First Weigh-In

Well, today was my first weigh-in, and I lost 8 POUNDS!!! I'm so excited! That's a pound a day since January 1st! I was waaaay under my calories for yesterday (like 1,303 under), but I wasn't hungry at all. I also found my FitBit so I could start counting my daily steps, but it's on the fritz, so I'm saving up to buy a fancy new one.
On a less positive note, Keegan gained 3 pounds, but I told him that since he hasn't been eating on a regular schedule, it'll take some time for his body to adjust. He used to not eat breakfast, eat lunch at 4:00, eat dinner around 8, and then eat a snack (bowl of cereal) before bed. I told him that wasn't healthy, and he needed to be on a more regular eating schedule. Now, he eats breakfast, a small, healthy snack, lunch at 2:00, dinner at 7:00, and then a small snack before bed. (I know eating late is bad, but he gets SO MANY calories in a day he can't eat them all!)

Starting Weight: 354.4
Current Weight: 346.4

Goal Weight: 195

Pounds Lost: 8

Pounds to Goal: 151.4

Being a Teacher is SWEET

As I said in my previous post, I'm a fourth grade teacher. One of the joys of being an elementary school teacher is celebrating birthdays with my students. However, that's not so great when you're trying to eat healthy and lose weight. I'm constantly offered delicious sweets (cupcakes, cookies, brownies, etc.) to celebrate special occasions. I LOVE sweets, so it's super hard to say no...especially when a student stares at you until you take a bite.

Today was one of those days. I had two students with January birthdays who brought treats in today, plus a bag of trail mix (full of M&Ms from another students for New Year's. I told them that they looked delicious, but I would have to eat them later because I was super busy at the moment. (Little did they know that I threw them in the trash when no one was around.) Before, I would happily scarf them down. But now, I'm more conscious of what I put in my mouth because then I have to track it in Lose It!, but today, instead, I ate my strawberries and low calorie string cheese.

I was proud of myself for saying no, even though I felt a little bad about throwing them away. I just have to take it one day at a time!

Starting Over

Ok. So, my old blog is no longer on my blogger list since I haven't used it in close to a year now, so I'm starting all over. Oh, well. I guess it's fitting since I'm starting my weight loss journey all over again, too.

A little bit about me:

My name is Lauren, and I'm 25-years-old. I teach 4th grade in a small Missouri town and absolutely love it (click to view my teaching blog). I've struggled with my weight since I can remember. I'm 6 ft. tall and weigh (as of today) 354.4 pounds. I hate the way I look in the mirror, pictures, etc. I feel uncomfortable in my own skin and can't fathom how my boyfriend finds me attractive when I can't even look at myself. You'd never know I was self-conscious if you met me or watched me teach. I'm very outgoing and talkative. I love my job and look forward to each day, but I always feel like I could be doing something better. I'm always looking for new, exciting things to do in my classroom, and I constantly strive to become a better teacher. Now, I need to focus on becoming a happier, healthier me all around.

I've done Weight Watchers time and time again since I was in high school. It honestly works! But, I lose about 50 pounds and then I slowly revert back to my old eating/poor exercise habits and gain all my weight back (and then some). I lose my motivation and then can't get back on-track because it just seems like too much of a hassle. Each time I restart Weight Watchers, I always say I'm going to permanently make the lifestyle change necessary for losing the weight and then keeping it off, but eventually, I lose that motivation.

I'm an all-or-nothing kind of person, so when I get on the health kick, I put my whole heart into it. I work out regularly, eat healthy, buy all the fitness stuff I can, download all the health apps, etc. Similarly, when I revert back to my bad habits, I completely and whole-heartedly give up and indulge in junk food, laziness, not caring what I eat or how much, etc. I just need to figure out how not to lose steam as I go. I know I should start slow, but I'm just not like that. I have to go into it full-force or I'll lose interest/motivation.

So, I just signed up for Lose It! with my boyfriend, Keegan. He said he'd go on this journey with me, since he needs to lose weight, too. Keegan even suggested we walk for at least 30 minutes every night when he gets home around 7:00. We've been talking a lot about marriage lately, so I'm using that as my motivation. I want to look good in my engagement/wedding photos!

So, here it goes: I'm going to keep this blog updated as often as possible as a motivator. I promise myself not to lie about my food consumption, cheat on my daily calorie intake, get discouraged if I gain or plateau some weeks, and I promise myself to stick with it this time. I'm ready to feel healthier, have more energy, fit into some of my clothes that don't fit anymore, have better self-confidence, and set an example for my fourth grade students.

Starting Weight: 354.4
Current Weight: 354.4

Goal Weight: 195

Pounds Lost: 0

Pounds to Goal: 159.4

354.4 pounds, Size 22 Pants, 3X Tops, 2X T-Shirts