I'm a dancing machine

Big Bertha (my treadmill) has been getting minimal use lately.  I was religiously plugging away every single day for at least 30 minutes.  One day I noticed that the speed kept slowing up and slowing down without touching any buttons.  It would hesitate or stall when both feet were on and then speed up as soon as I would pick up my feet.  This gave me the feeling of falling and I've steered clear (probably just another excuse on my part).  At first I thought it was my weight, but I got the torture device when I was well over 300 pounds and haven't had an issue.

Instead of sitting around eating bons bons, I decided to plug in one of our many dancing games.  Let me tell you....my whole body hurts!  My arms especially are killer - even just to raise them above my head.  My body is moving, I've got swamp ass (sweat in my unmentionables), my head is swinging in time with the beat, and I'm singing off key.  It's the most fun I've had in quite awhile.  The kids are even getting involved and have become my back up dancers.  Those little monkeys would outshine me if I wouldn't push myself to move and we can't let that happen! 

I'm having a blast!  I'm moving and shaking my ass! And I'm loving every minute.  How silly is it to finally realize that if you do something you love, then it doesn't feel like exercise? 

One year ago

It's been a year since I made the decision to change my life.  The realization hit that in order to keep living, I had to lose some weight.  I have lost 56 pounds in 1 year/12 months/52 weeks/365 days, however you want to see it. 

I remember saying to myself "if only I lost 2 pounds per week I would lose over 100 pounds".  I would be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed by not losing that amount of weight.  I would also be lying if I said that I wasn't proud of myself for losing 56 pounds!  I could still be weighing in at 335 pounds (or worse).  Instead I'm continuously learning how to change my lifestyle, my food choices, my exercise plan, and improving my life in general.

Arm fat

I've been looking at recent pictures of myself and for the first time (in a long while) I actually don't feel cropping myself out of every picture.  My boobs are finally sticking out further than my fat roll, I don't look like I'm 9 months pregnant,  my cheek bones are making an appearance, no longer can I be mistaken for Chewbacca, and my butt isn't a mile wide.  After focusing on all the good things that have changed there is one thing that always draws my eyes.  My arms. 

For those people who have had weight issues or have been obese you know what I'm talking about.  The dreaded arm fat or bat wing that hangs below your tricep.  That flabby / fatty part of your arm that seems to never go away no matter what you do. 

Only one word:  DAYUM!

I've done several Internet searches on "how to get rid of arm fat" and not surprising received several different opinions. 

1.  Using weights to specify a muscle group will allow you to tone and define flabby arms.

2.  Using cardio will eliminate fat, but you will lose it all over.  Not in a specified part of your body.

3.  After losing weight you will have hanging skin which may or may not shrink with time.

4.  It's not possible.  Deal with your bat wings and move on.

So my question is:  What have you done to help with flabby arms?  Am I being unrealistic to think that I can get rid of this nasty fat?  Has anything worked for you?  Provide videos if possible or link a website that has helped!

I'll leave you with one last picture.  This one flaw is what peeves me the most. 

This little beauty is on my left bicep.  Kinda looks like a butt.

Once you go BIG you never go twig

Did anyone watch the premiere of Big Sexy on TLC last night?

I love the fact that these woman are comfortable with their size.  Their confidence amazes me, but in the back of my mind I wonder if it's all a facade.  Maybe it's the fact that I've never been comfortable in my own skin.  I've always felt disgusting and gross because that's how people saw me.  If I had a don't give a flying flip attitude maybe I would feel differently.

I also loved that they had a plus size fashion show.  Too many times I've seen super cute clothes and wish that I could squeeze the cheeks to fit into.  It's nice to see that big girls can also be fashionable and not have to wear Moo-Moo's or frumpy clothes out in public.

The BBW dating scene had me cringing.  #1 - all the guys in that room were not attractive.  They showed the 40 year old, bald, virgin, creepy guy at least 5 different times.  #2 - the thunder thigh competition made me want to hit the tv.  Am I the only one to see this as degrading? 

So, did you watch it?  What did you like or not like?  Any comments?

50 pounds lost

A picture says it all.  This is what 50 pounds lost looks like. 

Weight:  334.5 - 285.0

Size:  30 - 22

Chesticles:  6 inches lost

Waist:  7.5 inches lost

Thighs:  7 inches lost

A binge free weekend

I can proudly say this is the first weekend in a very long time that I have not binged.  Friday night we went to a local Italian food joint to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday.  Let's just say I did not pick my food choices wisely.  Instead of a salad with low-fat or no-fat dressing, I ate a full fledged Cesear salad with 1/2 a piece of bread.  My oldest and I shared a plate that consisted of lasagna, manicotti, and cannelloni.  I gave him 2/3 of everything and I had a couple of bites of each item (which even my hubby noticed and mentioned to the rest of the table).  By the end of the night I was at 1900 calories.  OUCH!

Saturday morning I woke up and decided not to give in to any temptations over the weekend.  Weekends are always the hardest because it seems we run non stop.  It's easier to eat out (which we still did) than to make lunch/dinner at home.  I kept my calories in check and resisted those damn donuts my husband bought!  See below for my food log.

Saturday:  1191 calories
Breakfast - egg white sandwich on wheat bread
Lunch - Chicken soft tacos
Dinner - I-Hop Simple and Fit Wheat Toast French Toast (I ate maybe half of my plate)

Sunday:  1315 calories
Breakfast:  Oatmeal (even though my husband woke me up with freshly baked donuts...GRRRR)
Snack:  Oiko's greek yogurt with simply fruit strawberry jelly
Lunch:  Sonic grilled chicken wrap
Dinner:  Baked potato (no skin) with light sour cream, light butter, pinch of cheese, and a squeeze of bbq sauce.

Update on Mom

Mom is home from the hospital!!!  Basically we don't know what happened because the doctor couldn't give us any answers.  We do know that she had fluid in her lungs and had pre-pneumonia.  That was the main reason why she was admitted.  She was given high doses of antibiotics on Monday afternoon and started to feel better almost immediately. 

Tuesday morning she ate breakfast and the pain returned.  The pain medicine did not help whatsoever and basically she screamed for 3 hours until the pain went away.  When the doctor came in later that night he said that her stats were good, no fever, and the fluid in her lungs looked better.  The spasms in her belly were a mystery.  Instead of running more tests, he put her on a solid diet and crossed his fingers.  I don't agree with not finding out WHY this was happening, but I don't have medical training.

After eating solid foods and without having any pain she was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon.  I'm very grateful for those who sent prayers, vibes, whatever our way.  I appreciate it!  I don't know what I would do if I lost my Mom and I would be lying if that didn't cross my mind.  It was the most disheartening feeling seeing her in so much pain and not being able to help.  Hopefully she will be back to her normal wacky self soon and being home is a step in the right direction!