video game girl

I've always been anti-video-game, but this Christmas Andrew's parents got us a Wii and Wii-Fit and we haven't been able to turn it off.  It started with bowling, then darts, then we just couldn't stop.  We decided to break out the Wii Fit after we'd tried all the sports and it's been non-stop ski-jumping and balance games.

I woke up yesterday morning and my entire core ached like it hadn't in a long time. AWESOME.  The culprit:  hula hooping!!  We hula hooped it up for hours, trying to beat each other's high score for number of spins.

This thing rocks.  I'm still going to run on a regular basis, but this is going to be a great supplemental ab workout, I can tell.

my initial weigh-in

I'm cringing as I write this.  Admitting the hard facts is... well... hard.  My hope is that it will help me come to terms with my body and more dedicated to fitness and being a size I like.  I haven't truly felt fat in a long time, but I've definitely been in better shape and there's no excuse I can't maintain it.

So my "before" picture is just how they do it in the magazines: unflattering picture in lumpy, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, bad hair, no make-up.  This will make for a more satisfying transformation later, don't you think?  That being said, it's still cringe-tastic to look at.

Yesterday I started tracking my nutrition and exercise on The Daily Plate, which is also where I got the estimates for my % body fat and BMI.  It's one of the most fantastic fitness sites I've come across.  To be honest, I feel less guilty about the two slices of pizza I had at dinner last night after factoring them in and seeing I still came in under my daily projected calorie allowance (1,637) after my workouts.  It's also kept me from eating the cheesecake that appeared in our breakroom today.  Go me.

My first goal to meet is going to be to lose 15 lbs and get to a size 8.  When that's achieved, I will reset the goal.  This time, I will not give up and get lazy once I'm at my goal.  I need to continue to challenge myself.

Have you been to The Daily Plate?  What do you think of it?

12/21/09

Ladies, I'm kicking this off before the new year because I just can't wait.  I'm really excited we're in this together.  I was inspired by an article I read in Shape about a woman who tracked her progress on a regular basis, posting photos and stats of what she'd accomplished (current weight, % body fat, total weight lost so far).  What a great idea!  Having the visuals as well as the data is a great motivator for me, and knowing I'm going to have to come clean on a regular basis about what I'm doing or not doing to reach my goal will hopefully help me stay on track.  Once a month I'll post a progress photo with my stats, and in the interim I'm going to post my journey (hopefully day-to-day) so you can follow me along the way.  I've never really felt like a Fatty-Fatso, but I need a little extra motivation to be the Hotterton I know I can be.  This is the first step to making it happen.

I'm currently sitting at my desk surrounded by the annual holiday treats that have been sent to our office by various consultants we've worked with this past year.  Ann just plunked a giant box of French chocolate truffles at my desk.  While talking myself out of tearing the box wide open, I've figured out that each truffle is 50 cal, 4 g of fat.  So it would take 8 truffles to undo my 30 min on the elliptical machine today.  If you're following my justification math, that's 4 minute per truffle; not so bad, right?  My muffin top just spoke up and told me it's not worth it.  Thanks, muffin top; I knew you were good for something.

If you're interested in becoming a member/author, let me know and I'll set you up.  Anything you're doing to help yourself along in your goal is fair game to share here; it could be a healthy recipe, a rundown of your workouts, what you've decided to change in your diet, or even just a log of your meals - totally up to you.  You can also post your challenges and slip-ups as well, just to get it off your chest (and you know I will!).  Next post will have my fitness goals, my "before" pic, and all my info.

Thanks for your support!
Monica