I've never done a journal like this before, so for anyone who reads this bear with me as I feel the water.
I'm a 31 year old mother of 2. I'm happily married and have been for 13 years. I am a stay at home mom who also homeschools.
I like to scrapbook, do other crafts, watch movies, and I love NASCAR. My favorite driver is, "Candyman", Elliott Sadler, #38(the M&M car)....hence the name 'mmmama'.
I've been overweight all my life. I've tried all kinds of diets. I've even starved myself and taken laxatives. Oh sure it all worked. But not once was I happy. I was only grumpy, tired, and hungry. I will diet NO MORE. My goal now is to eat healthier. For me, this is a challenge, because I really love chocolate, and sweets. That's really my weakness. I tend to mindlessly eat also. I know I gotta work on that. I guess that's kind of why I'm here.
Now, the exercising......I know I need to. 5 years ago I successfully lost 50 lb.s thanks to exercising. My problem is sticking with it. I do really well for awhile, then, I guess, I start making excuses of better more important things I "need" to be doing. I've tried using the treadmill or bike for an hour. That really doesn't work for me. Like I said, I homeschool and have a house to take care of, so I can't devote an hour to myself. I've also tried 30 minutes on the treadmill or bike. That works for me. I can do 30 minutes. It's just a matter or getting my rear in gear. I also have a puppy dog that the kids and I faithfully take for 15-20 min. walks every day. Caspar(my puppy), HAS to be walked. So that is something to get me moving. Unfortunatly, for my body, it's enough to keep my weight stable....just stable. I am pretty busy throughout the day, but I suppose my body is used to it. I need an extra something to do if I want to lose this last 40 lbs. So, hopefully, coming here will give me the support and motivation I need....so far it has.

Hi mmmama,

Nice to meet you.

I am also a homeschool mom, well, at the end of my homeschool years actually.

You have done just fantastic to get those first 50 pounds off and keep them off, good for you!!!!!!!!!!! Always remember to give yourself credit for that. I haven't reached that milestone yet. Although I have had plenty of time.

Anyways, I did well with my exercise this past spring but have been bad this last month or so. I had a goal to exercise at least 20 minutes everyday, but usually did about 30, I think it really helped me to get some weight off so need to get back at it.

Good for you for doing this the healthy way, it will give you some great habits to last a lifetime.

Welcome again to DT. I love to see more scrapbookers online ;)

Hi Nancy and elsie! You know about the 50 lbs. already lost, I was looking at pictures of before I got married to now. Let me tell ya the ones before I got married really depressed me, LOL. No, not really, but they made me wonder who that young, thin girl was and really it gave me a little motivation. I was 170 then. So seeing those made me also remember that I was once a thinner person. I was a person, a woman(ok, girl, 17 yrs. old). Not some "Mom-blob" Then came the pix of me at 230 and above. Talk about "Mom-blob". Sheesh is that ever a nice description of it. Sweat pants and baggy shirts, hair never done, and only on special occasions did I wear makeup. Then came the now pix. Me at 210. I wear clothes that fit. I do my hair. I wear makeup. And I don't have a fake smile in any of the pictures. Looking at those pictures, I do feel great about my success so far. So why can't I ever remember that. All I can think of is what I need to lose still. I still see that 230 lb. person, even wearing the different clothes and makeup. Maybe it's that deep down I know how well I've done, but "on the surface" I don't...does that make any sense at all? I think tomorrow when I go back to my mom's I'm going to make copies of the pictures at each weight I was. I think that would probably help some. Anyway.......
Today, was a pretty good one. I actually got up this morning and the scale said 208. I know that isn't permanant, but it was good to see. My diet was good too. I kept busy all day, so I didn't eat except for when I was really hungry. And exercise: no treadmill, but we did take Caspar for a walk around the block. It was pretty hot, so I didn't want to go too far. And like I said, I was busy today. It's Friday, Yard-Sale Day. The kids and I usually walk around the neighborhood or drive to another one and park, then walk, and go to all the yard sales around. We found some good deals on alot of things. I didn't spend but $5. I love yard sales. Well, I've rambled on enough for one evening. I should get going to unwind before bed.

I have the big pictures and everytime I see them I am always inawe. I love scrapbooking, but I dont want to put them in, though I decided I just nee to do a page about my weight loss. The funny hting is I see some pictures taken almost 3 years ago where I was a t least 20 pound heavier than I am now, and I remember how hot I felt at that time. So I wonder why I feel less attractive now than then... amazing the mind games effect us.

elsie, you just had a terrific idea.....scrapbooking a page dedicated to weight loss. I mean why not, we scrapbook pix of all other events in our life. Why not the one of the biggest we could ever go through. And here I was just going to get copies of the pix and keep them tucked away to look at when I needed a little push. Thank-you!

