Well, I ended up only doing 3 full days of the egg fast as I was ready to scream with so many eggs! haha! I missed my salads and other foods. Just need some variety. I did learn some epic recipes though and am very happy. It’s been 2.5 weeks now and I’m down only 4 more lbs in total, but at least I’m still going down.

For me, this is not a sprint, but a lifelong marathon. I want to do this for the rest of my life, albeit with a few additional changes once I reach my goal weight. That means I want to learn how to do this properly and forever, so I have to like it. 🙂 And honestly I am doing great in my opinion and I am enjoying it pretty well. Yes, some days are still rough, but other days, not so much.

I love eating eggs now, and usually have 4-5 scrambled or fried eggs every couple days or so for a meal. I love them! They taste amazing fried in butter/ghee! Seriously, I don’t know why I ever thought that was gross! haha! I also LOVE my salads! My main go-to salad is about 850 calories and consists of romaine lettuce, pepperoni slices, shredded cheese, black olives, couple boiled eggs, and ranch dressing! Delicious! And I love my bulletproof coffee. Yeah, it takes some getting used to and the flavor is a little different, but it sure does help keep me regular with all that MCT oil! haha! I am doing just 1 tbsp. MCT oil and 2 tbsps. butter but will increase my MCT to 2 tbsps. next week or so. Yay!

I feel like I am really getting a handle on this and learning so much. Yes, overall it is a very slow process, but if I can just keep myself from cheating at all, I know I can start to average 2-3 lb losses each week for the next few months. I would love to drop 32 lbs in the next 15 weeks for my sister’s wedding. Talk about EPIC! haha! That is my next big goal. I will stay strong and do this for sure!

Honestly I cannot wait to drop more weight mostly cause I just want to be able to wear some old clothes of mine that are smaller. I want to also be able to take some pictures of myself without wanting to cry or burn them. haha! I am learning that I do in fact have some willpower and I am exercising that willpower and getting stronger each day.

It is 05/20/2019 and I am almost done with my first day on the egg fast. I am trying this out for the 5 days (so Mon-Fri) and seeing what I can learn from this to help me out in the future. But, I should back up a bit, as I haven’t written on here for a while.

I started this journey with this blog on 12/16/18 at 217.2 lbs and then fell off the wagon for a few months, restarting on 03/23/19 at 210.6 lbs. So down 6.6 lbs in just over 3 months…not so good but at least not an overall gain haha! From there I have been doing much better. I did the Nutrisystem for just over a month…now I have about 3 weeks worth in my freezer! I found something else 😉

Just over a month ago I discovered Intermittent Fasting (IF) and started playing around with that. It helped me to get my cravings in order and to keep me from snacking so much late at night. I started with a 6 hour window (18:6) and then progressed into a 20:4 and most days I do a bulletproof coffee around noon and then have a single meal (OMAD) around 4ish with all my needed calories. This has been going great! But I wanted to push further and do better. And I found keto!

Keto is awesome! My entire life I have been taught via research and doctors and fitness instructors, etc. that I needed to eat 6 small meals each day and do a low fat, med carb, high protein diet. Well, keto is so not that! haha! Over the last couple weeks I have come to learn about keto, drinking in the research like nectar! However, in those couple weeks I have cheated a couple times here and there and therefore have not hit ketosis…until yesterday! I finally am in ketosis after being perfect for 3 days straight! haha! It’s exhilarating!

I have two ppl in my life who are doing a similar ish routine and so it really helps when I need support. And of course my husband is very supportive, no matter what I choose. I am very thankful and blessed to have him. 🙂

Ok, so for the egg fast. I wanted to go this to give myself a little boost and to try some new stuff. I did all the research and prepared myself mentally and emotionally (as well as having all the supplies I need) so that I could do this. It is just for 5 days and yes, you do just mostly eat eggs each day haha! You are supposed to have 1 tbsp. fat per egg and can have up to 1 oz cheese per egg as well but no more than 4 oz a day is recommended.

Day 1: 05/20/2019 – I started this morning at 195.4 lbs and in ketosis of 1.6 or greater (peed on a stick & was dark purple so yay). I had my bulletproof coffee (with 1 tbsp. brain octane oil and 1.5 tbsps. kerrygold unsalted butter) around 11:30am. I then had my lunch around 2pm with 4.5 eggs scrambled in 2 tbsps. ghee with 3 oz shredded cheese on top. Then for dinner around 6pm I had pancakes (3 eggs, 3 oz cream cheese, cinnamon + 2 tbsp. butter with sugar free caramel syrup for syrup)! Man were they yummy! I was so happy with the food today.

I made me some egg salad for tomorrow and will attempt to make some cloud bread…wish me luck! haha! Can’t wait to see my weigh in tomorrow…and for the whole week. I hear some ppl lose 3-15 lbs in the 5 days so my fingers are crossed. Worst case scenario, if this doesn’t work so well for me, I have learned some new recipes and I go back to eating steak and salad and my delicious Rueben wraps 😉

So it’s been almost 4 months since I have written here. I have been struggling as this weight loss hasn’t been going as planned. Had several setbacks and issues and lost my way…again. The feeling of being inadequate is quite prominent these days and I’m not a fan. I refuse to allow that to take over my life.

I was looking through my app called “My Fitness Pal” and saw that on December 9th, 2017 I was 164.8 lbs. My next login wasn’t until July 2, 2018 and I was 214.8 lbs. That is a gain of 50 lbs in just 7 months! How did that happen?!? I know I was working extra hard those months getting my business (RC’s Playhouse) up and running and I was traveling a lot and so busy and stressed out, but still! I look back and think, “Why? Why didn’t I just be careful and keep it off? Why did I mess up so much? What is wrong with me that I gained that much weight in that short amount of time?”

As I’m sitting here writing this, I’m crying. I understand that this ‘journey’ really isn’t a journey so much as it is literally my entire life. I will never be able to relax, or let down my guard, or just do whatever I want. My life will have to center around eating right and working out…just as it does with spending time with my daughter and husband and working. It has to be incorporated into my daily life and be something that I accept and deal with constantly.

I started Nutrisystem again yesterday. I decided it would be much easier to use this program as all the food tastes amazing and it’s really easy to prepare (microwave, oven, thaw or just eat out of the bag). I get 4 of their meals a day plus a couple of my own or additives. I’m doing 1200 calories a day as my count and I will be using My Fitness Pal to log everything I eat. I will not allow cheating for a long while, and then only very rarely (like a sushi meal with my mom the beginning of May).

As for working out, starting this Monday I will be doing the gym 5 times a week…Mon-Fri…from 9-10 ish. I drop my daughter off at her preschool just before 9am and the gym is right down the street. So, easy peasy lemon squeezy. I will not push myself on anything crazy at the gym. I despise the treadmill but can handle the elliptical. I also enjoy this 30 minute strength training circuit they have at Planet Fitness. I will prolly do that M/W/F, followed by 30 min cardio. Then on T/Th I may just do cardio…at least to start. And on the weekends I will be doing some walking on local trails with my daughter for maybe an hour once or twice a week. I’ll take the stroller and try out one of the 5 trails I have located online and see how they go.

I just read this post on a forum saying that people have basically this reserve of willpower. So, you have 100% in total and you use it daily for tasks. Things that you enjoy take way less (or even no) willpower but things you really don’t like take a lot more willpower. For me, I am not a fan of the gym in general, so I know that will take a large amount of my willpower. I also know that NOT eating bad foods (or just more food) is hard and will take some work. Luckily for me, I really love my teaching job so that doesn’t take up too much willpower…although it does take up a lot of time. I also love doing the accounting for my company…although taxes are a little rougher but still overall rewarding haha!

Anywoo, my reason for saying this is that I will make sure to balance the amount of changes I am making with the amount of willpower I have remaining. I have a lot of willpower to WANT to make these changes and to lose this weight and look good. Now I just need to ensure I stick with it. I truly want this to be the last time I go through this large loss. I want to just have to maintain my weight, not lose a bunch again.

Oh, one final thing! I found this group of people, called TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). This is a non-profit all over the US (and Canada I think) who meet in local areas once a week for weigh in, support, a short meeting, and accountability. There are prizes (small, cute, fun stuff, nothing major), and no-no food of the week, and you can even volunteer to be a speaker at a session for a week if you have something fun to share. Well, I went to my first meeting this week and I love it! The ladies there are so nice (and there was one guy, who loved being the only one haha)! Everyone was so sweet and welcoming and some had been members for over 20 years! Once you reach goal weight you go into a program called KOPS (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly). It was so nice to have people in person and face-to-face accountability. I think I have met something I will be a part of for the rest of my life. O_O 0_0

Sorry this was so long but I needed to get these things off my chest. I have done perfectly yesterday and today and know that it is a day by day achievement that I strive for. So, for 2 days now I have been perfect. I cannot wait to make that 30…50…100! I have a wedding on September 21st to attend (my sister…I’m the maid of honor) and then my husband will be back from overseas around the first week of November (he leaves in a week). I have a lot I want to lose by then and a long way to go, but I know I can do it!

