A New Me

My mother started a new weight loss and diet plan.  And yes, the key word in that was new.  Like so many of us, this wasn't the first, third, or even tenth weight loss plan.  We are all like that, we start something, it doesn't work, or it is too hard, and then we stop.  But I was excited for mom.  And in a few days I could tell that this was different.  She was more determined.  More focused.  And she was already seeing results.  She was feeling better.  Feeling stronger.

And it was contagious.  She had gotten a few others on board.  There was talk of a challenge. 

Maybe that is what got me interested.  I love challenges.  I love the struggle of it I guess.  And I could probably write a whole blog post about just that, but I won't.  :)  I can hear the sign of relief all the way from were I sit.  :)

From talk of a challenged it has grown and evolved.  It is now a 17 and counting person Multi-State Biggest Looser Challenge.  Over the next 17 weeks we are all going to be counting calories and exercising.  We are going to be challenging our bodies and our minds.  We are promising to make better choices and try to live healthier lifestyles.

Today is just the first day, but I am already different. I have been waking up in the morning looking forward to my high protein, full of nutritional goodness smoothie.  I get excited about sweating during my workout. I actually had the thought, "I wonder if I could ever run a 5K." 

I joined this site called SparkPeople.  You can track the food you eat, the exercise you do.  It has all sorts of information on nutrition and healthy life styles.  And it has a huge community of people that are all trying to be healthier and lose weight.  It's like facebook for weight loss.  :)

So my goals for this challenge are simple.  I want to lose 18 pounds and get fit enough to run a 5K.  That is just a little more than a pound a week.  And as far as the 5K goes...well, I will just have to figure that out.  :)