New Walking Plan & Recent Weight Loss

So, I gave up sodas for Lent, as I have posted before.  Well, I did this to become closer to the Lord, which I feel is working.  But, I also thought I would gain many health benefits by not drinking those sugar-packed sodas.  But, for the first two weeks, I gained 5 lbs.  Yes, I said 5 lbs!  How crazy is that!  Now, I believe part of it was water weight because I did increase my water consumption by almost three times what I used to drink.  But, 5 lbs, that is just ridiculous!

Now, this recent weight gain put me at my heaviest weight EVER!  On Monday, I weighed in at 198.8 lbs.  I hate to even post that, but I know by doing it, I am holding myself accountable.  When I saw this number, I almost cried.  I used to weigh in between 130 and 140 lbs.  This is where I want to be again, and very soon!  So this is my year to lose all the weight that I have gained due to medical and health problems, stress, and just plain laziness!

So, this past week I have started walking everyday.  I enjoy walking (outdoors, not on a treadmill) because it is relaxing, and I get to experience what the Lord has made and all HIS beautiful work!  I especially enjoy walking when I have someone that is willing to walk with me, but I am fine walking by myself every now and then (it gives me time to think and recuperate from everyday stress)!

Over the past four days, I have walked around 6.5 miles (I think it is more than that because of warm-ups and cool-downs)!  This is around 2 hours and 11 minutes of walking.  This is awesome for me!  In addition, I plan to continue walking at least 1 mile every Monday thru Friday!  I also hope to get some other activities in on the weekends, which can be more walking, playing with my nieces or nephews outside, football, soccer, or some other physical activity that will get my heart rate up.

So, I stepped on the scale this morning, just for the heck of it.  I have lost weight! YAY!  The scale stated that I now weigh 197.4, which is awesome because I am losing weight.  In addition, I had on clothes that I normally would not weigh myself in, so I know that this number is a little higher than what I actually weigh!  I am so excited to see the numbers on the scale getting smaller, and I plan to keep walking, so that the number on the scale continually goes down!

In addition to walking, I have went grocery shopping and picked up many healthy and delicious foods for me to start eating.  I actually bought some Greek yogurt to try, also, and I loved it (so this will become part of my normal diet)!  I will be creating a food journal and planning my meals ahead of time, so that I know exactly what calories I am consuming, and I have started an exercise journal to track how many minutes and what type of exercise I am doing each day!

I will begin to post these soon, and I will try to post them about once a week!  I also have new goals in mind because I have quite a few dates that are special to me this year, so I am going to post my new goals when I post my journal entries.  I will go on and post one main goal for me this year, and that is to lose 20 lbs by July 16.  This date is very important to me, as it is my Commencement ceremony.  I will receive my Associates Degree in Elementary Education in May, and I will be participating in the Commencement ceremony in Charlotte, NC on July 16!  I would love to be much thinner before then, so that I will feel comfortable walking in front of all the other students and parents that will be there!

So, for now I say, keep moving, eat right, and watch the number on the scale get smaller each day! :)  Have a blessed day!