Ok, it's been more than two months since I last posted on this blog. In that time, I have exercised sporadically, eaten terribly, and consequently, have gained weight. Ugh! I feel absolutely sick. But in the last three days, I have turned a corner.

I have been tracking my food and exercise on Livestrong's website. I've worked out all three days. And I have started to use some of those things that I have pinned on Pinterest. For instance, today I did a fabulous treadmill workout. http://www.pbfingers.com/2012/02/26/treadmill-walking-workouts/ It was only twenty minutes but it kicked my butt a little. I plan on swimming this evening while my daughter is at a birthday party so, yeah, me!

As far as eating, I have reduced my calorie intake, but I need to be better about what foods I am actually eating. Eating fewer Sun Chips may be better but not eating the Sun Chips to begin with would be even better. Luckily, the farmers markets are available this time of year and our garden is producing tomatoes like you wouldn't believe.

My husband just got back from his business trip to the UK. Every day, he walks to work and eats very little. I could tell, he looked thinner when he got back (damn those weigh losing men!). But since he's been home, he hardly leaves the house (he works form home). He is determined to continue walking and take more of his weight off. I am hoping that between the two of us, we can keep each other on track and shed some pounds. Wish us luck!

It is such a dreary looking day today. I truly did not want to wake up, let alone talk a walk. Yes, I could go to the gym but I have someplace to be and it takes up more time to go to the gym. So I got up, put the kid on the bus and took my usual walk around the neighborhood. And now that I am back, I am glad that I did it.

Yesterday, I had all intentions of going but alas all the other things in my life seemed to take over. Luckily, my husband did suggest a walk after dinner. It was by no means a sweet session but at least we got out for some fresh air. Beez took her scooter and got a bit of exercise too.

I don't know if it's because I know I have so much school work looming ahead of me or what but I just wanted to eat and eat yesterday. The heat doesn't help because it just means we can eat ice pops out on the back porch. The Beez's playdate didn't help either - she insisted that we bake cookies with her friend. I know, I don't have to eat these things. That's one of the problems I have. When it's in front of me, a herd of elephants couldn't keep me from eating something - especially sweets.

Another new goal, less sweets. I was able to cut soda out of my diet so why can't I cut down on the sweets. I want to try to have no more than one sweet thing a day. It could be sweetener in my tea or dessert but it can only be one.

My Oma used to walk around the block every day. She said that is what kept her healthy. She loved to age 96. I walk every day and hope that I can live that long too.

Today was a good day. I went to the gym and went to a Balance Ball class. I wasn't able to do everything at the most extreme level but I made it through the class. The last time I took the class I could feel my abs for the next three days. Fingers crossed. After a lunch of salad and grilled chicken, I walked around the neighborhood for half and hour. Dinner was low fat and low carb. And as a bonus, we went on a family walk and saw some friends. Now, the keep this up every day.

The day started out great. I was all by myself in an empty house. The kid was at a sleepover and the hubby was still in England. I could have easily stayed in bed and read my book (and believe me, I thought about it) or I could get outside and walk. And that's just what I did.

Unfortunately, it all went downhill when I went to lunch with a friend. PF Chang's is not necessarily a place where you can eat healthy. Or maybe it is and I just didn't see anything healthy that appealed to me. Having said that, I did shy away from popcorn at the movie. And I didn't eat anything for dinner. I was (and still am) stuffed from lunch.

I will do better tomorrow.

I believe that Shelley Winters said it best. "I'm not overweight. I'm nine inches too short." Or maybe George Carlin. "I am in shape. Round is a shape." That's me short and round. I could probably say that it was inevitable. Most of my family has an extra layer of fat somewhere. I could also say that it's baby fat. But my baby is now 7 years old. No matter what I say, the fact is that I am overweight. And I need to do something about it.

I find myself on Pinterest pinning tons of different pins. Some are recipes, others are exercises, a couple for the house. My husband thinks it's a waste of time; that I'll never do anything with them. But I have. I have made almost all of the recipes on my "Food Stuffs" board. And that's the problem. I love food. All food. Good food, bad food - everything.

But today, I am making a promise to myself. I am going to write about food, exercise, and me. Not my best idea. The next few weeks promise to be spectacularly stressful for both me and my husband. But maybe that will help me keep focused. On schoolwork, on home life and on taking care of myself.

 Here's what I want to do:
1. Eat healthy.
2. Exercise daily (with one day of rest per week).
3. Drink more water.
4. Keep a journal of my progress.
 5. Lose weight.
6. Gain muscle.
7. Live better.

This is me today. April 28, 2012. I just weighed myself with my clothes on: 202 lbs.

I don't want to say a particular weight that I want to achieve. I will know it when I get to it. Right now, I do know that it is at least 20 pounds less than my current weight. So my goal as of today is to lose 20 pounds.

Can I do it? Yes, I can!