And so it beginsss

Weight is an issue I have struggled with my whole entire life. I have done programs like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig and I have even tried different cleanses to try and lose weight. I always end up taking off some my weight but it never manages to stay off. I feel like I am living in a constant circle.

Within the last two months, my sister, Erin, sent me a bunch of different blogs that she reads religiously, that help to keep her inspired and motivated. These blogs have helped me come up with different kinds of recipes and ideas to help me live a healthier lifestyle.

I am turning 26 in a few weeks and I want to finally have control over my “personal demon”…..my weight. After reading so many blogs I decided maybe this is a way I can help deal with my weight issue. It will help keep me honest and motivated. I know that weight is an issue that many people deal with and it is nice to know that I am not the only one struggling in dealing with it. I hope that when people read this they will know that they can try to lose weight and that they aren’t in this alone. My plan is to update my blog daily and let everyone know what I ate during that day and what I did to exercise. I am always open to suggestions and feedback.

Here’s a little background about me….

My name is Courtney. I am 25 years old (only for a few more weeks) and I live in Baltimore, Maryland. I am originally from Long Island, NY and that is where my family still lives. I am the eldest of four children. I ran cross-country and track in high school and rowed on a crew club team for one year in college. I have struggled to stay motivated in the working out department in the years after college. I recently started running two to three times a week with my friend Jess and my friends and I joined a summer beach volleyball league.

I am currently single. In the past year I have been on many dates to try and find the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. That has been a complete disaster! I have met some nice guys but I have also met some guys that are not so nice. I have decided to give up on dating for a while I focus on myself and my personal needs.

I have an awesome job that I love. I teach first grade in a suburban school in Maryland. There are only 7 more days of school left and I cannot be more excited! I am ready for the summer to begin! I usually teach summer school but this summer I am unable to because I am finishing up my Masters to become a certified Reading Specialist. I will complete my Masters at the end of July!!

I have a great group of friends here in Baltimore and all over actually. I studied abroad in Australia for 6 months and while I was there I met some friends from all over the country that I will treasure forever. I have some great friends from college and friends from NY. I like to travel with my friends. In 2010 I have traveled to Key West and New Orleans. I am planning on going to the beach this summer for a weekend and I am trying to convince my friend Meg to go to Cedar Point (I love roller coasters) with me for a weekend.

Natalie and I in New Orleans

Kara, me, and Meliss in Key West

My siblings…

Terence is 24 and lives in NYC. He is extremely fit and is working for a company that focuses on fitness and nutrition. Terence ran cross-country and track at Villanova University for four years. He is a huge part in helping me become a more healthy person and whom I am leaning on for a lot of advice and tips.

Terence sitting in a fountain?

My sister Erin is 21 and she just graduated from Villanova University and is living at home with my parents right now. She has an amazing paid internship in NYC and she is making us all so proud of her; she is such a hard worker. Erin is also extremely fit. Erin is an extremely talented soccer player. She played soccer at Villanova on a scholarship and continues to play on a team on Long Island. Erin has become a vegetarian and is very conscious of what she puts in her body. She has also been a huge help in my journey!

Erin

Last but not least is my sister Shannon who is 19. Shannon just finished her freshman year at Villanova (starting to see a trend?). Shannon has always been good at sports, she played lacrosse, basketball and soccer. She is not playing any sports at college but she works out every single day. Shannon was able to get a handle on her “weight issue” while she was in middle school and she looks amazing! Shannon also has become a vegetarian.

Shannon

My parents…

My parents are both 55 years old. They have been married for 30 years. I find it amazing that they have been married for more than half of their life. My mom and dad are both very healthy and active people. My parents have an elliptical and a full body gym in their house. My parents workout 5 to 6 days a week. My parents do not look like they are 55 years old because they have taken such good care of themselves.

Now that you have background on me, I guess let’s start this journey together…

Monday June 14, 2010

I woke up this morning pretty refreshed. Last week I was struggling to fall asleep but I think I caught up on my sleep this past weekend. I did some pretty heavy drinking this weekend so I am going to try and stay away from the alcohol for a while. These next two weeks are going to be pretty rough because the PTA gives us breakfasts and lunches; we have retirement parties and end of the year dinners. It is going to be hard but this is life and I am going to need to deal.

I started my morning just like every other morning. I drink two cups of tea (little bit of skim milk with one sugar in each). I drink one while I am getting ready and one while I am driving to school. I eat breakfast while I am at school because the tea fills me up. This morning I knew breakfast was being served so I only brought a Greek Vanilla 0% Yogurt and blueberries with me. I wanted to make sure I was going to at least eat something healthy. The breakfast was filled with donuts, cinnamon buns and sausage. The donuts and cinnamon buns looked amazing but I decided to steer clear of them. I found the only option that was going to work for me, fruit. I had two appetizer plates filled with cut up cantaloupe, strawberries and blueberries. The cantaloupe was amazing! I am going to have to go to the grocery store and buy some at some point this week.

Lunch today was being sponsored by the PTA. We have a great PTA at our school. Lunch was a potato bar. I had one medium baked potato with two scoops of light sour cream and a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese. I had one scoop of beanless chili (so good!) and one scoop of steamed broccoli. I had one soft (small) chocolate chip cookie for dessert. I drank water with my meal.

I have no idea what I am making for dinner tonight. I think I may make a turkey sandwich to get some protein in but that all may change. I am staying after work late tonight to start organizing my classroom for summer school, which will be taking place here. I would like to get a run in this evening because I did not run on Saturday or Sunday.

I forgot my afternoon snack on my kitchen counter so I needed to go and use the vending machine (dum dum dum…). I chose Snyder’s mini pretzels (fat free and all natural). One package has 160 calories, 0gs of fat, and 1g of dietary fiber. If I didn’t eat a snack now I would have pigged out as soon as I walked in my house because I would have been starving. I am much more controlled at school because I pack my lunch and breakfast everyday. I find the night time to be much more difficult to make “good” choices. School ended at 4:05 and I went straight to my classroom to clean it up! I was so productive! I was moving nonstop so I didn’t even realize that it was 5:45 already. During that time I finished my nalgene. I really love water!I fill my nalgene up every night halfway and put it n the freezer so I can drink cold water while I am at work.

On my ride home from work I called my mom and my sister Erin. Erin and I have have really become awesome friends! I then had to stop and deposit a check at my bank (tuition reimbursement) and drop off my friend Jess’ clothes. She decided at the last minute to come out on Saturday night so she had to borrow a dress. By the time I got home it was 6:45, that’s way later than I usually get home. I was starving. I had a cheese stick, 10 triscuts with red roasted pepper hummus.

As soon as I finished eating I put my running clothes on and reached my goal for the day! I went for a run by myself. I left my house at 7:04 and got back at 7:34. I ran by myself! It was a painful run with the humidity and the fact that I was running by myself but I DID IT!

running around the Inner Harbor

I think that I am going to take a shower now and then eat some dinner and go to bed!

My brother tells me that you need to make a goal for each day. My goal for today was to email him, not to eat a bagel and to go for a run! MISSION SUCCESS!

Tomorrow's goal: Do not eat at Donna's retirement party and keep track of what I ate for the day.

Things I am considering my:
2 week goal:
3 month goal:
6 month goal:
year goal: