Sunday Success

You may remember that I set weight loss goals for myself. It's more than losing weight, it's about being healthy and making myself happy with my body again. Dieting can be frustrating. You feel like you're counting every calorie, monitoring what you eat, working out, not giving in to every craving and yet the scale doesn't seem to be moving down as quickly as you would like. So far, I've been using My Fitness Pal on my iphone to count calories and monitor my food, as well as exercising, for about 3 weeks. So far, I'm only down about 4 pounds. Very small victory, and I hadn't been noticing any difference in my clothing, appearance, etc. Until today! I wore a dress to church this morning that I haven't worn since December. I was rewarded when I realized that the dress was fitting a little looser and laying better than it had the last time I wore it. It may be a baby step, but it's a step! I'm definitely feeling better today now that I've noticed a small change in my body! Success is a wonderful feeling!I hope y'all are having a wonderful Sunday and enjoyed your weekend!

xx, Emily Ann

Fitting Into My Lilly

I've been fighting the weight loss battle for years. It's been up and down and back up again as I try diets, exercise, etc. I was an athlete in junior high and high school, but then once my sports season was over or I decided to move on to the more "intellectual" end of things by joining the yearbook and newspaper, I wasn't getting the regular activity anymore. Once I moved on to college, my weight dropped like crazy (I know, I didn't put on the Freshman 15, or as we call it the Mizzou 22) because of how homesick I was. I dropped from my usual size 8 to a size 4 as a existed on goldfish crackers and diet coke. I don't recommend this diet. While I didn't see any issues in my diet, and I was happy with me "new body" the weight just came back on with a vengeance my sophomore year when I moved into the sorority house and had regular meals again.

The summer I turned 21, I dropped a few pounds and was back to my "normal" weight- right around a size 8 again. However, from my Junior year to know my weight just keeps climbing. It's been gradual to the point that I don't notice until I try to fit in clothes which fit the previous season. So now, I'm wearing a size 12 which is rather large for my petite frame. (I'm under 5'2") I knew I'd put on some weight, but the realization of just how much didn't hit until earlier this week.

I finally purchased my coveted Keetan Dress in Hotty Pink First Impression at a price I could justify. I bought it in a size 8 from a fellow Lilly-lover, the same size I tried on in a Via store in July that fit just fine. When it came in the mail and I tried it on, I found it to be VERY snug in the hips and I couldn't zip it up all the way. BIG PROBLEM! I had been hoping to wear this dress for Easter Sunday, but now I'm worried I can't drop the weight fast enough! This realization has me feeling more motivated to lose weight than I have been in a very long time- sometimes it takes a kick in the booty to get on the right track!

I've started using an iPhone app called "My Fitness Pal." I had a friend who used it in college, and several of the girls on Shifting Lilly have recommended it. So now, I'm doing my best to stick to a 1,200 calorie a day diet. Eating less fatty foods, more fruits and veggies, and more eating at home and less take-out. Working out has been very hard for me to be consistent with, but I've made the effort to work out the last two days! I have used my Zumba Fitness for the Wii to have fun while I work out, and I've done some minor weight lifting with push-ups, sit ups, etc. I know it won't be easy, but in order to be a better, healthier me- and fit into my Lilly- it's time to get serious about taking off the pounds!

Hopefully blogging about my efforts, as well as the support from my lovely Lilly-loving friends, will help me to be successful!

xx, Emily Ann