It was a holiday...

So I did good at the Memorial Day cookout (turkey burger and grilled veggie/chicken skewer), but it was the Pizza Hut that rocked my world.

Friday night my friends wanted to go out for pizza, their suggestion... Cici's. That was actually fine by me, because there's Greek next door and I knew I could get a grilled chicken pita and be perfectly happy watching them indulge on not-so-great pizza. Then, this plan goes downhill...

We get to Cici's and it's crazy packed, so they suggest Pizza Hut because it's close. Here, I have no plan and immediately pull up Weight Watchers on my phone praying there's a healthy option. They order Meat Lovers and Pepperoni Lovers (both of which would blow my day and weekly points out the water). My very amazing solution: side salad and Veggie Lovers pizza on Hand Tossed crust. I had 2 slices, shared a couple of pieces then took the rest home for breakfast/lunch.

Overall I felt good about splurging and enjoying time with my friends, but I should probably incorporate more exercise on those days.

Week 3 Results

This week, we both managed to stay the same. Not sure why, but we've put some things in place for big results next week. 

Some things that will add to our huge losses next week...

• Met with Jeannie about healthy meal planning
• Joined Weight Watchers and started tracking EVERYthing
• Continuing BodyPump twice a week
• Adding more cardio (Zumba Zumba!)
• Drinking so much water that we float awayyyyyyyy

Huge Milestone

Okay... here's a HUGE milestone for me, get ready...

I packed my entire arsenal of food today :)

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."
This pretty much sums it up in one big nutshell.

Another Starch

Jeannie just called and after some calculations... we get an additional starch!!

That's 9 Starch all together. Now to figure out how to spend it??

And I was wrong about the whole substitution thing. You don't get to "exchange" starches for meats. So I guess I will be eating some veggie pasta or stir-fry with beans tonight since my meats are gone. I'll work it out.

Overwhelmed...

We met with Jeannie (the Registered Dietitian) and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. She put us on a Diabetic Exchange diet where we have a certain number of starches, meat, milk, veggies, fruits, and fats.

8 Starch (1/2 cup = 1 serving)

8 Meat (1 oz = 1 serving)

2 Milk (1 cup = 1 serving)

3 Fruit

4 Veggies

5 Fat

(Ends up being about an 1800 calorie diet)

It's called an exchange for a reason... so I don't lose my mind. For instance, tonight I will be exchanging a few starches for meat. Since I ate all 8oz of my meat in grilled chicken at lunch, I'll eat about 6oz of salmon for dinner instead of having 6 starches.

Everything is new and it will take some getting used to, but I like that there's flexibility in this plan. Now I just need to get used to planning my meals and watching those portions!

I never thought it would be easy...

When signing up for this, I never thought it was going to be an easy ride although we have access to some exceptional care here at Moses Cone. It's not up to the doctors and nutritionists to keep me going forward with this process, I have to be committed to myself. Life has been extremely busy the past 2 weeks and my priorities have had to change just a tad. Work has been REALLY busy and I haven't been able to get in exercise during lunch. I know I can do it afterwork, but if anybody knows me... I have alot going on there too. I haven't been able to put forth the effort needed to be successful in this journey. I am still pretty proud of myself that last week I managed to loose a pound (I must have been doing something right) and then so far this week, I've lost 1.3 pounds. I am hoping my final number for the week will be 2 pounds. That doesn't sound to far fetched to me. I'll be right on target for loosing 10 pounds the first month for this journey. Now, I just have to keep it up so I can hit 45 by October!

Chris and I took our engagement pictures this past Wednesday. I hav to say... THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL! I am so blessed to have a wonderful photographer to share these special moments with. Richie and Jamie Staggs of Jagg Photography (http://www.jaggphotography.net/) certainly are amazing artists. I am very happy I got our e-session done at the beginning of this journey because it will serve as motivation for me to continue to be successful over the next 4.5 months. I will look at them over and over again and think, I'll never let myself look like that again. When I hit my long term goal, my present to myself is... ANOTHER PHOTO SHOOT! :)

Here are a few shots from our e-session!

Later!

Week 2 Results

Week 2 was slightly harder. It took a little more effort and determination, but we both have losses to report so that's all that matters!

Together we've lost 12.9 pounds! 

That's about the size of your Thanksgiving turkey!

Loose Jointed?

So I'm not crazy... there IS a reason why I can't wear heels (and it's not just because I'm clumsy). Courtney and I had our physicals this morning at the Sports Medicine Clinic with the world-renowned Dr. Fields (coolest guy ever!) and his very awesome staff (definitely some eye-candy). Come to find out, I have loose ankles and knees.

I apparently hyper-extend my knee which is probably how I so easily tore my ACL in high school. He said I have good muscle tone and strength, but there are some balance and mobility exercises he gave me to hopefully tighten up my ankles and knees.

After I told him about my goal of wearing heels, he assured me that if I do these exercises consistently for the next few months I should be wearing any heels I want!!

Just Say No

I thought all of the excitement of the new journey and blog would carry me through a little longer, but frustration is already starting to take it's toll. Losing weight is definitely a battle and determination is the key.

"The difference between the impossible and the possible

lies in a person's determination."

-Tommy Lasorda

Of course I checked the scale this morning to see how my weekend was, and what do you know... I gained (1.6lbs). I blame it on the amazing food at camp: cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, lemon blueberry muffins (who knew they made such an amazing combination muffin), apple cobbler, and did I mention S'MORES!! My thoughts while eating this weekend... "I'm hiking through the woods, surely I'm burning more calories than usual and can eat a few more goodies." However, I think I overused this excuse for every enticing food I saw. Sure it's okay to indulge every now and then, but I've got to get better at saying "NO" to the flavorful fatty foods.

