The second thing I put in my Walmart cart, after my food scale, was a digital weight scale. It was the first scale I ever owned. In the past I would just wait till I got sick and then get weighed at the doctor's office. I thought that if I didn't see my weight creeping up then it wasn't true how many pounds I was putting on. Denial is a terrible thing. So I bought my scale, brought it home, took it out of the box, and probably gave it a dirty look. In those first few weeks when I wasn't losing any weight I figured that the scale was broken and I thought about taking it back. But then the doctor's scale said the same thing and I knew it wasn't the scale. But my body refusing to lose pounds. But I stuck with my new healthy lifestyle. I didn't give up because I knew that eventually those pounds would start coming off.
I first started weighing myself on Fridays. But, when I would do it on Fridays I found that I wasn't paying much attention to what I was eating on Saturdays and Sundays. Then I decided to change to Mondays that way I would keep focus during the weekends. June of 2014 a friend of mine started a weight loss challenge. Everyone who wanted to enter paid 25 bucks and at the end the person who lost the biggest percentage would win the pot. This challenge was conducted on Facebook and we had to post our weigh ins into a private group. Talk about intimidation. But every Monday morning I stepped on the scale took a picture and posted it. It got me in the habit of taking a snapshot of my weight, and even after the challenge was over I have continued to take a picture and keep a record of my weight loss. Oh and by the way I lost that weight loss challenge. I got second place.
It doesn't really matter to me when you weigh yourself that's a matter of personal preference. Just pick a day and a time and stick to that schedule. I think the best time is in the morning, after you have taken care of business and before you have breakfast. Your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. That's why I say pick a day and a certain time. I have done all kinds of weight experiments. I have done it before going to the bathroom, after using the bathroom, clothed and naked, before working out and after working out, before and after showering. I have concluded that for me the best is Monday morning, after using the bathroom, naked, before eating breakfast, before working out, and before showering. My husband says it's cheating to step on the scale naked, but I don't think my clothes should be held against me. Besides when a baby is born it's weighed naked. And I kid you not to this day I still have a hard time believing when the scale says that I lost weight. Therefore are days when I will step on the scale. Take the picture. Step off...step back on see what it says...step off, step back on (sometimes holding my Yorkie) and then see what it says. Then I get off the scale, put poor Maggie down and weigh myself one last time, just to make sure that it's not lying. By the way I know what Maggie weighs was well and she could probably use less Milkbones.
One day in July of 2014 I was wondering how many calories were in a banana. So I typed into the the search box "how many calories in a banana" and it took me to the website: FatSecret (there will be a post coming soon about the wonder that is FS). Essentially it's a site that keeps track of calories, activities and weight progression, but at the same time so much more. After joining FS I decided to start weighing myself every day. BIG mistake. Like I said before your weight can fluctuate throughout the day and it can also fluctuate throughout the week. And even though I was losing weight by the end of the week I was missing the overall loss because I was obsessing over my weight every day. After about 3 weeks of doing it that way and getting supremely frustrated I went back to Monday mornings, and I have never looked back. I know one guy who weighs himself everyday and then takes a weekly average. And I know others who weight themselves several times a day. You just have to find the method that works for you and stick with it.
I also post my weigh in pictures to Facebook. Yup, I make them public. I have let everyone and their friends see what I weigh. It keeps me accountable. I remember the first time I posted the picture I thought I was going to hyperventilate and pass out. I couldn't believe what I had done. But everyone has been so supportive. I also weigh in on FatSecret. There too my buddies are the best! I love every single one of you guys and I can't thank you enough for all the support. Don't be scared to put yourself out there. There may be some people who are jerks but you will find that mostly everyone will be super encouraging.
And last but not least remember this: IT'S JUST A NUMBER. I know how frustrating it can be when you are working so hard and not seeing those numbers go down. But a scale cannot measure who you are as a person. It cannot measure the inches that you are losing. It cannot measure how healthy you are getting. And every single healthy step you take is a step in the right direction. Keep on stepping!