To help me achieve my goals I have decided to start doing 5Ks, 10Ks, and fun runs! There is this Rugged Maniac obstacle course on November 9th in Austin, TX and if all works out for me, I plan on attending! I am hoping to get a bunch of my family to also come and play. The hope is that my mom will watch my daughter while I’m busy. But, this course is a 3 mile crazy course with 20+ obstacles and very muddy and fun and crazy…so I need to really get in shape if I want to actually finish in one piece! haha! But there are other things similar that are so much fun and I have wanted to be able to do things like this my whole life. So, if I am fighting for this as a goal, then staying healthy and being good with food/exercise should be easier…right?

Ok so it’s been a little over a week since I last wrote. But I have just had my first vacation in over 3 years (alone) and I soaked it all up! I feel refreshed and ready to hit the ground running again! My daughter and husband have been gone for the last week and will be home tomorrow night. I miss them very much and definitely know that 11 days is too long for me to be away from my little angel. But I did really need to recuperate and get some rest and just have some alone time. Very grateful for this time.

So, I am 210.2! Very happy with that. Had a few days where I had a little too many calories but all in all, I did really good this week. In the last 2 weeks since I started, I went from 215.8 to 210.2 (technically I was almost 220 just a few days before…but I didn’t put that down yet haha). I am very pleased with myself for sticking to it and making it through each day.

Some days have truly been a challenge, but so long as I can stay occupied and not think about food, I do better. I also haven’t gone shopping for food in over a week and that has helped. I try really hard to only buy good healthy food when shopping so that I have no treats or distractions at home. Cause if it’s around I tend to eat it! Haha! That’s another reason I stayed home the last week. Holiday’s tend to involve SO MUCH food, and me staying home meant I avoided all that food, so yay me!! 😉

I hope to be 209.8 or less tomorrow for New Year’s! That will make me so very happy! Then I hope to be under 200 by the first of February! That will be so exciting and I can’t wait to get out of the 200’s! They suck! haha! 

Thank you all so much for being here with me and I wish you a very Happy New Year! Woohoo! 2019 and 134 lbs here I come! =^D

Well, somehow I ended up waking up at 210.6 this morning! That’s crazy! And so awesome! I feel wonderful! I feel like it’s finally starting to work!

Today I slept in really late: until nearly 10:30am! Granted I stayed up until almost 3:30am! Haha 😂 It’s so nice to do whatever you want when you are home all alone! I just relaxed and enjoyed myself!

I did not go to the gym today but I ate really good and healthy! Played with my dogs, sat for a couple hours in my massage chair, watched some lifetime Christmas movies, enjoyed my down time and alone time! It was wonderfully refreshing!

Well I was pretty perfect yesterday and today with gym and eating but I woke up heavier this morning at 215.2! Yesterday I was 214.8. I don’t get why I went up last two days! It doesn’t make sense and I’m kind of bummed. But I’m staying strong. I won’t cheat! I am doing this!

Michael took Kira to his parents place in south FL this morning and will be there until the morning of the 26th and then he drives up to Illinois until the 1st. My first real vacation in over 3 years! No kid, no spouse, just me and the three dogs! 😂 today was just a down day to relax. Tomorrow I will be getting into a good routine.

I plan on hitting the gym in the morning, then shower, then work. I have a lot of catching up to do for my new job that starts in 2 weeks so this is what I will be doing. I will focus on eating good, working out, working/studying and relaxing! I plan on sleeping in every single morning!!! Until at least 8-9am! 😆

My goal is to be under 209 by the morning of the 1st of January. More than anything I had wanted to be under 200 by that date but that is not happened so I’ll take what I can get!! Any weight lost is a triumph and I will celebrate!

I went to bed last night around 8:30pm!! I feel amazing now! I got about 10 hours all together and I love it and feel so refreshed! If I didn’t have so much on my plate these days I would totally get more sleep because man that felt good! Haha 😂

And I woke up this morning and weighed in at 214! That’s 1.2 down so me so happy for sure! Love stepping on the scale to see any loss! Makes my heart smile! 😉

As for my gym time: Took Kira to school this morning but when I got there two fire trucks were turning into the compound. Turns out there was a gas leak. They were letting the kids still stay but 30 min later I got a text saying to come pick her up! So no gym today 😦 but maybe I needed a down day. 😜

Ate really good today so hoping for another small loss tomorrow at least. And Michael gets tomorrow off from work so I get to hit the gym in the morning! Yay! Actually excited about it! Starting to really and truly enjoy the gym time and think of it as my down time and me time! 😁

Yay! I made it thru day 3! haha! It’s a big deal and I am feeling awesome! The pain from working out is almost gone and I feel great! I was able to do a full hour today! 30 min treadmill, 30 min circuit training and 10 min elliptical! I went in today telling myself that I LOVE the gym and that this place is my release and my freedom! I feel so proud so far of my accomplishments. I mean, it is kind of silly to celebrate just 3 days of being on track, but I have to start somewhere and so here I am! 😉

Also, I weighed in at 215.2 this morning! That is pretty amazing! Very happy with that! Means tomorrow I know I’ll be way less! The more progress I see, the more will-power I obtain!