LOL, good ideas. I was thinking put them on your fridge or bathroom mirror, then they are a daily reminder.

I know my mom has some pictures when she was younger and she was heavy, then she was thin, and I still ask her "are you sure you werent pregnant?" So I want people to know why and how I changed --especially so quickly--. Jolees makes some really cute excercise embellishments --I think they are called "at the gym"-- that I bought, so I plan on it. But maybe after I find my bikini body.

Hi ladies! Well, I don't want everyone to lose thier appetite by putting them on the fridge....Just kidding. Seriously, I am going to make the page, or pages, put them in one of those plastic sheets and put them on the side of the fridge, where I can still see them frequently, but they won't be noticed by anyone else that comes into my kitchen. I got some more pix from my mom's the other night. So I have alot to work with. Now, I just have to find time.

I have a habit of weighing myself every morning. The last 3 mornings in a row I've been at 207. I'm not sure how this happened. I wish I could be sure. But lately, I've been keeping really busy. Even if it's cleaning the bathroom for the 2nd time in a day. I guess I'll try and keep that up. This morning I got on the treadmill for 25 minutes....would have been 30, but clumsy me almost fell off. I'm really glad I was the only one around. Not one of my prouder moments, lol. And the kids and I also took the puppy dog for a 20 min. walk. My diet is pretty good today. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. And no snacks. When we got groceries the other day I passed up all the snacks that we usually get. For me that's a big step. You don't know how bad I'd love a piece of chocolate right now.

Diet and exercise aside, I'm having a pretty good day. The kids and I are done with school. And the housework is mostly done. All I really have left to do is go through my daughters toys for our own yard sale and organize my scrapbooking bag/case/whatever you wanna call it. Well, I'm off for now or it'll never get done.

Mmmama, you are doing just great, good work.

You know, that other day I was thinking about how women many, many years ago kept slim and besides food intake, realized that it was probably just because they worked harder around the home. I would imagine those scrub boards and wringer washers really gave the arms a great workout, beside burning tons of calories.

So like you said, mmmama, that housework and gardening can keep us very busy and burn tons of calories and build muscle. It is only really in this generation that we tell people they have to 'workout', LOL. Just a thought.

I am a klutz too, today at the gym I opened the fridgerator and smacked myself in the head. I am always glad people arent watching me.

As for being suprised about no weight change. Remember there is 3500 calories in a pound, its not always so easy to lose that many even if you are walking for 30 min and burning 400 calories or whatever. So stay positive, it will add up.

Hi there! I believe that todays obesity problem stems from convenience of everything. To do laundry, just pop the clothes in the washer, as opposed to the scrub board. To clean floors, just run a mop or swiffer or vacuum, as opposed to sweeping with a broom. And nowadays people drive everywhere, not walk or ride thier bikes. And the food. Used to be it would take all day to prepare a meal, with cutting chopping, etc.. Now it can take 5 minutes to zap something in the microwave. So, I do believe that being on your feet all day, even if it is cleaning the house or piddling in the yard can really help. I mean it's activity. Activity burns calories.
And speaking of, I'm still at 207. Yesterday I was at 206. But we had Long Johns for dinner( I had 2 pieces of chicken and about 6 fries). Fast food always puts on a pound or 2 the next day. Overall, I'm feeling pretty good about my progress. We went grocery shopping lastnight and my husband kept asking if I wanted this or that to snack on. I just kept saying, "No" and walked on by. It was really hard to pass up the iced fudge brownies, but I did it. Today, my diet is pretty good also. I had a bolw of cereal for breakfast and a snadwich for lunch with a couple slices of cheese instead of chips.
Exercise is ok. Yesterday I was on the treadmill for a full 30 min. And we took Caspar for his walk. Today instead of the treadmill I wanted to try a yoga show(it's on demand, so I can watch it whenever I want). Well, first I tried a belly dancing workout. Oh that was a blast, NOT. I am so uncoordinated. I looked like I was having a seizure or something, lol. So that got shut off. Then the yoga I made it through. It felt pretty good to stretch. But some of those poses really hurt. I can really see how it can tone your muscles. After that and i got the kids up we took the puppy dog for a 20 min. walk.
The rest of my day is fun, ha, ha. I get to fold laundry that I've neglected, and finish going through my daughters toys and clothes. I still haven't organized my scrapbooking bag. But it's on my to do list for this week. My mom's coming over next week, so I HAVE to do it before then. The other day at a yard sale I found a box of about 10, at least, baskets for $1! The woman was about to close and wanted to get rid of them. So what I'm doing is painting and decorating them and going to resell them. I've also been working with that. I got one painted so far and hope to start another one today or tomorrow.
That's it today for my oh so exciting life of laundry and toys......

