Why?

Hi. It's me. One of a million weight loss losers in this country. I don't know the statistics but I'd bet at least half of America makes the resolution every January to lose weight, and I, like most of these people never make it much farther than February before giving up and moving on.This year will be different.

"Why?"

Well, it's couple of reasons really, too numerous to recount in this blog alone. But I'll share some of the big ones through out my timeline along with how much I'm weighing each day and what I'm eating. My immediate goal of losing 50 pounds by June 30th though, is strongly powered by the very, likely chance that this summer I'll be taking my kids to the beach for the first time, in a swimsuit...and my mother will be there. But we'll visit that issue much later on.

First and foremost, I want to lose weight for myself. I've always wanted to have a nice body and wear sexy clothes and I could up until about my first year in college. I've always been a bigger girl but jumping double dutch and cheerleading practice used to be enough to keep my weight mostly under control .

My senior year, in 1990, at 17 years old, I was between 140 and 145 pounds, 5 foot, 5 inches. I was a thick girl, but proportional. I have a muscular build and have always carried my weight well, despite my short stature. But after graduating high school, my weight just ballooned up. College put on another 10 pounds. Then I met and fell in love with my husband (then my boyfriend) and put on another 10 to 20 pounds.

By 1994, I was 180 pounds. That year I went thru a 2 - 3 month boot camp, weight loss, experience and lost 10 pounds. But I built a lot of muscle so I went from being a size 14 to a size 8. Weight wise, it was the happiest time of my life. But it didn't last. I had denied myself so many things for those few months. I wanted to experience each one of them over and over again. Chinese, Mexican, Italian, West Indian. Every kind of food, I ever loved. I ate and the weight crept back on.

Eight years later, in 2002, I was 210 pounds. I had a baby and was at risk for gestational diabetes so I was challenged with not gaining any weight for that 7 or 8 month period. They had me prick my finger 3 times a day and I did it. I didn't gain, well maybe, just about 5 pounds. I did good. I was proud. It was a very good time in my life and I was happy. After having her though I did gain maybe another 5 or 10 pounds and less than two years later I was having another one. This time there was no gestational diabetes scare. No medical reason not to indulge the urges and I was unhappy. Things were not going well in my life. I was up to 245 pounds when I had her.  Lost 15 pounds or so after she came out but immediately went right back up to 245. My youngest daughter is now 5 years old and I am now 250 pounds. 250 POUNDS!!! And that's so not ok.

I'm 37, black, married with two kids and work part-time. I am greatly challenged to find the time in the day to exercise and still leave time for me. Having very little money, makes it difficult to keep the house stocked in fresh fruits and vegetables. Sometimes even squeezing canned vegetables in to the food budget can be difficult. But I'm setting a bad example for my family. Its not the message I want to send.

The second most important reason to me to lose this weight is for my daughter, my first born. I was at risk for gestational diabetes when I carried her and now she's 7 and she's over weight. It's so sad it breaks my heart. I know if I make the right changes I can teach her how to make the right choices with food. And it doesn't have to be a life long problem for her. She'll be eight in a couple of months and she's over a hundred pounds. Other kids her age weigh much less. This isn't ok. She's black in an all white (ok mostly white) town AND she's over weight. Am I not setting her up for failure or what? Kids can be so mean and unkind. She's a social butterfly. I can't let her weight affect how people see her.

So here is my challenge.
365 days (minus 3) to lose 100 pounds. Is it possible? I pray it is.
I plan to lose 50 pounds by June 30th and another 50 pounds by December 31st.
I plan to:
Cut out all most of the junk food.
Give up beer.
Give up soda.
Give up drinking.
Workout at least 5 times a week.
And Keep a Food Diary!
I'll eat lots of vegetables and minimal carbs, with plenty of protein.
No eating after 7pm (at the latest). Bed by 10pm.
This is my plan...or more like my goals. Either way, whatever I do, I've got to be accountable to you. So I'll share everything here about One Weight Loss Loser's 2010 Journey