Weekly Weigh-in #4: Slow and Steady Progress

We've been at this for four weeks now--that's nearly a month--and have consistently dropped pounds each week. This weigh-in is no exception. Here are the numbers:

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: 284 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 2 pounds
Total pounds lost: 17 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 226 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 1 pound
Total pounds lost: 12 pounds

Woo-hoo! We did good. I know Mr. thinks he should have done better (he still has unrealistic expectations for himself). And I admit, I feel a tad (just a tad) disappointed that I didn't have another 2-pound loss like last week.

But a pound gone is a pound gone. Plus, I've been doing some weight training, which hopefully has been building muscle. So maybe that's adding weight, even as I'm losing fat. Who knows? We're going to keep at it, doing our very best to get fit with each meal we choose and workout we do. Next week, we'll have our fifth week in a row of weight loss. Just you watch!

Mr.'s Favorite Eggs Recipe

A short while ago I developed (quite by accident) a recipe for eggs. To be honest, it's more of a method of "flavoring" eggs rather than a complicated list of instructions. Still, Susan and I immediately fell in love with the flavor of eggs prepared this way ... and Mrs. insisted that I share the recipe with you.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Mr.'s Favorite Eggs

Ingredients:

• Two cage-free (or free range) eggs
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Plain soy milk (Silk is our brand of choice)
• Light (or fat free) Monterey Jack shredded cheese
  
• Jalapeno (green) hot sauce
• Roasted garlic hot sauce

Preparation:
Crack open the cage-free eggs into a mixing bowl and discard the shells (duh). Add a dash of sea salt and black pepper. Add 1/8th cup of plain soy milk. Add 1/8th or 1/4th cup of light Monterey jack shredded cheese (depending on how cheesy you want your eggs to be). Add one teaspoon of jalapeno hot sauce and one teaspoon of roasted garlic hot sauce.

Scramble all ingredients and cook in a non-stick skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Serves two.

We usually serve eggs with fruit and whole grain toast for a healthy breakfast. Enjoy.

Be careful about the use of light cheese in the recipe. A single serving size is usually only 1/4th cup with 80-100 calories and 4-5g of fat per serving depending on the brand. On the other hand, fat free cheese is only 45 calories and zero fat. We prefer cage-free eggs because of the taste, but your choice of eggs is up to you. Nutrition information on eggs varies depending on the source, but a single egg usually contains 75-80 calories and 4.5-5g of fat ... plus 15 percent of your daily recommended allowance of protein and 17 vitamins and minerals.

Just be aware that eating too many eggs and too much cheese can be bad for your cholesterol levels and therefore bad for your heart. All good things should be eaten in moderation.

It's Got to Be Convenient

Call me lazy, but I don't think I could stick to a healthy lifestyle that was totally (or even somewhat) inconvenient. If I had to make special recipes that involved a lot of ingredients and time, I wouldn't do it. Or if I had to drive for miles every day to exercise at a special facility, I wouldn't do that either.

After a number of (failed) attempts to be fit/lose weight over the years, I started this time with the full awareness that I needed convenient, healthy options whenever and wherever possible.

That's why I buy nearly all of my vegetables either frozen in one of those microwave-steam bags or pre-washed and ready to eat. I even got pre-chopped onions in the frozen aisle the other day, because we had a recipe calling for onions--and Mr. and I HATE chopping onions. (Oh, the tears.)

I am willing to cut up strawberries for cereal and such, but I use a lot of berries because they're quick to wash and eat. Apples are great--as long as I have an apple-slicer nearby. Bananas are the best! Just peel and eat.

Even though I know fruits and veggies are the healthiest snacks, I do like other types of food. You know, like sweet stuff. Carbs. I deal with that by getting tasty, yet healthy, prepackaged snacks, such as those new Special K Bliss bars (chocolate and raspberry--deeeelicious!) and SmartPop! 100-calorie popcorn.

Exercise works the same way. My office has a gym and a locker/shower room, so I can pop in there anytime for a workout. If that doesn't happen, we have a stationary bike in our basement, plus a few DVDs for pilates and yoga. I also try to be as active as I can throughout the day, whether it's choosing the stairs over the elevator or walking more briskly from parking lots to buildings.

So far, these options have helped me stick to our Guiding Principles. If being lazy is wrong, I don't wanna be right!

