Doin' It My WEIGH: Health & Fitness Journal #1

I've seen a few other Steemians using this platform as a journal of sorts. So, I have decided I will do the same! This will be more for myself, to have a place to jot down my thoughts and get accountability. You are more than welcome to join in, offer advice, and share your own experiences!

My Back Story

I am not only doing this to be healthier, but also to lose weight. I have been overweight, to some extent, since I was 13 years old. Back then, when my parents let me start riding the bus home by myself, rather than to my grandparent's house with all of my cousins, I really packed the weight on. I was home alone for 3-ish hours every afternoon and could eat what I wanted = what a lovely life!

Or so I thought....

I graduated high school weighing 180 pounds. I didn't really see anything wrong with my weight back then. It wasn't until a couple years later, when I passed the 200 pound mark that I really started disliking what I saw in the mirror. I noticed my clothes didn't fit as well anymore, and I wasn't happy with myself.

Since then I have given birth twice, and some of the weight from those pregnancies decided to hang out. Since 2014, I have also been dealing with some anxiety and depression, which I think was undiagnosed and untreated postpartum depression coupled with marriage issues. I definitely "eat my feelings" so that caused some weight gain as well.

And right now I can't find a SINGLE pic of me as a teen!

Eating Healthier

On January 6, 2018, I decided I had had enough. I joined Weight Watchers and committed to making 2018 a healthier year for me. I am making better choices in the kitchen, reducing my carb and sugar intake and consuming more protein.

I have scoured the Internet for healthier recipes - some completely new to my family and others that are just healthier versions of meals we already eat. I've cut back on red meat and up'ed the amount of chicken I eat each week (since chicken is zero points on the new Weight Watchers program!)

In case you are wondering.... EmilyBites.com and SkinnyTaste.com are excellent websites for healthy meals and they have WW points figured into every recipe.

As far as my diet, I do have a few things I still need to work on...

• Further reducing my carbs - Chex Mix, chips, and similar snacks are my weakness!
• Not eating so late at night - We have dinner around 6pm, and then I don't go to bed until midnight-ish. I get hungry before bed! I am working on just having a light snack at 9pm, then nothing else until morning.

Getting Fit

My mom and I, taking gym selfies after a workout

To get healthier, I am also adding in exercise. I work from home, so it's easy to sit down at my computer and just focus on work. In the past, I didn't make time to get up and be active for more than 5 minutes here, maybe 10 minutes there.

Recently, my mom, sister, and I have begun working out at a local gym three days per week as well. They are on a healthier living journey as well, so we are all supporting one another. Our workout routines look like this...

• Sunday - 30 minutes of CARDIO (treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical) + PUSH machines (working upper body and arms)
• Tuesday - 30 minutes of CARDIO + LEG machines (working lower body)
• Thursday - 30 minutes of CARDIO + PULL Machines (working upper body and arms)

Things I am working on as far as fitness goes...

• Increasing my reps each gym visit - To help get stronger, I keep loose tabs on how well I do on each machine every time I workout. I want to gradually increase the reps and weight with each workout!
• More cardio - I want to bump cardio to five times a week, by either going to the join an extra 2 days or walking in a local park.

Plans for the Doin' It My WEIGH Journal

Now that I have laid out the foundation of my healthy living plan, I want to use this journal to share my thoughts, successes, struggles, etc etc. I will share photos sometimes too, since my mom and I are planning to take gym selfies every Thursday :)

I plan to update this every Friday, since that is my weigh in day. I just wanted to go ahead and publish an intro now to put out there what I am doing. My updates will be in this similar format, talking about eating, exercise, and my progress.

I hope you will follow along or maybe start your own healthy journey!

My Progress So Far

Pounds Lost: 7.4 lbs
Inches from Waist: 1 inch
Inches from Thigh: 2.25 inches

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