here.  I am not a big Blog girl… I stick more to the forums.  Everyday I come on here and it gives me that extra push that I need.  It has been a slow journey but I am proud of what I have accomplished.  THis is not a diet for me or some fad… this is me changing my life.  I am gonna be healthy… I practice portion control and nothing is off limits as long as I can keep the portions small.  I exercise daily, and chug water like it is my best friend.  Over these seven months I have lost 20lbs so that is about .7lbs a week.  So to all of you that think one lb or .5lbs is nothing… it adds up in the long run.  My BMI has gone from 28.2 to now 25.7.  I have gone down from size 12/14 pants to size 8/10… depending on the brand and if they are stretch jeans.  But I think the most important thing is that I feel good.  I feel like I have more energy and that the journey was well worth it.  I feel sexy and comfortable in my own skin and I feel stronger, faster, and fitter. 

Now I still have a journey ahead of me, yeah seven more pounds and I am sure these pounds are gonna give me a big fight but like they say here in spain… poco a poco… little by little.  That is my motto for my journey and whenever I gained, maintained or TOM came when I least wanted him to arrive, I said to myself poco a poco.  I just can’t throw in the towel over a gain… no way!  So here is to Buddyslim and all of us on here… you guys are great!  Thanks for being here for me and giving me the support I needed and the motivation to continue! 

Well everyone, 2009 is almost here and I can’t believe that 2008 is almost over.  I have been enjoying my time here in Wisconsin for the holiday season, even though it was hard at certain points cuz it was the first year I have been home for christmas since my parents divorce.  I kind of got stuck for three days in an emotional eating binge… and then got upset that I gained three pounds.  THen I decided that I can not be negative and feel bad for myself and my situation.  I most be strong and be more positive.  So, I started to do things how I wanted to do them and realized that eating was not the solution to my family problems.  So I bought some workout cds and took things into control.  I feel so much better now and I think I lost that weight I had gained.  I feel good and I am a lot happier.  I also went to a Zumba class yesterday and loved it!!!  It was so much fun and I love Latin Dancing… so I really want to find something like that in SPain.  I hope I can.  So for 2009 I have some new goals.  Of course one is to loose weight but I think the most important goal for me is to embrace each day to the fullest.  I want to live each day positvely and embrace everything that I have and everyone around me.  I feel really good about myself right now and I just want to continue working on me and radiating this positvity to everyone around me.  Tonight we got a hotel room downtown in my home town so that we can hang out all day in the hot tub and go swimming… I am excited cuz it is an easy way for me to get in some exercise and I am sure I will be dancing all night long.  Love that booty shaking.  Well, HAPPY NEW to all and I hope everyone has a great night!