I just got back from the gym.  I had them weight me and measure my bodyfat percentage.

I started out at 46.7% body fat.  Wow...  *eyes rolling*

I am now at 44.8%.  That's 2% body fat drop in my first week, with a 10 lb. total weight shedding.

The personal trainer told me that I can look forward to perhaps shedding 20-30 lbs. in my first month and 5-10% body fat drop.

I rested well last night, no workout.  So, when I got to the gym today, I was sooo ready to get my first leg and abs workout going.  It felt really good to get on the machines today.  I think my legs and abs are my favorite body parts to work out.

I am going to have myself a whole wheat Hawaiian Pita Pizza, personal size.  It's the Body For Life recipe and it's SO GOOD.  I'm hungry...lunch time!

I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday for an annual checkup, papsmear, and a clean bill of health to continue my exercise and eating plan.

Most everything was pretty healthy, they took blood to check thyroid, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, etc.  They had a hard time finding a vein, I would assume because of the layer of FAT on my arms.  They had to use a neo-natal needle to draw my blood after 3 times poking me.  I wasn't happy.

I told the Dr. about my foot pain and my bursitis flare ups, as well as my new eating plan and exercise plan.  He said I'm doing everything right to shed the weight.  He also said that the weight is the main cause of all my minor ailments.  As I shed the weight, my ailments should go away.

I also have high blood pressure, which I have NEVER had before.  It is 160/92.  My normal healthy blood pressure is 115/70 and it's never been higher, until now.

I just got a call a little while ago from my Dr.'s office and they told me that my cholesterol levels are higher than they like to see.  My levels are 255 and they like to see under 200.  They wanted to prescribe medication immediately and I asked if there is an alternative to meds as I do not like taking ANY pills or medications.  They said yes, I can continue what I'm doing and in 3 months go in and get my blood levels checked again.

I plan to be 30-40 lbs. lighter by the 3 month mark.

Needless to say, I was a bit freaked out at my cholesterol.  I have NEVER had high cholesterol, until now.

Well, now I see that my careless and impulsive eating over the past few years has cost me dearly.  I am at risk of heart disease and heart attack, now.  I'm a little scared.  This new news adds a layer of urgency to the matter of shedding the weight.  It's not just a matter of the pain in my feet and my knees, it's a matter of LIFE OR DEATH.

I never thought I would be saying that.

My feet still hurt, my hip is in a lot of pain.  I am skipping the gym and doing a yoga workout tonight.  The rest days are just as important as the heavy workout days.  I think I may hurt myself if I go in tonight.

*Sigh*

I woke up this morning, free of headache since yesterday!  I think my body is adjusting to the new eating plan.

I felt like I injured my right foot doing cardio yesterday.  I was on the treadmill for 50 minutes and burned 520 calories.  The gym has a cardio theater where it's dark and there is a theater size screen and they were playing the movie 2012, it made the workout go by very quickly it seemed.

This morning I could barely walk.  My left hip and right foot pad are SO SORE!

I have a 1 year old baby boy and he weighs almost 25 lbs.  Since I have 125 lbs. to lose, that means I am carrying around the equivalent of 5 of my sons at once.  That's quite a burden on my joints and my feet!  NO wonder my feet are sore!

I hit the gym tonight and do my first weight training for legs and abs.  I hope the pain has subsided by then.

Woke up this morning with NO headache, woohoo!

I weighed myself again and I am down another 2 lbs.  My husband said that my chin has shrunk...no more double chin?  I haven't looked yet, but he said, in an admiring tone of voice that I am looking younger.

So, a total 9 lbs. since Saturday?  It's only Tuesday!  The personal trainer said the first week or two would probably be a substantial shedding of weight, then my body will level out and shed 1-3 lbs. a week.  But, I didn't think I would be down almost 10 lbs. in only a few days.  I know it's not all fat shedding, but it sure is going to be easier on my knees and sore feet.

I do my first weight workout tonight.  I will probably focus on chest and arms with a mixture of the machines and free weights.

I am getting on the phones to read cards for a bit.  Catch you all later!

I had my first workout, hit the treadmill for 45 minutes and the elliptical for 10, burned 500 calories and was drenched with sweat when I was done.

It wiped me out.  I got home and had to eat right away.  The headache subsided while I was working out, but came back with a vengeance.

