Has it really been over a year??

Wow! Has it really been over a year since I blogged? I guess I have been quite remiss in my blogging...due to a variety of things, of course. Three kiddos who are growing up way too quick, two jobs, about to be one with one that has changed in the last year, and well....the fact that I was well on my way out of lardbutt-dom and have found my way back...not really what I would like to be writing. But, it's time to call it like I see it and to get honest and to be back on track...hopefully, this time to stay!

I had lost about 50 pounds in the fall, getting me down nearly below 200 pounds for the first time since I have been a mom, about 7 years ago or so. Sad, yes, that getting down to 200 is so freaking exciting, but like I said...time to get honest and call it like it is. I was doing the whole Medifast thing in the fall, and took weight off quickly and was feeling pretty good about things. I was running, and did 2 half marathons, was able to run about 7 or 8 miles without walking (albeit slowly), did an MS150 in San Antonio in October, that was WAY better than the one in May, when I was carrying a ton more weight, and though I had started to gain weight back already, in April did the Houston to Austin MS150 ride and was able to finish the whole thing. Now, here we are, midway through June, and I have put back on nearly all that I had lost. Was back in the land of 250, SO not where I wanted to be....

It is amazing how different your outlook can be when you are off track, as opposed to what it is otherwise. I have struggled this past Spring and it has been tough. I started my new med teching job at a small, wonderful hospital in February, and that was really when the weight gain began in earnest. It's not the job's fault, but it did get my schedule out of what enough that regular exercise was more difficult to schedule and as a result my eating went out the window. Now, I am still riding my bike, but its more of a struggle than it was, and I can run, but my endurance (and what tiny bit of speed I had picked up) is pretty much totally shot. I am signed up for an MS150 AND a half marathon in October, and hope to do another half in November, so goals are set...it's time to GET BACK TO BUSINESS!!!

I have been wanting to of course, and had a little weight watchers stint, have tried unsuccessfully to medifast again, and that sort of thing, but what really has been motivationally helpful for me lately, was to read a crazy, funny, true book on my kindle that I got for free. It's called Half Assed by a gal of the name Jeannette Fulda, and its her story of having lost a ton of weight. Great, inspiring, and funny read! I found her blog (current one as well as her old one) as well as some other weight loss blogs, and I don't know..there is just something about the kinship you feel with someone who is struggling with your same struggle. It's like you can know that you aren't the only one out there who feels like a lardbutt and has tried umpteen thousand times to lose the weight, only to fail...but you can still keep trying and you CAN do it! I know Philippians 4:13 tells me that I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me, but I think that sometimes I forget how true that is. ALL things...even losing weight! ALL things...My God is a big and mighty God...He is able.

So, back to this concept of "This is your life, are you who you wanna be"....well, actually no, I'm not. But Lord willing, I am moving in the right direction! I want to be a momma who lives to see her great grandchildren. I want to be a momma who is able to be there in every way for my kiddos for YEARS to come. I want to be a momma who can run around and race them and have fun with them. I want to be a momma my kids can be proud of. Now, I know that's not all about how much I weigh...my worth is in my Jesus, and that is THE most important thing...but I also know that He gave me this body to be a home for Himself...and I am really a bad housekeeper! Time to get outta the ghetto and get on with it!!

So, where am I and what am I doing?? Well....weighed in yesterday, in my 5'4-1/2" body at 246.1. I am trying to model my eating most closely after the South Beach Diet method of eating...a healthy, sustainable plan that seems do-able. I am on day 2 of phase 1, which is the part that is supposed to rid you of your sugar cravings...so far, so good! Today I weighed in at 243, and have behaved myself. I got some great new cookbooks that are quick and easy, superquick types with simple, fast recipes that don't use a lot of weird stuff, and that helps a lot. Of course, I just got a text that one of my boys just gagged and threw up his food after supper, because he isn't liking mommy's new food experiments very much! Last night I made a peppered chicken with a lemon sauce dish that came from a Quickie South Beach cookbook...and tonight was a turkey cutlet stir fry, with jicama and tomatoes and a salad. Oh, and can't forget the buttermilk lemon sherbet! Yum! Anyhow...I am trying to be a little more adventureous with my eating in hopes of making this fun. I am all about the fun, of course!

Well....I suppose thats it for now. I hope to get more regular with my blogging again! I really don't even care if nobody ever sees it, it helps me to process this journey, as well as have a record of it. So, here's to losing about 100 pounds of me, however long it takes to do it! Wahooooo!!!!!!!