September...IT'S ON BABY!!

(Found this on Pinterest and it made me smile! Take that FEAR!)

Alright so summer is coming to an end very quickly. Unlike most people I'm so happy for this! First of all it's too damn hot! I mean when I roll out of bed in the morning and brush my teeth I should not be breaking a sweat. Don't even get me started on blow drying my giant head of hair! This summer seems to have been filled with smog advisories and one too many warnings about not leaving your home due to extreme heat. Brent and I have been very busy all summer and the odd weekends we've had at home have been to play catch up from the weeks prior. Don't get me wrong I love going out with friends and family and exploring and trying new things but its tiring sometimes and add in some major sun burns and sleepless nights...its killer!

Anyways, back to what I came here to tell you! Fall is my favorite season hands down, not only does my hair look much better but I can go and play outside and not die of heat stroke! (Yes I'm very dramatic about hot weather!) I'm going to be a part of 2 Challenges this September which excite me to no end!

Challenge 1:
Set a goal for how many calories you will burn this month
Set a goal for how many miles you will walk this month
(Please notice it’s will and not want! I'm tired of wanting, I'm making things happen stat!)

My Calorie Goal: 6000 (1500 Weekly)
My Mile Goal: 60 (14 Miles Weekly)

This isn't a challenge to win something. Just a friendly challenge put on by one of my favorite MFP (My Fitness Pal) pals! This is going to help me keep my head in the game and get myself up and moving! She sets up a spreadsheet online for all those interested and we just log our daily progress. I'm also going to do up a chart to put right up in the middle of my fridge!

Challenge 2:
This challenge is going to be with a group of fabulous ladies who I got to know mostly through MFP (notice a trend...I'm telling you MFP has been an amazing tool in this journey and the people are fabulous!) myself and this group of ladies have an Accountability group outside of MFP and we are going to be doing what we are calling a "Care Package Challenge". The goal with this challenge is to lose the highest percentage of weight during the 10 weeks. We will be doing 5 weigh in's (So every 2 weeks) and there will be a spreadsheet tracking out progress. At the end of the challenge the person with the highest percentage wins a "girly" care package. Contents are mostly going to be a surprise.

So basically what I'm saying is I plan on kicking some serious butt come September! No more excuses, no more waiting for tomorrow and no more not giving myself 100% effort! I love these challenges because they keep me on track but I also love supporting the people along with me for them! I learn so much from them and I hope I can give them the same in return!

So my advice to you, Challenge yourself everyday! Even the smallest challenge plays an important part in the big picture! We are worth fighting for and we are most definitely worth push ourselves to the max!!

Why am I here?!

Lady bugs and butterflies scare the living crap outta me! I’m not talking “oh yuck there’s a butterfly” I’m talking full on running away arms in the air freaking out scared! I know I know what the heck right? I couldn’t tell you how this started or why it is but it is, so I’ve accepted it and I’m not afraid to share it! What I am hesitant to share is that I’m scared for my future if I don’t make some permanent changes fast and I've decided I'm no longer accepting this fear and I'm going to bloody well change it!

If you’re still with me I’ll introduce myself! I’m Alicia and I’ve never blogged before nor did I ever think I would, so be patient with me and feel free to toss in some advice if I’m doing something I shouldn’t! Ok where was I...

The names Alicia, I’m 26 years old and married to an amazing man (I’ll fill you in on him later!) I’m an Administrative Manger at a Driving School and I love my job! However what I don’t love is I sit on my butt all day at a computer. This brings me into why I decided to start this fancy little blog. I’ve always been classified as the “curvy girl” I was never considered chubby or fat from what I can remember. I've never looked like what I weigh; people have always said I'm solid as a rock like my Dad, so I never worried. But in recent years things took a turn for the worst. The pounds were piling on and what used to be curves began to slowly disappear. I tried all sorts of diet tricks and plans and would lose some and give up and pile on double what I had lost. But I remember the day I realized I needed to make a change.

I woke up like any other day, went through my usual routine and started breakfast. I decided to step on the scale. Let me just say this was both a bad idea and one of the best things I've ever done. I'm patiently waiting for the numbers to settle on what they want to be, not paying much attention at all...they stop flashing. I swear to you my heart skipped a beat and I stopped breathing for a second. I stood in the bathroom and I cried and cried and cried. How had I let myself get this out of control? A million questions and excuses played in my mind and then it hit me. NO FREAKIN' MORE! I'm done doing this to myself.

Now let’s fast forward to today, 7 months later! I made a commitment to myself that dreadful day to work my butt of and get myself back on track and live a healthy lifestyle. I've spent countless hours reading, watching and learning all sorts of things about health, weight loss and life. My Fitness Pal has been an amazing tool throughout these 7 months and I've made some pretty amazing friends in such a short time. I've lost 38 pounds so far and I've got a long way to get to my "Ultimate Goal" but I've learned to take notice in the smaller changes in between my starting point and finishing point. I'll be honest throughout the past months I've fallen off of the "wagon" more than once but I always get back on! This has actually become a common thing I say to myself...

Ok back to my fear of my future! I know that if I hadn't made the decision to make a change 7 months ago I would be writing my own death sentence essentially. I'm still terrified that I will get every health problem out there related to obesity. I'm afraid I won’t be able to have kids one day. There are just so many scenarios and things that could happen if I don't continue on the path to a healthier lifestyle. I don't like to share how scared I am with many people because frankly so many people just don't understand. And there is nothing worse than hearing "oh Alicia you're overreacting, you're just fine" ...excuse me?! People don't just weigh what I weigh and get away with it and when it comes to my health and future I don't think I could ever "overreact" enough!

I hope you're still with me at this point and thank you if you are! With this blog I hope to share my goals, achievements and every struggle with you along the way. It's not an easy road to travel but it’s one I strongly believe we can't do alone.

Cheers!

My First Blog EVER!

Well here I am...

I've never done a blog, nor do I know anything about blogging, so please be patient with me while I set up my page and get into the groove of things!

I started this because I needed to add something new to my routine and goals in weight loss. I heard blogging helped and sharing my story and every struggle with the world might help me with accountability.

I've been working at getting healthier and making better choices in general. It’s been about 7 months since I started this long bumpy road to a healthier and happier me. It's not easy and anyone who tells you it is, well they are downright lying. It's hard; there are roadblocks and temptations at every turn. But, I know it will be worth it in the end and that’s what I've got to remember and keep telling myself.

That's it for now! Once I've gotten the hang of this I will be posting my introduction and some pictures! For now here is a bit of motivation!

Cheers and Happy Tuesday!