Emotional Eating

     Emotional eating has always been an issue for me.  No matter what the emotion my first thought is to turn to food.  They say eating can be a way of suppressing your emotions.  That may be true for awhile but once I'm done the emotions come flooding back.  The guilt and regret I feel only makes it worse.  Its an endless cycle of emotional abuse that I put myself through.  So I've come up with a list of things to do instead of eating. 

1.  Listen to music
2.  Watch a movie
3.  Play a game
4.  Cook something healthy
5.  Exercise
6.  Play with a pet
7.  Soak in a bubble bath
8.  Call or text a friend
9.  Browse the web
10.Clean the house
11.Read a book
12.Go to the park
13.Paint your nails
14.Color in an adult coloring book
15.Take dog for a walk
16.Go shopping
17.Have manicure, facial, pedicure done
18.Find a good cause to volunteer for
19.Play with kids
20.Visit a friend

     I'm doing pretty good so far at redirecting my feelings and thoughts to avoid turning to food.   I welcome any suggestions of activities I could include on this list. 

Update on Weight Loss

     Well I've been eating healthy for 5 days and I'm happy to say I've lost 10 lbs.  It really hasn't been that hard because the food I've been eating has been so good.  I haven't started exercising yet but I am starting very soon.  I guess being as heavy as I am it's intimidating when I think about going to the gym but I'm not going to let that stop me.  There are so many reasons I want to lose weight.  As you may be able to tell by now I love my lists so I've made a list of the reasons.

1.  To be able to love myself
2.  For the before and after pictures
3.  To no longer be the fat friend
4.  To be able to walk into a room with confidence
5.  To not be embarrassed to go to the gym
6.  To be proud of myself
7.  So I can stop hiding my body
8.  So I can finally be the woman I want to be
9.  So I can be in pictures without wanting to delete them
10.To have more energy
11.To have an overall feeling of well-being
12.To be less self conscious
13.So I can enjoy shopping for clothes
14.Improved self esteem
15.Reduced depression
16.To live longer
17.To be able to breathe easier
18.So I don't have to dread getting on the scale
19.So I can hug my boyfriend and feel so little in his arms
20.So I don't feel like people are judging me
21.Because I'm worth it
22.So I can sit comfortably
23.No more shopping in the plus size department
24.So my boyfriend will be proud to have me on his arm
25.To be an inspiration to others
26.To not have a double chin
27.It will be easier to shave my legs
28.Less perspiration
29.So my boyfriend can pick me up without me freaking out
30.So I have the energy to play with my kids

     I'm sure there are lots more reasons but those are the main ones.

Bucket List

     As part of my plan to start living I decided to write my bucket list.  I'm sure I will delete and add things over time but this is the list I'm starting with.

1.  Kiss in the rain
2.  Go on a cruise
3.  Camp in the back of a pickup truck under the stars
4.  Be kissed under the mistletoe
5.  Visit New York
6.  Ride in a limo
7.  Visit Niagara Falls
8.  Have a romantic picnic
9.  Make someone less fortunate smile on Christmas
10.Learn to shoot a gun
11.Visit the Grand Canyon
12.Take a road trip across America
13.Paint and frame a picture
14.Have pin-up style pictures taken after I lose weight
15.Sit in a hot tub outside in the winter
16.Get a small tattoo that has a special meaning
17.Finally accomplish my weight loss and fitness goals
18.Get a professional makeover
19.Host a party
20.Grow my hair out
21.Enjoy a spa day
22.Take up running as a hobby
23.Complete a marathon
24.Stop being lazy and start living
25.Own my dream cat
26.Throw a message in the bottle in the ocean and see if anyone ever responds
27.Stay at a bed and breakfast
28.Visit Las Vegas
29.Have a romantic dinner
30.Be proposed to in a special way
31.Get a kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve
32.Finish remodeling my home
33.Run an 8 minute mile
34.Buy a whole new wardrobe
35.Give up fast food for 1 month
36.Reach goal weight
37.Be comfortable and confident in my own skin
38.Swim with dolphins
39.Find love and happiness
40.Do random acts of kindness
41.Do something out of my comfort zone
42.Be an inspiration to others
43.Research my family tree
44.Do a polar plunge
45.Attend the second chance prom
46.Start a new tradition
47.Sing karaoke
48.Have plastic surgery done
49.Win the lottery
50.Live a life I'm proud of

     So that's 50 things I would like to accomplish in my lifetime.

Game Plan

    Ok so I thought maybe I would use this post to lay out my game plan.  I've spent the last few months thinking about all the things I would want to accomplish in my life and the list is long.

    One of the biggest goals I hope to accomplish is losing weight and getting healthy.  I'm currently at the highest weight I've ever been in my life and I can tell what an impact it is having on my health.  I have no energy, shortness of breath, aches and pains and everything is so much harder to do when you are overweight.  So here's my game plan for losing weight.

1.  I've enlisted friends and family to motivate me and hold me accountable.
2.  I wear my Fitbit tracker everyday with a goal of hitting 10,000 steps daily.
3.  I record my food and water intake daily in my journal.
4.  I need to hit the gym 5 to 6 days weekly.
5.  My calorie intake should be around 1500 daily.
6.  No soda, only water.
7.  I've set realistic weight loss goals and rewards to go along with hitting these goals.
8.  Reduce carb and sugar intake and increase protein and vegetable intake.
9.  Meal planning is a must.

     I have to learn to take this process one day at a time otherwise it seems overwhelming.  So let's get started and make this happen.

An Intro

Hi my name is Christina. 

     I guess I should start off by introducing myself and telling you a little bit about my life.

• 42 years old
• I'm 5'6" and I weigh way to much
• Mother to 3 boys
• Employed as a Pharmacy Technician
• I have 3 cats and a dog
• I enjoy cooking and watching tv

    Well those are the basics, pretty boring I know.

     The purpose of this blog is to motivate me to learn to live and enjoy life.  I've spent so many years just waiting for things to happen instead of making them happen.  As I've gotten older I've realized that there has to be more to life then just existing.  There are so many things that I want to experience and up until now my philosophy has been why do it today when I can put it off until tomorrow. 

     So I invite you to join me on this journey.  I also welcome your suggestions, comments, encouragement and most of all support.