8 MONTHS AND COUNTING!!!!!

I absolutely LOVE watching Ethan play base ball. I love being at the park, the crowds, the food, the games, everything about it and I can't wait until the '09 season starts. Several days ago I added a ticker at the bottom of my other blog so I can keep track of when the season will begin. 8 Months. About as long as a woman is pregnant, almost as long as a school term, and having to live through another winter to get there.

I am going to try to make good use of the next 8 months though and commit to losing weight. The last time I lost considerable weight was in 2000 when Stephanie was almost 1. I lost 50+ pounds then and struggled horribly to even get that far. Over the past year I have blew up! As you can see from my virtual woman, it's not a pretty site to be my size. I can't get into hardly any clothing I own anymore, I'm miserable, my leg aches daily, I have a constant pain in my upper abdomen which by surfing online seems to mimic gallbladder issues. I can't breath at night, I get winded trying to do any exercise. Just can't paint a pretty picture when you're as big as a whopper and I'm not talking BK either.

So putting it all out here and bearing all....I am the heaviest I've ever been in my life. 240 pounds. 5'5" tall. 2X-3X shirts, busting out of my size 22 jeans, actually, the 24's are snug. Just got my driver's license renewed, and truthfully, it made me sick to look at the picture. I wish there was a quick fix. I know it's going to be a long haul, but if I keep the opening day of baseball in site, I'm hoping to have lost at least 60-80 pounds by then. The doctor said I should weigh around 135-140 and the last time I was at Weight Watchers they said I should weigh around 125-130. My goal is going to be 137. I like that # and that was what I weighed when I felt the best. That's a smidgen over 100 pounds. Can you believe it? It just doesn't seem real to me that I've let myself gain this much weight. Drinking 44 oz. Cherry Cokes twice to three times a day probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done.

I am going to try South Beach. I checked the book out from the library along with YOU: On a Diet, Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution, Suzanne Sommers book, and bought a Food Guide Counter that gives the counts of everything under the sun. I've known several people who succeeded on South Beach when other diets failed them. I've done weight watchers several times and lost weight every time, but I hate paying the weekly fee and it takes forrrrrrrrrrrevvvvvvvvvverrrrrrr to lose any weight with their program. It might teach you how to eat right losing it slowly, but I give up if I can't see quick results up front.

I start this program tomorrow and still need to read up on it to get it all down pat, but it seems like it's easier than Atkins and not as high in fat. And there's not as much negativity associated with it as Atkins. So tomorrows menu consists of bacon, eggs and flavored water for breakfast, string cheese for morning and afternoon snack, meat sticks, fat free jello and whipped cream and a salad with olives, pepperoni's, and low fat dressing for lunch, and for supper a pork pattie, green beans and cooked cabbage. You're thinking, ughhhh, sounds blah, but until I can get a good idea of what I can and can't eat, I'm choosing from the list in the book and picking what I like to eat. I got some of those tea packets to put in my water that I'm going to choke down. I HATE water!!! But we'll see on that one.

I have my virtual girl and when I start losing weight you'll be able to move the cursor to the middle position which will show my current weight, to either side and it will show starting weight and goal. I am also adding a ticker to the page for my weight loss goal too. Any fun gadget that might keep my eye on the prize. Looking like a normal woman in shorts come May and the opening day of Junior Babe Ruth Baseball. Cheer ME ON!!!