Elsie, lol, I know that feeling, it is like falling on the ice and looking to see if anyone saw you. LOL

Mmmama, lol, I think I would be like that with belly dancing too, but good for you for trying. Keep up the good work.

Try pilates, they dont leave you out of breath, but it works! I like it when I can not not sweat, but still be sore. I agree with you about conveniences. Thats why when I live in china I always lose weight, even though everything is fried and oily. Because there is no drying, adn often the washers are semi-automatic(not not rifles) and there is no elevator, and tall buildings. I always lose 10 or so pounds in a couple months there.

Hi! I have actually thought about doing pilates, but always thought it would be too difficult. I guess though if I can try the belly dancing, I can try that.

Well the last couple days have been ok. I've been really good about my diet and exercise. Although today instead of getting on the treadmill I deep cleaned my house. And of course took Caspar for his walks. I've been counting calories. Right now I'm just eating better, but mostly normal, trying to see about how many calories I do consume. I go about 300 over usually. So, now I need to work on getting calorie intake down. I'm pleased with my weight. I've been around 207-208 the last couple days. I was at 206 and I KNOW that at least 2 lbs. of that is PMS gain. I always gain 2-5 lbs. a few days before my tom. It'll go back down in a few days.
I don't know if it's just me or if it's normal, but I seem to be obsessed with weight loss. It's pretty much all I think about. Like what I'm going to eat next, what I can't or shouldn't eat, how I can slip in extra activity. I had a guy say to me and his wife once that if you want to lose weight just eat less and exercise. Obviously he had never had to go through this. It's just not so simple. It's time consuming and mentally exhausting. Not only am I ready to be thinner and healthier, I'm ready to live my life without thinking about weight loss. I can't wait for that day to come.

that obsession will help you rach your goal. I think everyone should think like that i order to be sucessful. In order to do anything you need a plan, and it takes some consideration, this is no difference. It just means you will do it :)

:welcome: Mmmama! Sounds like you are off to a GREAT start. Good for you!
I to get obsessed with weight loss. I think talking and reading about it helps me alot. I will set and read all kinds of story of weight loss and how to eat right, it just keeps me in the right frame of mind. Staying busy really dose help alot.
I wish you all the best on your journey! Just know that you can do this!

Have a GREAT week!

Hi! Nice to meet you millie!
Well, talk about keeping busy. Whew! These last couple of weeks I have been constantly on the move. And this week has been eventful here. There were some bad storms early in the week. Our power was out for 2 days because of them. They say now that a tornado hit my city and a couple small towns around. There is ALOT of tree damage and ALOT of trees and limbs down everywhere. We were very, very lucky. The worst thing here was twigs and small limbs in our yard, and of course the power being out for 2 days. You really don't realize how much electricity you use until you don't have any. I will never take electricity for granted again. Luckily the weather cooled off right after the storms. So the heat wasn't too bad like it had been. Now, all is almost back to normal around here.
"Diettalk": My diet has been so-so. It really is hard to eat right when you're on the go. But I try my best. I'm down officially to 208. The scale bounces between 208 and 205. So I'm saying 208 for sure right now, since it doesn't go above that. I've lost 2 lbs. so far and I think that's great. It's a start. My exercise is a problem. Well, sort of. Like I said, I've been on the go. I do walk my dog everyday. And I've been swimming in my pool everyday for about 30-45 min. It's 15 ft. across and 3 1/2 ft. deep, and I keep moving. I don't lounge in it. So, I guess that's considered exercise. I just haven't been on the treadmill. My husband and i this weekend are going to set up our exercise room. We have a weight station, weight bench, bike, and treadmill to go in there. It's just not set up because we just moved to this house. so we need to do some work on the walls in that room. It looks like some water damage from an opened window or something. We're going to paint the room, then set up the equipment. I'm excited to get it all set up. My husband wants to get in shape too. He weighs about as much as me and has never weighed this much. So he's not feeling too great about it. Although if you ask me, he's still as sexy as the day we met, if not more. Well, I'm off for now to finish the housework.