Day 1. (well, its actually been 1 month but day 1 blogging!)

Im starting my weight loss blog today.  I started working out and excersizing on Jan 1 and am down 16lbs in a month.  I have 106lbs to lose and my goal is to lose it by January 27th, 2012 (my 30th  birthday.)  In the last month I have worked out almost 5 days per week.  I started out on the eliptical at 15minutes and couldnt do anymore and would have to finish with 15 minutes on the exercise bike.  That was last year in January.  I quit after that because I felt discouraged. This year, I've increased my eliptical time to 45 minutes monday thru friday.  I usually burn about 500calories.  I work out at Club 24 Monday thru Friday.  It is my goal to get to Monday thru Saturday, but so far Saturday workouts have been pretty inconsistant.  Thats something I'd like to change.  Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I do cardio and strength training.  Every other Monday I workout with my Personal Trainer at a church workout group.  I never thought that working out would become so important and so meaningful to me! After just a month, I have begun to crave that time.  The way my body feels when I finish is unbelievable. 
Now to my Diet.  I am following the Biggest loser diet, with a few exceptions.  A general breakdown of the diet is 4 fruits and 4 vegetables everyday, 3 lean proteins, 2 whole grains, and 1 "other."  I also drink a gallon of water almost everyday.  Before I began this adventure, I indulged on sweets, fried foods, POP (used to be my favorite) and other foods that are only intended to be treats.  Well, the way my husband and I used to eat, we were treating ourselves every day! Every meal! It was sickening.   Now we have done a 180 with our diets.  We dont overeat. We count our calories. We watch sodium.  Sometimes when I am feeling guilty about having a little more, or having a treat (usually low calorie), I stop myself.  This is not about a diet, and its not cheating to have a treat.  Its living a healthy lifestyle.  The fact of the matter is, we are eating way better than we were just a month ago AND if you dont ever allow yourselves treats, you'll binge, and then fall off the healthy living bandwagon.  This journey is not about guilt and doing everything perfectly.  Its about hardwork, dedication, learning to eat healthy and improving our overall quality of life. 
If you havent done so yet, I encourage you to start living a healthier active lifestyle.  You only get one time around, and you want to make the most of every day God has given you.  If you dont know God, give me a chance to introduce you to Him.  Without Him in your life, nothing else matters. Enjoy reading the blogs, please leave feedback, and good luck on your weight loss, healthy living journey.