My only obstacle is the fact that I am supposed to go with my husband to IL to see his family for New Years…from the 26th of December through the 1st of January. They cook so much food, such yummy, amazing, delicious and terribly fattening food. So, if I must go, then I will say no to ALL sugar, all breads, all pastas…all cream sauces??? I will stay strong and just be good. The other thing is working out. IL in December will have a lot of snow…so no working out outside. And I don’t have a membership to a gym in that state…so that means I will have to do something from YouTube on my phone. I have to get over the part of me that would be embarrassed and just suck it up! Because I do not want to fall out of habit just for the holidays. I think I may just do stuff like squats, lunges, pushups and sit-ups each morning and night. It’s not cardio but it is some strength training. Any ideas or thoughts for me?!?

Today was easier than yesterday, thank goodness! I did wake up at 216 lbs today but I know it’ll be less tomorrow and I’m not going to let it get me down. Some days I will be higher than on other days, it’s just how the body works. I just have to focus on the end goal, the final result.

I was abe to hit the gym again today. Got in maybe only 5 min of abs, but I did 20 min on treadmill and 15 min on the high knee elliptical (really worked the buns and thighs, ouch!). Burned about 300 or so calories so that made me happy!

As for food, well I didn’t eat much as I was swamped! Got up around 8am and had to leave at 8:45 to take Kira to school. Then gym, home, shower, breakfast, work, pick Kira up from school, take Kira to playground for an hour, then Walmart for healthy shopping and home by 5:30pm! I had only eaten 330 calories of oatmeal, 100 calories of fiber bar, and 70 calories of coffee before picking Kira up. Had small bites of a couple things here and maybe totaling 100 calories so that puts me around 600. I will probably eat some more tonight but I’m surprisingly not hungry right now.

I just wanted to say thank you to my friends and family for the support. It really means so much to me to have you all here with me! Makes me feel strong and brave and like I can take on the world! I am doing this!!

Welcome to the first day of forever….oh joy…haha 😉 Well, today I am already down 1.4 lbs from yesterday and weighed in at 215.8! That made me smile! Then I did my measurements…made me smile way less 😦 But everyone has to start somewhere, right? Here are my stats:

So as you can see, I am FAT! It is so bad! But, I have a goal, I have a place to start and I am doing this! I have to! I don’t have a choice anymore. I cannot just sit back and think that someday it will just be better and someday I will just be skinny. The only way to get skinny is to do the work, put in the time and energy and get it done! And by George, I am going to do that and do it NOW! No more talking about weight loss, just action!

So, today I took my daughter to school and then hit the gym! I did 22 minutes on the treadmill, even did about 5 of those minutes jogging (granted it was 3 separate jogs as I could barely breathe, but something). Slow start, but it’s a start. Then I did circuit training for another 20+ minutes. Is it a bad sign when I can barely walk from being sore and it has only been a few hours?!?! 0_O uh-oh! I’m in for it tomorrow, huh?

I worked out what I want to do for my exercises: M/W/F will be 20-30 min treadmill and 20-30 min circuit training. Tu/Th will be 20-40 min abs and 20-30 min treadmill. Saturday and Sunday will be my slow relaxing gym days where I can just watch a movie for about an hour on my phone while on the elliptical. Figured I would give myself a little break hehe 😉

For food: I am to keep my calories around 1200 and do low-carbs and no sugar. I will make like eggs, bacon on low carb/calorie tortilla or overnight oats for breakfast. Protein and a little carbs to get me going. Then have like a tuna lettuce wrap or meat and veggies or a soup or a low calorie frozen meal for lunch and dinner. Snacks will be apples, bananas, yogurt, cottage cheese, cucumbers, okra, etc. 

Let’s talk BMI for a minute. I am 216 lbs and 5’5″ so my BMI is 35.9. This is the obese category. In order to drop down to just the overweight category I need to weigh in at 179, which puts me at a BMI of 29.8. Much better but still a ways to go. When I hit 149 then I will no longer be considered overweight and will be in my normal range! Yay! I need to hold on to anything that can help me make it even one more day, as each day will get easier so long as I do not mess up. Looks like you may be hearing from me more often than I originally thought. 😉 Excited?!?