I realized that I usually eat to get rid of any headaches.  I am hypoglycemic and headaches are a sign of low blood sugar for me.  So, I used to eat and eat until I was full and the headache would usually go away.

Once I ate lunch, I took a quick shower and I went to change into my regular clothes that were splayed across my bed and I ended up crawling into bed instead.  I was cold, and the bed was warm.  I wanted my headache to go away, so I took a nap for an hour.  Then, a couple hours later, I took another one-hour nap.  The workout really wiped me out!

The headache didn't go away.  I took some Tylenol and it has subsided.

I think it is caffeine withdrawals.  Yep, it will go away by tomorrow.

I am really tired, it's an early morning tomorrow, so I know, even with two naps today, I am going to sleep SO GOOD tonight!

I woke up with a headache this morning, dehydrated I think, and I slept real hard in one position too long.  I got up and went to the restroom...more colon cleansing!  I weighed myself just out of sheer curiosity and I am 268 lbs.  Down from 275, how can that be in 4 days?  I think it's my colon cleansing itself, getting all the sludge out.  That's 7 lbs. in 4 days!  Woohoo!

I drank 36 oz. of water just with my breakfast of egg beaters and dry toast.  The egg beaters are Southwestern style, so not bad.  I was still a little hungry afterwards, so I waited 1 1/2 hours and just got myself a protein shake.  I feel a little better.

I work from home for a psychic/tarot card line, taking calls and reading cards for people.  I can't get on the phones this morning because of the headache.  I will have to see how this afternoon goes.

I am so used to getting coffee with rich hazelnut creamer, at least 2 cups in the morning.  I have had none since Saturday.  I can't drink just plain coffee...ew.  That's probably another reason for the headache.  I'm sure it will subside in the next couple days as I wean myself off coffee.  I will still be able to have a cup on my 1 cheat day a week.  I'm good with that.

I'm gearing up to go work out in about an hour.  My first workout.

I will let you know how it goes.

Okay, so I joined the gym on Friday.  I had received a flyer in the mail and they were inviting me to join their "Biggest Loser" Challenge.  I kept the flyer for 2 weeks before I called them.

I mean, I was feeling like I was looking at the proverbial "elephant" that I needed to eat all at once and feeling overwhelmed.  I knew I needed to shed over 100 lbs.  That's almost a whole person! 

So, what was it that made me call?  A couple nights ago, I had a big scare.  I was watching a DVD with my husband and when it was over, I swung my legs out of bed and stood up...

AND I COULDN'T WALK...

Not for several moments.  My feet were in a lot of pain.  My husband asked if I was OK and I said NO, I'm not.

"I'm not going to be one of those people who have to sit in a motor cart just to get groceries, because I'm too fat to walk!"

He held onto me as I stood there and cried.  My feet had been in a lot of constant pain for some time, now, because of bearing the weight of my body.

The next day, I called the gym.  I am now enrolled in their Challenge.  I weighed in at 275, which the personal trainer said I have 125 lbs. to shed in 56 weeks.

Yesterday, which was Saturday, I found the Body For Life eating plan I had followed 6 years ago and I went shopping for whole wheat grains, lean proteins, protein shakes and nutrition bars.  I loaded up the cart with what looked like bodybuilder's food.  I guess that's what it is!  I sure don't look like a body builder, though.

Today, I started eating according to the plan and had to use the restroom 4 times!  This clean eating is really cleansing my colon!

Here is a picture of me today.  I plan to take a picture every week on Sunday and post in my blog here.  I am going to report to all of you for the world to see, my progress and setbacks at least once a week.

So, today's eating was a challenge. It being my first day and all. Although I wasn't hungry, I was acutely aware of when I felt the urge to snack and piece on different things throughout the day.

I felt like eating some of the cheddar cheese we gave the baby...I felt like grazing on the left over barbecue roast beef that everyone else ate for dinner.  I was going to grab a piece of left over pizza for a snack after lunch!  All these were impulsive thoughts that I normally would have just followed and not had a second thought.  Everyone in the family had a bowl of ice cream after dinner.  I sat there and watched...and it was hard.

I got my sweet tooth satisfied an hour later, though, when I was able to eat a chocolate chocolate chip nutrition bar!  It actually was really good, and I'm not hungry.

So, I learned a lot about how I had been eating over the last few years, very impulsive and emotional eating.

But, a good first day overall!