Honesty Is the Best Policy

As Mr. and I work to shed our old, unhealthy habits for shiny, new fit ones, we also have to be more honest with ourselves.

As a fundamental part of our unhealthy lifestyle, we often ignored the negative impact our food intake and lack of exercise were having on us. Oh, sometimes we'd have a moment of pure disgust with ourselves and talk about how we needed to change. But usually, we'd both just become silent, complicit partners in our own little crime of treating our bodies like crap.

I don't want to speak for Mr., but personally I've felt refreshed in the past few weeks with how real I can be with myself. Because I'm choosing each snack and meal for its nutrition, satisfaction, and taste, I know I'm doing right by me. And if I consider eating something that's not helpful, like a glass of wine, I can conduct that internal conversation about whether to eat/drink it.

It's also been like that with my workouts. I used to say, "I walked to the office from the parking lot. That's enough exercise." Uh, yeah, right. Now, I constantly monitor myself as I walk on the treadmill or lift weights. Am I sweating like a pig? Out of breath? Are my muscles feeling enough burn? If I'm pushing too hard, I ease up. If I'm taking it too easy, I step it up. Either way, I know being honest is the only way I can get and stay fit.

The Fat Acceptance Movement

Anyone who's been fat in America knows about being rejected, looked down upon, made fun of, and harshly judged because of excess weight. It's not easy being fat sometimes.

But I didn't realize there are actually people who support and promote a "Fat Acceptance" movement, as described in this New York Times article. A growing number of bloggers have created what the Times called the "Fatosphere":

Fat acceptance bloggers contend that the war on obesity has given people an excuse to wage war on fat people and that health concerns — coupled with the belief that fat people have only themselves to blame for being fat — are being used to justify discrimination that would not be tolerated toward just about any other group of people.

I definitely agree that a person should not be discriminated against based on his or her weight (or sex, race, sexual preference, religion, etc.) But I wondered if "fat acceptance" also meant "go ahead and be fat, who cares about being healthy?"

According to one of the bloggers interviewed for the article, Rachel Richardson (a fellow Cincinnatian!), the answer is "nope." Here's what she had to say on her own blog, The F-Word:

No one in the fat acceptance movement is suggesting fat people ought “give up” or lounge around eating Twinkies all day - far from it. Many members of the fat acceptance movement promote a health and wellness concept known as Health at Every Size (HAES). The approach encourages people to kick the vicious and often unsuccessful yo-yo dieting habit and to develop a healthy relationship with food and eating. Subscribers learn to to listen to their bodies for cues on hunger and satiety and exercise is promoted not as means of weight loss, but as physical activities to be enjoyed with myriad and multiple health benefits. The end result is that you settle into your body’s natural setpoint range - which may or may not be thin - that is maintainable without dieting, obsessing over food and/or killing yourself at the gym.

I thought this was a very cool concept. I'm all for eating healthy, being active, and actually liking myself along the journey. I definitely am against yo-yo dieting and crazy extremes to be skinny.

I still believe Mr. and I need to keep up with our fit lifestyle, and quite frankly, I still want to drop all those excess pounds. But my goal of 150 pounds isn't really "thin" or an unrealistic obsession. It's totally reasonable, I think, and a good goal to aim for in my quest for a fit Mrs.

Weekly Weigh-in #3: Another Three Down

This week's weigh-in comes a day early because I have to leave town for yet another business trip and I won't be here for our regularly scheduled Tuesday weigh-in.

After three full weeks of making healthy lifestyle choices I was more than a little worried about this week's weigh-in. Susan was once again eager to find out how much we lost this week ... and I was eager to avoid finding out how much I've gained.

Please don't misunderstand me. I've been eating right and exercising, but I missed a day of exercise this last week and I've been feeling guilty about it ever sense. Sure, six days of exercise in a week is still better than zero. I just felt like I didn't work as hard as I could have worked ... which is why I stepped onto the scale feeling like I deserved to gain weight this week.

Thankfully, if you're overweight the human body always responds to healthy eating and regular exercise in the same way: you lose weight. Thank goodness for mother nature.

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: 286 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 3 pounds
Total pounds lost: 15 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 227 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 3 pounds
Total pounds lost: 11 pounds

Mrs. was thrilled by the results. I, on the other hand, still can't help but feel a little guilty. I could have (and should have) worked harder with my exercise routine this week. While losing another three pounds is great the fact is that I've still got a long, long way to go.

I don't mean to sound so depressed. The truth is I'm thrilled about losing 15 pounds in three weeks. I just know that I won't feel as good about the results each week unless I know that I've given 100 percent during my workouts.

One month ago I never would have dreamed that missing one day of exercise could give me this much guilt. Oh well, time to go lift some weights.

Hosting While You're Getting Fit

Tonight, I hosted my first social gathering since we started getting fit. It was a pretty easy one--my monthly book club--but I still sweated a bit over it.

I didn't want to be the "lady on a diet who only serves diet food," forcing my guests into my healthy lifestyle when they're in my home. But I also didn't want to use this event as an excuse to pig out. Or make it incredibly difficult for me (or anyone else trying to get/stay fit) to make healthy choices.

I decided to offer mostly "non-diet" food, like TGI Friday's buffalo wings, Ghirardelli chocolates, wine, and chocolate-dipped graham crackers. But I also had a veggie tray, Weight Watchers 1-point snack cakes, and Coke Zero. Some of my guests were kind enough to bring their own goodies, too, adding to the table of delights.

Taking the safe route, I stuck to veggies and even had a couple of crackers with cheese, plus I allowed myself two glasses of wine. But no wings, no chocolates, no nacho cheese dip. I know, I could've had any of these in moderation. Not all of them, lots of them, and more!, like I used to. I just didn't want to go down a bad road, you know?

The whole affair seemed to go pretty well. Everyone loved the food (even the veggies), and I sent what remained of the chocolate stuff home with my last few guests. Tomorrow I still need to work out extra hard to burn off the wine calories, but I feel like I did good tonight. Everyone had fun, and I stayed on the path to Fitdom.

Navigating the Office Minefield of Temptation

Going into this whole "get fit" thing, I knew one of my toughest challenges would be sticking to my guns at the office. Why? Let me paint the picture for you:

• Post-meeting bagels and double-chocolate muffins, just there for the taking
• Huge jars filled with "mini" candies like Snickers and Reese's on people's desks--free to hungry passersby
• Tins full of homemade cookies or fudge, baked by some well-meaning employee who just wants to do something nice for her coworkers
• Food ordered for breakfast or lunch meetings, ranging from Donato's pizza (34 grams of fat per serving) and 380-calorie chocolate chunk cookies to Bruegger's 600-calorie bagel sandwiches with chips and cookies.
  
• Goodies sent by vendors trying to get on our good side
• Cakes, cakes, cakes to celebrate every occasion
  

As you can see, it's not easy to see tempting treats at every turn and not gobble them up immediately. I used to, all the time, without a second thought.

Now, I stop... take a deep breath... and walk on by. I turn to my secret drawer of healthy snacks as an alternative, or for lunch meetings, eat my regular healthy lunch while everyone else happily scarfs the pizza or sandwiches.

At such times, I try not to feel sorry for myself or judge my coworkers. Rather, I remind myself that this is a conscious choice. I want to eat my healthy stuff and reject the temptations because of long-term, numerous benefits. But man, when it's 3 p.m. and my tummy starts growling and I'm inches away from a tin of Bailey's Irish Creme chocolate fudge ... I consider it a small miracle that I can turn away.

Weekly Weigh-in #2: A Difference Indeed!

Mrs. and I arrived home after work and Susan immediately insisted that we jump on the scale to do our own weekly weigh-in. I can't say I was too enthusiastic about it. It's common knowledge that the human body compensates after you start eating right and exercising, so I didn't expect that either of us would lose as much weight as we did last week.

Sure, Susan put in more time at the gym and I've taken additional steps to make sure I don't eat huge portions. However, it's not uncommon to see a slight weight increase during your second week of a healthier lifestyle after your body adapts to less food and more exercise.

In any case, part of me was still anxious to see our results after week two of our "getting fit" lifestyle. Imagine my surprise when we both saw a lower number on the scale:

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: 289 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 4.5 pounds
Total pounds lost: 12 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 230 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 2 pounds
Total pounds lost: 8 pounds

Granted, the weight loss might not be as impressive as it was during week one, but our bodies are getting used to the fact that we're eating less fat and calories and that we're working out every day. The big news for me is that I'm now officially less than 100 pounds from my goal weight (190 lbs). No more triple-digit weight loss needed!