Saying "NO" may be my hardest battle yet. If my friends are going out, it gets even harder. I mean honestly, do I really want to eat my salad while I watch you grub on a plate of cheesy Mexican goodness? Of course not. So far, my strategy is to start saying "NO" to smaller decisions. This means I say no to things like sodas, cheese, and mayonaise. I'm building my strength up to saying no to the larger things like cheesecake, fried bananas and fried icecream (darn you, sweet Vietnamese restaurant), french fries, and Chick-fil-a sauce.

In the sweet words of Coldplay, nobody said it'd be easy... but I have to start somewhere and keep on trucking. These are just stepping stones to a skinny-mini-me in the future.

Week 1 Results

So we posted this yesterday and Blogger went down and erased alot of our comments and recent posts. So here are our results... again:

Lauren: -5.3 pounds

Courtney: -3.9 pounds

GO US!

So Sore...

Not going to lie... we both feel like an old lady after Body Pump. It hurts to walk DOWN the stairs.

I have to admit, it's my first sense of accomplishment because we completed our first class and feeling some results from head to toe!

HERE'S TO OUR NEW GUNS!

Week 1: Lauren

Lauren here, ready to check-in. This entry may need some encouraging comments, because it's probably the hardest to post.

About Me: There has never been a point in my life, when I haven't been considered overweight. (Ok, maybe when I was born and the first couple of years of life.) Throughout school, I was always the chubby one. Luckily, I've always had a good personality to carry me through. Although I love my body and hate to lose my curves, I've reached a point in my life when my health has to come first. I currently do not have any health issues and I'd like to keep it that way. Doing the Biggest Loser competition, I managed to lose and keep off 30lbs, so I'm hoping this is the jumpstart I needed to break through this plateau.

My Goal: This may sound silly, but my goal is to be wearing a pair of heels to Courtney's wedding. I've always felt too heavy for heels and never actually learned to walk in them, but by October I will have toned legs and be ready to show them off. My weight loss goal is 45lbs, that's roughly 2lbs/week.

My Numbers: Now for the scary part... (these are real numbers and I realize I am sharing this with family, friends, and co-workers). Please understand this takes an immense amount of courage and I hope to NEVER see these numbers again.

Weight - 251.7

Chest - 45

Waist - 43.5

Hips - 54.5

Right Arm - 13

Left Arm - 14

Right Thigh - 24

Left Thigh - 22.5

I don't have a good example of what I'd like to look like, because I haven't been there yet, but here's the chubby face I don't want to see again.

Week 1: US

Here is our first official picture of our journey to healthier young ladies! We just completed our first BODY PUMP class! Thanks BECCA!

Week 1: Courtney

Hey! It's Courtney-- my first post on this cute little bloggy that we have setup for your enjoyment and encouragement and for Lauren and I to vent our frustrations and celebrate our accomplishments over the next 5-6 months.

Here is a little about me: I've struggled with my weight my entire life and I have been up and down the scale in the past year. I can say now, I've topped the scales. Last spring I lost 18 pounds in the Biggest Loser Competition here at MCHS. I thought then that was the beginning of the end. Apparently it wasn't. I got engaged soon after the competition and here came all of the celebrations. Now, I'm getting married in 5 months and I've gained 20 pounds since I picked up my wedding dress last October. I've lost all will power and al of the celebrations that have come along with the engagement has gotten the best of me. I HAVE to get my butt in gear. I can't look frumpy and fat in my wedding pictures, I paid too much for them. I HAVE to get into the best shape and healties I have been in. Well, I can't say the best shape and healthiest I have EVER been, because that is a big lie. I was very athletic growing up. I played softball and I danced since the age of 4. I never was the smallest girl out there, but I was always okay with that because I could keep up with the smallest ones out there. Now, I can't keep up as much as I push my self... and I HATE IT! I realize now that if I don't get it off, I'm going to have to take extreme measures to get it off later in life.

My Vow: TO EXERCISE MY BUTT OFF!! I'm a very physical person and not very motiviated by diets. I know it's a HUGE part of the "weight loss formula," but for right now, I just want to focus on getting more physical. I know that once I get the physical activity part down, I'll get the nutrition part down. I hate going to the gym feeling sick because I just ate a cheesburger on my way there. I'll get it down pat, I just have to take it slowly.

My numbers: This is a HUGE deal for me to publicly post all of my numbers to the world.

AS OF 5/4/2011:

Weight: 275.6

Chest/Bust: 51.5 inches

Waist: 47 inches
Hips: 57.5 inches

Right Arm: 16 inches
Left Arm: 16 inches

Right Thigh: 27 inches (that is ham for a week)

Left Thigh: 26 inches

I PROMISE TO NEVER SEE THOSE NUMBERS... EVER.. AGAIN!

This picture of me in high school will be my driving force for this journey over the next 6 months. I obviously want to look a little bit better than this, but this will be my goal.

This week's exercise plan:

Tuesday & Thursday: Body Pump @ 12:15

Wed & Friday: Cardio on my own

The Journey

Operation Slimpossible is a 6-month committment to becoming healthier and more physically fit. Courtney and Lauren will be blogging their experience here as they embark on this new journey. They are eager to put their health first and regain control over their lives. You will witness real emotions, struggles, and triumphs as they go through the different stages. Having struggled with weight issues most of their lives, these ladies are committed to helping themselves and others.

If you would like to help the ladies along, please post your encouraging comments at the bottom of their posts. Questions/comments for the ladies may also be emailed to operationslimpossible@gmail.com.