Case of the Wednesdays: Randee: Week 1

Hello Everyone!

Let me introduce myself, my name is Randee and I am a mom to three beautiful girls who works part time as a nurse. I have a good amount of weight to lose- well over 50 pounds. I have been on many diets over time. I have been successful on a few of these diets, but the weight then creeps back up as my diet, my will power and my activity level decline to their sad, original state. What’s different this time? I’m in the middle of a trying a lifestyle change, not just a diet. Why blog about it you ask? Well, I need people to keep me accountable and I could use encouragement. (Maybe an occasional kick in the butt.)

I would love to tell you that my weight is just from having babies. You know people who deal with this the- well I was always thin until I had my kids- it’s just baby weight people!! But the reality is that for as long as I can remember, I have been overweight. At times, maybe you would say I was simply chubby. But for quite a while now, I am obese. That is a hard one to admit, but you have to start somewhere. I look at where all this started and I see that I grew up with bad eating habits and I never had much physical activity. These are the problems that still plague me to this day.

My weight thru high school and college had been fairly consistent. I was overweight, but not obese. I lost some weight after college and then I met my now husband. After we had been together a while, I suppose we got to comfortable with each other, because we started sharing bad habits and not noticing the extra pounds. We got married, I went back to school, we had 2 baby girls and some extra weight came along for the ride. In 2010, I had enough of the weight and I did weight watchers. I even joined a gym (and actually went to it!!) and had a trainer. Then I got pregnant with baby number 3. The pregnancy was very rough and I had many complications after delivery that left me unable to do much of anything as I recovered, let alone exercise. So I fell off the wagon and never got back on…. Until now!

This time, I need to get serious and start to change my life. I have to admit that I am not being a healthy role model for my girls. That admission is quite a motivator. The idea that my kids could be obese because they learn from me is a huge motivator. I look at my middle daughter and I see that she is chubby. I want so much for her and being fat is not on that list. And so, here I am- trying to change my lifestyle. I need to do it for me and I need to show my girls how to be healthy.

Here is my plan- I am starting back on weight watchers. I just signed up on Friday!! I know this plan works. It has worked for me in the past. It helps to teach you how to make healthier choices based on points. But it also allows you to treat yourself once in a while without throwing your whole diet out the window. I need a plan like that because I am not willing to never eat pizza or cheesecake again.

I also plan to get my butt moving. I have an elliptical machine that I am dusting off (literally- we’re talking about a lot of dust here!) and putting it together and I am using it. I have an exercise bike, some workout DVD’s and a Wii Fit system. I am going to actually use these devices instead of just looking at them. Joining a gym isn’t happening right now, but I can’t make excuses. I need to get moving.

My current goal is to lose 50 pounds. I need to lose even more. But that’s a heck of a number to start with! I am also committing to exercise at least 30 minutes 4 times a week. I want do more in the long run, but since I haven’t done any exercise in so long, 30 minutes will get me started these first few weeks. I will write about new workouts I have devised. I will also discuss the challenges I have been facing every week as I fight to stay on my goals and maintain my will power. I will also be reporting how much weight I have lost at my weekly weigh-ins. I hope you can follow along on my journey and encourage me along the way!!

Here is a Pic of one of my daughters and I. I will post pics occasionally to see my transformation!