Once again, we hugged, we kissed, and this time we skipped the geeky "happy dance" in favor of celebrating with some veggies and an "Almost Fast Food Burger." No, we didn't kill our healthy lifestyle with greasy burgers from the golden arches. I found a "relatively healthy" burger recipe on the official website for The Biggest Loser: Couples. It's only 281 calories ... not bad at all for an occasional dinner.

Now we have to go work out. Let's hope we can continue this weight loss trend into next week ... and beyond.

Already Noticing the Difference

After nearly two weeks of gettin' fit, Mrs. is noticing some positive effects. (Mr. will have to speak for himself.)

I feel fuller after eating less than I used to. I guess my giant stomach is actually shrinking--though my pants haven't quite gotten the memo yet.

I can go up a level on the bike or elliptical, and work out longer without feeling like I'm going to keel over.

When I lift weights (very small, light ones), I'm sore afterward, but it goes away more quickly.

Even though I still pretty much look the same, I don't feel as horrible about myself. I feel like, "Hey, I'm making serious efforts here to look and feel better. So what you see right now? It's temporary. Come back in six months." Just a tiny bit of confidence building.

I still have miles and pounds and much sweat to go before I sleep. But I've made progress that's actually tangible to me. That's a good feeling.

Setting a Good Example

One of our main reasons for getting fit is our daughter, Cassie. We want to live long and prosper while helping her grow up into a happy, healthy, successful person. Beyond that, we hope to enjoy her for many years when she's an adult and has a family of her own.

But it's not just about us and our health. We also hope to teach Cassie how to stay healthy. Just like showing her how to brush her teeth and buckle her seatbelt, we have to set a good example for nutrition and exercise.

Fortunately, she's at an age (20 months) where she hasn't acquired unhealthy habits yet. She's willing to try new foods and follow our lead with activity. In the past week or so, we've been eating much more healthfully than we used to, and Cassie goes right along with us. She delights in every berry and banana we put on her tray, and squeals for salad.

Following the barrage of sweets over the holidays, she was asking for "choc-o-late" pretty often. But now we tell her, "We don't have any chocolate. Let's have some apple instead." And she's cool with that.

Of course, exercise is not a problem for her. She's constantly moving, climbing, and running around from the moment she wakes up till she conks out in her crib. But our Cassie already is a TV head, and often wants to "Watch a mooovie." We have to be careful about how much time she spends sitting on the couch, passively watching TV.

We want to encourage her physical activity, take her to playgrounds or the children's museum, go for walks, or even just chase her around the house. It's good for us to burn calories, but it's also crucial to set an example of healthy activity in her everyday life.

Thank You, Seats 29D, 29E, and 29F

I returned from a grueling business trip to Las Vegas yesterday and found some unexpected inspiration on the flight home. Since I'm a horribly overweight man I rarely look forward to airline travel because it means squeezing my big butt into a narrow seat and trying not to feel claustrophobic.

Much to my surprise, the biggest inconvenience I endured on the flight back to Cincinnati wasn't the size of my seat ... it was the size of the people in the seats in front of me. My assigned seat for the return flight was 30D and, as luck would have it, a morbidly obese couple was seated in 29D and 29E. When I say, "morbidly obese" I mean the husband weighed at least 400 pounds and the wife weighed at least 280 pounds. This dynamic duo was so massive that the thin young lady in seat 29F was forced to move to another seat in order to avoid being crushed against the window.

When the massive husband and wife team (now occupying seats 29D, 29E, and 29F) sat down all three seats moved back about six inches into row 30 ... the row where I and two strangers were seated. Remember, it's cramped enough as it is on a commercial airliner and now our row lost an additional six inches of space because the seats in front weren't designed to take that much weight.

To make matters worse, the obese husband decided he needed to lean his seat (or rather seats) back. So both seats 29D and 29E were pushed back an additional four or more inches ... right into the faces of the people seated in 30D and 30E (myself included). These two seats were pushed so far back that it was almost impossible to use the seat back tray tables. And that's the way I spent the next three and a half hours of my day on Tuesday.