After
being so frustrated for those first 3 months I really needed to take a good close look at what I was doing and mainly what I was eating. I decided to start to keeping track of everything I was putting in my mouth. I had my food scale and I would weigh what I was going to eat, but one day I was wondering exactly how many calories were in the banana I was going to eat, I did a search I found a site called fatsecret, http://www.fatsecret.com/ and I
started an online food journal and logged every single thing I ate and drank. On FS you can even keep track of your activities. And find lots and lots of support. I really truly turned the corner when I found fatsecret. I even downloaded the app to my phone and my Ipad. So I can have it with me everywhere I go. And FS is not the only website dedicated to helping people lose weight. I know some of my friends use spark people, http://www.sparkpeople.com/landing_free_plus2011.asp I'm sure there are many sites and apps out there to help you keep track of what you are eating. Besides you might as well keep track of your food, because even if you don't I promise you, your body is. Another thing that helped me start to really lose the weight was that I completely quit sodas, sweet teas, and all those sugary drinks. I wasn't a big soda drinker to begin with
but just stopping the occasional one I was drinking made a huge
difference. You can't even imagine how much sugar is in one of those cans. It's pure poison. Quit them, they are slowly killing you. And I know, I've heard it before, you have to have that Dr. Pepper, but you really don't need it. Would you eat 22 packets of sugar? Then why drink them?
One day I was looking on Pinterest and I came across an idea to make a weight loss chart. I thought it would be a good way to gauge my weight loss. So I got myself a poster board and a ruler and got started. At this point I had already lost 40 pound and I considered starting the chart at that weight. But I had already worked so hard to lose those 40 that I realized that I needed to start it at my original weight of 280. This is when I really had to think about my goal weight. Where did I want to end up? I thought that maybe 160 would be a good goal. So marked off to 160 and I put the chart in my bedroom where I would see it every day. Because this journey is an everyday mission. It's not just Monday to Friday, it's the weekends too. And every pound I lost would get crossed off. I sure did get a lot of satisfaction crossing off those numbers.
When I finished crossing off the front of the poster board. I started to think that maybe I could actually make my goal weight 150.
I discussed my new weight goal with with my family doctor and he said that 150
would be an ideal weight for me. Especially factoring in my age, and
that I had a baby. He said 150...perfect. When people asking me about
losing weight and exercising, I tell them what I had decided for myself
but to always discuss any questions they have with their doctor. I went ahead and added those last 10 pounds to the chart and kept on plugging away. When people would tell me, that I had lost enough weight and I should stop. I would just smile and think, NOPE I'm going to reach my goal. And today I got to cross off those last few pounds. Talk about a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction! 
Over the course of this past year I
have done all kinds of different exercises. I started with one of my friends who is an instructor at our local gym. Her class is called Healthy Beginnings, and she had us doing different workouts. We did weight training and cardio and pretty much anything that would get us moving. I learned how to use the free weights, the weight machines, the medicine balls, the stability balls, and the kettlebells. After I started losing more weight I would try different things or use just a bit heavier weights, to make sure that I wouldn't not hit a plateau. And I never hit a plateau. In July I did my first 5K powder run...well I had to walk it, but I finished it! In August 2014 my friend brought in a PiYo DVD. PiYo = a combination of pilates and yoga. At first it was pretty hard. But you do get stronger as each week goes by. It's an 8 week program, and if anyone hasn't tried it, I recommend it. It's a fantastic program. After the 8 weeks I sent my results to beach body, http://www.teambeachbody.com/ and I got a free PiYo t-shirt. In fact at the beginning of this month, we started our second round of PiYo, and now I'm seriously considering becoming a certified PiYo instructor. After PiYo we did T25, challenging. But it was fun and the workouts are only 25 minutes long. Then came P90. The prequel to P90X. I really loved it. Weight training and cardio and Tony Horton showing us how to punch and throw elbows. Fantastic! I have also done a couple of zumba classes but I'm not very coordinated so zumba is kinda hard for me. I walk on the treadmill and the elliptical. I still work all parts of my body. My advice is don't get stuck in a rut. Your body will get used to the routine and that's when you can hit a plateau. Always listen to your body it will tell you when it's ready for more. And you will be surprised as to what your body can do. In March I was hired to have my own workout class at the gym. I was so surprised and honored to become an instructor and I named my class Total Tone. Talk about going places I never even dreamed were possible 14 months ago. 
I
took me years to put on 100+ pounds, and so I knew that it was going
to take a while to lose it. And it took me almost exactly 14 months. Time well spent. Tears and
sweat and frustrations, it was all worth it! Was it hard? Yes, but like I say, hard does NOT equal impossible. Losing weight and
getting fit and health is something that we can all do. YOU CAN DO IT!