I'm On My Way! (Week 1 completed)

I jumped on the scale this morning...and I've lost 4.6 lbs! Hooray! *insert happy dance here* I'm sure my weight loss won't be this high every week, but if I can lose at least a pound a week, I'll be pretty satisfied. Continuous loss is my goal.
I haven't really talked about my diet changes, so I suppose I'll do that now. Basically, I'm counting calories, writing down everything I eat, getting in at least 8-8 oz glasses of water a day, and trying to get at least 4 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Oh, I'm also taking a daily multivitamin. I thought the fruit/veggie thing was going to be hard, but it really isn't. Overall, a serving of fruit or veg is just 1/2 cup, which isn't much at all. The largest serving amount is 1 cup of raw, leafy veggies which still isn't a big deal.
I've been staying away from "bad" carbs (white flour, rice, pasta, etc.). And if I do eat something like wheat bread or brown rice, I try to get that in during lunch instead of later in the day, so I can burn it off.
So far, it's been going well. I haven't had any cravings for the types of food I love to eat, such as burgers, fries, pastas with creamy sauces, fried foods, etc. And luckily for me, I've never really been a dessert lover, so that's one less thing I have to deal with. Never was really a soda drinker, either.
I'm going to have a moment of truth next week, though. My girls and I are going to New Orleans for Mardi Gras next Monday thru Wed. I know I'm going to drink, and those are empty calories, but what I'm really worried about is losing my eating will power and going crazy with the food down there. My plan is to mostly eat a lightly as possible (fruit & yogurt or breakfast bars in the morning) and to only eat 1 "full" meal a day. Preferably for lunch.
The hotel we're staying in also has a fitness facility, and I would love it if I were able to get up in the mornings and get at least 30 min of good cardio in. Doing that will depend on how I feel those 2 mornings, of course. I plan on getting nicely tipsy, but not torn down wasted...*crosses fingers*
I just really don't want to lose everything I've accomplished this past week...wish me luck!

Exercise: The Bane of My Existence

I love the results of consistent exercise, but I HATE the process. And I truly believe that those people talking about, "Oh, I love working out!" are lying. Cause when you're working out for real, you're in pain. And who likes pain??? Well...some folks do, but that's a whole different type of pain...
Anyhoo, I recently joined a fitness center with a few friends. It's not your typical gym, though. The 4 of us are taking fitness pole dancing classes, and 2 of us signed up for the aerobics classes that they offer. We've been doing the pole dancing for about a month now, and we're about to move into the intermediate level of the classes. However, those classes only meet twice a week and I wasn't doing any serious additional exercise (nor was I watching my diet, but more on that in a future post).
Soooooo, I decided to take advantage of the other classes that are offered and my goodness. They are a BEAST. I literally come out of every class pouring sweat. I'm saying, I look down and sweat has dripped off me onto the floor. I feel like after some significant time passes and if I keep this up, I will quite possibly be in the best shape of my young life.
To give you an idea of the level of exercise I'm trying to be on every week, my schedule is basically like this. I've gotten a Wii, so I do at least an hour of that every single morning. Mon/Wed I do pole dancing, Tues/Wed I do a hip hop cardio dancing class, and Thurs/Sat I do a...well, I guess it's like a hybrid of taebo, boxing, and cardio. Then on the days where I don't have any classes, I do about 2 hours on my Wii instead.
For somebody like me, this is some SERIOUS exercising, but hey, I have a goal that I'm determined to reach by a certain time.
Bikini body on the way! *in Bart Scott voice* CAN'T.WAIT.

Kimmy's Weight Loss Plan

So, I completely let blogging go, but now I'm back because I've decided to chronicle my weight loss journey. Even if no one reads it, I think (read: hope & pray) it'll keep me motivated.
My ultimate goal is to lose 20-30 lbs by mid-July, and if I can lose at least a pound a week, I'll hit it.
Generally, I love being short. Anybody who knows me, knows that I'll say that short women are more feminine (no diss to my tall chicas...y'all are all model-y and whatnot). However, it's SUCH a pain when it comes to weight because if you gain, it doesn't have anywhere to spread out (lol) and you're going into bmi overweight/obese territory. As of right now, because of my height, I'm overweight :-( Actually, I'm not that far from technically being obese! Double :-( I think the only thing that's saved me from looking grossly overweight is the fact that most of it went to my booty, thighs, and hips. Yay blackness!
Anyways...being considered "thick" is cool, but I like being smaller better. I still have my figure, but my clothes fit better, my stomach is flat (nobody likes a pudgy tummy), and shopping is more fun. Particularly swimsuit shopping. And I like to wear bikinis. I feel frumpy in a one-piece.
But, most importantly, I've got to do this for my health and well-being. Soooooo many health problems are related to being overweight, one of the biggest being breast cancer. That's what my paternal aunt died from a few years ago and what my paternal grandmother is fighting now. And I tend to take after my dad's side...
Not to mention that both sides of my fam have issues with diabetes, high blood pressure, and (don don don) severe obesity. I'm lucky though, because both my parents are big on weight control. Right now, my mom weighs less that I do, and I feel some kinda way about that, lol. I'm proud of her though.
So, I think i'll close this post here...I'll talk about my exercise regime (and complain about the pain) either later tonight or tomorrow.