All that being said, I bear no ill will toward the airline or even the obese couple seated in front of me. In fact, I'm thankful they sat in front of me. Enduring that situation inspired me to never allow myself to gain that much weight. What's more, I was inspired to continue to lose weight until I reach my goal weight. I even gave a portion of the snack provided by the flight attendant to the person seated next to me rather than eat it myself.

When I saw the couple in row 29 I realized how dangerously close Susan and I were to their weight. That's not the kind of life I want to live, and I know Susan feels the same way. I didn't write this post to brag about my own weight or to make fun of the couple in front of me on the flight. When I looked at them it was almost like looking into a mirror ... and I didn't like what I saw.

Thank you for helping me stay focused on improving my own health.

Weekly Weigh-in #1: We Did It!

Jay got home home from his business trip just in time for us to catch tonight's two-hour The Biggest Loser: Couples and do our own weekly weigh-in. While it wasn't as dramatic as the TV show (nobody's kicking us off our own blog), we both were pretty anxious to see the results of our first week of getting fit.

I'm happy to report we both saw terrific results on the scale:

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: 293.5 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 7.5 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 232 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 6 pounds

Woohoo! We hugged, and I did a happy dance. Jay immediately jumped on the stationary bike for 30 minutes, despite his sore feet from walking in Vegas for three days. I did it after him. We both felt so motivated by our success to keep going. Let's hope we can do it again this week.

Inspiration to Get Fit

Getting fit takes a huge amount of effort, mostly to change ingrained behavior. Like swimming against the current, running against the wind ... you get the picture. That's why a healthy dose of inspiration comes in handy.

Periodically, Mr. and Mrs. will post our own inspirations. We'd love to hear about yours, too! Post them in the comments, please.

Here's my latest inspiration: the latest issue of People featuring individuals and couples who lost "half their size" -- literally hundreds of pounds.

Each person had his or her own way of doing it. Some followed diets, others just did their own thing and exercised. But hearing how people just like us decided to get fit and actually did it (and maintained--even more impressive) is very motivational for me.

FYI: The actual articles are only in the print edition, so if you want to get inspired, you'll have to shell out for the magazine next time you're in the grocery checkout.

The Starting Point

This is where our journey to fit begins. It isn't pretty, and it isn't fun. As difficult and embarrassing as it is for us to reveal, here's what we look like currently and our starting (and goal) weights:

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Goal weight: 190 pounds
Total pounds to lose: 111 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Goal weight: 150 pounds
Total pounds to lose: 88 pounds

Together, our excess fat totals 199 pounds, or the equivalent of a very large extra person. We thought about that like there's a third "person" in our marriage--made entirely of fat--who lives, works, and goes everywhere with us. That is scary (and creepy, if you think about it).

We wanted to keep it real and show the world just how far we have to go. At least we know we're not alone. Three-quarters of our fellow Americans are fat like us!

But we're also not alone in our efforts to get fit. We have each other, and I know many others are starting 2008 with big plans of their own to make this the year they live healthy. As much of an uphill battle as it is, we have hope. For us and for you.

As the pounds come off, we'll periodically show you how our bodies are changing. We look forward to when we can be proud of what we look like, rather than ashamed. And as our health improves, we'll be sure to brag about that, too--whether it's liver enzymes or cholesterol numbers. It all adds up to a fit Mr. and Mrs.

Staying Fit On The Road

This weekend marks my first serious roadblock to a healthier me: I have to attend the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas for work. Attending one of the biggest trade shows in the nation might not sound like a big deal on the surface. In fact, visiting Las Vegas is one of my favorite things to do. Unfortunately, I know it means working long hours, and having breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings where I'll be tempted with tasty (fattening) foods.

Susan and I have maintained our healthy lifestyle for less than a week, and now my willpower is going to be tested like never before. Just eating 10 corn chips and two tablespoons of cheese dip as an appetizer means eating as much fat and as many calories as a single healthy meal ... without the fiber or other nutritional value. To make matters worse, I know that I'll be offered many coffee drinks and alcoholic beverages during meetings in Las Vegas.

On the bright side, I know I'll be getting more exercise than usual because CES covers almost the entire Vegas Strip. At any given hour I'll be running from a meeting at the Las Vegas Convention Center to a meeting at the MGM ... and then running to another meeting at the Venetian or Cesar's Palace. Thank goodness I'm bringing some comfortable shoes.

