One month down.

Hellooooooo February!  I can't believe it's here already.

I spent yesterday having a "Lindsay Day" complete with hair, nails, and massage.  Woo hoo for a three paycheck month and having been extremely busy on the heart team with lots of overtime.  I needed it!

Well... after one month of dieting and exercising, I have lost................

drumroll please..........

9.2 pounds!

(Edit - I also just fit into a brand new pair of American Eagle jeans that I've had in my drawer with tags still on them from 2010! I knew one day I would!)

I'm feeling good about myself and actually sticking with the plan to get these pounds off.  I'm religiously tracking what I'm eating on MyFitnessPal and have changed my calories for the day to an amount where I lose 2 pounds per week (1450 calories per day) instead of 1 pound per week (1990 calories per day).  I'm trying to stay under the 1450 but I'm okay if I go slightly above but definitely stay below the 1990.  I lost about 2 pounds per week on average this first month without limiting my calories as much and I'd like to keep the momentum going.

I have changed my exercise a bit, however.  I've hated P90X after really the first week when I had forgotten the videos from the last time and the routines.  Now I know them and can expect what's coming and am hating it.  So I am not doing them anymore and this week will focus more on getting out with my dog and going to our gym at our apartment complex.  I should put some of these cute, new workout clothes to work outside of the walls where I was doing P90X.


I also did splurge a bit and Kyle and I went out for dinner and drinks Friday night and I even had fried (!!!!) pickles.  I have only had an order of value sized french fries since I started this change a month ago and let me tell you my GI system did not recognize the grease I put in my body.  I woke up yesterday morning not feeling so good.  It's crazy that I could eat a whole fried meal or two a day before and not feel any different but now, that's all changed.  I feel so much better not eating that way even if sometimes all I want is a chicken fingers basket with fries.

This is about the LONG TERM.  This is about my life and my future.  I want to be a mother someday and they say what you eat and how you've taken care of yourself for 5 YEARS prior to becoming pregnant can affect your pregnancy. That's crazy if I think of what I've done with my body the last 5 years.  Not a whole lot of anything!

February is national Wear Red for women's heart disease.  As a surgical nurse who specializes in cardiac surgery I must think about the example I set for my patients.  I'm overweight.  Technically obese still.  My blood pressure has been borderline the last few years.  My glucose is normal and I don't smoke and never have smoked.  These are all things that lead to heart disease and as women we need to make sure that while we're busy taking care of everyone else that we MUST take care of ourselves.  We won't be around long enough to do this if we don't get ourselves together and love ourselves as much as we love those around us.  So this month, wear red!  Watch what YOU'RE eating, QUIT SMOKING!! and check your blood pressure and glucose levels.  Get out for a walk on your lunch break or meet a group of friends on the weekend at a park to walk the trails.  Hold each other accountable and lets take some control over the #1 killer of women.  That's right, you read it correctly.

I'm excited to see where the next month takes me and hopefully this next week I can cross into double digits with my weight loss!  Thank you all again for being such wonderful supporters!