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!