To help me resist the temptation to ruin all that exercise by eating fast food or appetizers loaded with fat and empty calories I'm going to travel with an assortment of healthy snacks. Some of my favorites include:

• Freeze dried fruits
• Low calorie/low sugar energy bars
• Home-made trail mix (see Susan's recipe below)

Of course, it's also important to stay hydrated so I'll be drinking bottled water whenever possible. Overall, I'm looking forward to this business trip ... and I hope my will power is stronger than my appetite.

Hunger Stinks, Snacks Rule

I was at work today, remembering the importance of snacks as I finished my last celery stick at 2:30 p.m. (along with some borrowed peanut butter from my coworker and friend Tela). I was hungry. Now, after many months (or possibly years) of rarely experiencing hunger--due to excessive eating--you might think, hey, a little hunger's not so bad, right?

But it is bad. Especially when coupled with an unintentional caffeine-withdrawal headache. I guzzled water like a champ, running to pee every half hour. But we all know, water's no snack. I needed something to keep me going--and prevent me from making a vending machine run ... or worse.

Lesson learned. I stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home and stocked up on the fixings for Mr. and Mrs. Get Fit Ultimate Snack Mix. Here's the "recipe" (if you can call it that):

Mr. and Mrs. Get Fit Ultimate Snack Mix

• 1 bag macadamia nuts
• 1 bag dry roasted unsalted almonds
• 1 bag dry roasted unsalted cashews
• 1 bag dry roasted unsalted sunflower seeds (or peanuts)
  
• 1 bag dried cherries (pitted)
• 1 bag dried wild blueberries
• 1 bag semisweet chocolate chips

Loosely approximate serving size: 1/3 cup equals 200ish calories. Give or take.

I dumped the contents into a giant mixing bowl, mixed, and doled out small servings into snack-size Ziploc bags to take to work. The rest can stay fresh in a resealable container until we need more snacks.

One other note: We tried those VitaMuffins that Hungry Girl often raves about (the Deep Chocolate ones) for dessert tonight. One hundred calories, lots of vitamins, protein, and fiber, and deeee-licious! She sure knows her stuff.

Day 1: Hey, This Wasn't Too Bad

This is Mrs., checking in for her first day of getting fit. I'm happy to report, it was surprisingly easy.

It helped that I have been prepping for this new lifestyle thing for the last few weeks (mentally). I even cleared the house of all the "bad stuff" and started fixing a lot more fruits and veggies in the past several days.

But today was for real. Last night, I drank plenty of wine and ate lots of junk, knowing full well it would be my last time before embarking on this new life phase. This morning, I dumped the remainder of the Christmas candy in the trash.

Now that I'm starting, I feel oddly relieved. I don't have to dread an impending harsh dietary regimen or painful exercise routine. I can simply leave the past behind, and start living healthier and enjoying the short- and long-term benefits.

Following the guiding principles Jay and I created was no problem. They're totally doable. I measured my Frosted Mini-Wheats this morning, and 1 cup was a lot less than I thought. But after throwing in some fresh pear and apple slices, I was satisfied. Lunch was leftover whole-grain pasta from last night's restaurant dinner, but we enjoyed a hearty salad, too. In the afternoon, I snacked on a few whole-grain Wheat Thins and a Fruitabu fruit snack. For dinner, we had Laura's Lean Beef meat loaf, steamed green beans, and raw carrots. Tasty!

I was pretty active most of the day, running around after our daughter and doing errands (including a hefty grocery-shopping trip--$240!) But I knew that didn't "count" as exercise, so tonight I rode our stationary bike for 30 minutes while watching the season premiere of The Biggest Loser: Couples. Man, talk about motivating!

I sweated like crazy and realized how freakin' out of shape I am as I watched these people just like me doing the same thing. Jay and I were both talking during the show about how glad we are to be doing this. It's the right thing, and we are both 100% committed.

Oh, and in case you're wondering about things like our stats (starting weights, measurements, etc.) or pics (revealing the flab), we are planning to get those up soon. I'm not ready to reveal just how bad things are yet (and they're bad). I want to make a little progress first. Give me a few days, and I will boldly show what most women would rather die than show to the whole world. (yikes)

We can do it!