Wake Up Call

We all get one.

A wake up call.

You know -- that something that brings your attention to the one task (or for me, a list of tasks) that you need to get done in order to avoid DEATH.

Okay, so maybe not all of the tasks I've got to get done will help me avoid death. But the first one is sure to keep death away. And diabetes. And heart disease. And cancer.

I'm 38 years old. I've got two children and a wonderful husband. And if I don't lose weight soon, I may not live to see 40.

I've always had a weight problem. The only time in my life when I was not obese was high school, and the one year immediately following.

Between then and now, I've lost weight, gained it back plus more, and so on and so on, at least 8 times.

I've tried weight loss programs, weight loss "strips," and read tons of weight management books.

Yet, here I am, nearly 135 pounds overweight.

And at my age, losing that kind of weight is not easy.

I had definitely planned on "getting back into shape" after the new year. But something happened today that made me get my ass off the couch and put a plan into action.

We bought our kids a new Wii game for Christmas -- "Kids Dance Party" to be exact.

And I could barely finish ONE SONG before feeling light headed and winded.

One song.

"Funkytown."

And if that wasn't bad enough, I decided to bust out the Wii Fit board and weigh myself for the first time in months.

Weight: 294 pounds

Seriously.

It's the most I've EVER WEIGHED. Ever.

No wonder I always feel like crap. And my clothes don't fit. And I can't sleep.

So here I am, at the very beginning of a long journey. It became so important to me that I couldn't wait until January 1 to begin. I had to start NOW.

I've spent the first half of my life being stupid. Period. There is no other way to describe it.

I eat like a pig. I drink like a sailor. And I spend money when I shouldn't.

The second half of my life will be better.

I will look fabulous. Feel fabulous. Be a fabulous wife and mom. And a fabulous CEO of my own house and finances.

This is the first of many posts. I've started this blog because I need it for accountability and a point of reference. I also needed a way to share my experiences with other people who have started or need to start the same journey as me.

One more thing: You wouldn't go somewhere you've never been before with out a map, right? Well, I've never been HERE before. (I've been at the start of a weight loss goal, but NEVER at this weight, and it's never been more important than now. So technically, this is a "different" journey. A new trip.) So, I mapped out a plan and put it on THIS PAGE.

I've also set up a page that tracks progress. First, it will track progress of my weight loss goal. From there, I will also track progress of the other tasks on my "List" page. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will this blog. It will always be evolving and expanding!

That's it for today.

Tomorrow will be better.