H2Woah

I feel like all I have been doing the past couple of days is drinking water. I am notorious for not keeping hydrated. In fact, before this lifestyle change, I was lucky to drink 2 sodas a day and that would be it. In an attempt to help my body loose weight and feel better, I have been drinking water constantly. Not only does it keep me full and help curve my cravings, but it also is flushing all the bad things out of my body so that I can focus on just putting healthy things in.This has been my greatest challenge thus far. If I am not thirsty, it is hard to make myself drink. However, I am finding that the more I drink, the more my body wants water so its becoming easier to do. It is also helping flush all the water my body has been holding onto out. I hope to see good results at my weigh in, not only because of the good food choices I have been making but also because of all the water weight I will loose.

Sweet Tooth

My sweet tooth has been on full force today. I find that I am making good choices when it comes to meals, but turning down left over Christmas candy and cookies is rough. To help keep my cravings to a minimum(they will never be fully gone) I do one of three things: 1. I chew gum. If I have gum in my mouth I am less likely to eat something. 2. I eat a piece of fruit. Fruit (kinda) satisfies the need for sweets and it's 0 WW points which is nice. 3. I drink water. Whenever I get a craving I take a drink of water. Filling my belly up that way is way safer than eating a cookie or piece of cake. Cheating and indulging is okay now and then; but I need to create a lifestyle or a habit before I cheat. Cheating now would be more like reverting to my old ways. If I do that once I will be likely to just say "forget it" and give up. Keeping myself accountable will help me shed the pounds!

Thintimidation

Today was my first day on the Weight Watchers Simple Start plan and I am officially intimidated. It's not that it is hard... I'm not hungry or unhappy... Intact I actually felt more satisfied with the power foods that I chose today. The problem is that I am so afraid of messing up that I tend to sabotage myself. There are definitely things that I am going to have to change to ensure my success, because after all, I have to look at this as a lifestyle change not a diet. Change #1: I will plan meals ahead of time and grocery shop. My WW leader said something yesterday that really stuck with me: it's easier to say no to something once in the store than it is to say not to it twenty times in your house. We will see.

Motivation

Today I marked the beginning of my journey by joining Weight Watchers...hopefully it works. They suggested that I take a second and reflect on what is motivating me to loose the weight and change my lifestyle so here are my reasons:

1. I have to look good for my best friends wedding... Maid of honor means all eyes on you (sorry bride, we all know who the star is) and I want to look good!
2. I have been feeling exceptionally lazy and I am hoping that with this change in lifestyle comes a change in energy level...
3. I want to look good in the adorable clothes I buy...
4. To piggy back on #3... I pay way to much for clothes, I want to buy clothes where ever I want instead of being forced to buy from stores that are outrageously expensive. 
5. No one will love me until I love myself... and lets face it, this version of me does not deserve my love. I am tired of being the PFF and want to become the healthy, beautiful confident friend... then I will be able to find myself a man!

Lets Start at the Very Beginning

So here it is... my first post. I guess I should introduce myself for those of you who will (hopefully) draw inspiration from my story, my name is Erin. I am a college junior who is overweight and over it. As the end of 2013 came, I found myself reflecting on what had happened in that year: my best friend got engaged, my other best friend had a baby, I was lucky enough to serve my sorority in an amazing position, I was accepted to the college of Education and Human services, I visited Rome and I got to spend time with some pretty talented students. Looking at all that I have been able to do and all the wonderful things in my life it is hard to say that something was missing. I found that I wasn't as happy with myself or my life as i wanted to be. After much reflection, and an inner monologue that lasted about a week (that nobody has time to read) I discovered that all of my unhappiness was stemming from my weight. I have always been a bigger girl but I am finding that as I get older, I am less "okay" with my body and the way I look and feel... plus I pay way too much for clothes... its ridiculous. So I decided that with a New Year would come a new me...however, I am terrible about keeping resolutions so I am hoping that you will help me. My thought is, by keeping a blog maybe I will be more inclined to actually stick with this...we'll see.