And the Oscar goes to...

Hi everyone!First let me say things went from crazy to INSANE in a blink of an eye so I've had a hard time getting to my blog but I'm glad to say I'm back. Mahalo for being patient!

We've all watched someone win an Oscar, they stand on stage, pull out a piece of paper and thank everyone who's ever helped them get to where they are. They thank the people who stood by them when times were bad, the people who helped them get to the times that were good and everyone in between. Everyone has their own Oscar, a goal weight, a marathon, a move up the career ladder, a life milestone.Why wait until you "win" to thank those who got you to where you are? My mom has been an amazing source of strength and support for me, encouraging me every day with her words and her actions. I am fortunate to have old friends who loved me in my old life style and stuck with me through the transition into the new. And now I have new friends who share my experiences, that can relate to the struggles and share in the triumphs. I have a long list of people to thank and I'm not waiting for an Oscar to thank them! Take some time in your day to reflect on who you'd thank in your Oscar speech and then call them, email them or write to them and let them know! - Thank you for everyone who has encouraged me to write, whos found inspiration in my journey and who have shared their own! Yes you made it on my Oscar list!!

I haven't forgotten

promise I haven't forgotten about you blog! I'll post tonight after work and workout!

perfection

I don't strive for perfection- i just strive to do my best, give my all, and make no excuses. Success in weight loss is not about never eating anything bad or always working out. We are human and we make mistakes, our lives become busy, our priorities shift. Success is in knowing that mistakes will be made, setbacks will come and not every goal will be met right away and being ok with that.... If you strive for perfection you will fail because it does not exists. All you can ask of yourself is to do your best, give your all and make no excuses!

Don't get tunnel vision!

Today a dear friend of mine, who is on her own weight loss journey, asked me what my plans were for the day. I told her my workout plan and my daily challenge that I was to do and she said something that totally took me off guard... She said don't get tunnel vision! At first I was like what is she talking about? I have a very diversified life! I even found me defending myself... I do a lot of things, I work out, I do workout challenges with my sisters, I obsess over my food journal, I research nutrition online, I count calories... hmm maybe she had a point. I have been so focused on my weight loss that I really haven't left room in my life for anything else. Today I played in the rain - without thinking about how many calories I was burning or what nutritious meal I was going to make for lunch. The whole purpose of a healthy lifestyle is being able to live life with a a balance. I realized that in the quest of having that healthy life, mine was at the cusp of becoming exactly the opposite. Taking time to do something outside of the' weight loss" box doesn't make you less committed or have less drive, it means your taking one step closer to having what you want, BALANCE. I'm an artsy crafty person and so this weekend I'm making time to do an art project, take some time this weekend and do something that will take you out of the tunnel vision. And thank any friend you may have that loves you enough to be honest with you!

Learning to listen and creative ideas!

OK so its been a little crazy around here but I wanted to write a quick blog. Yesterday was a cardio day for me so i did an AMAZING hike that two years ago, took me 3 hours to go up and and hour and a half to come down, yesterday it took me 50min to go up and back and I STILL had energy to burn. Today I found that, after my workout and an added daily challenge, that my body felt like it wasn't challenged enough.. it needed more! I heard my body say PUSH HARDER and I listened! It felt so good knowing I have learned how to listen and respond to my bodies needs!!!

Also you may have noticed I added a chipin widget to the blog ( it lets people make contributions). I have an amazing opportunity to attend a retreat with a group of women who are on their own weight loss journeys. I am both honored and privileged to be invited to go inspire and be inspired so at this time I am working hard to raise funds to make it to this amazing retreat. I am willing to try any creative ideas you may have so please submit any ideas to alexis.mundis@gmail.com and pass it around!

Thanks!

A Birthday without an old friend

Its my birthday today and for the first time in my life, I will not be celebrating it with cake! It will be my first birthday with my new relationship with food as a fuel source and not a friend. Its a friendship I am better off without. Instead, I am recognizing all of the wonderful things my mind and body have done since my last birthday and will respect my body by giving it what it really wants and needs, the same healthy foods and workout just as i do every other day. It is however a special occasion today so I'm packing up the snorkel gear and heading to my FAVORITE snorkel place to spend the day, Just me and the fish! What a great time to reflect and relax! And if you want to celebrate my birthday with me, you'll reward your body with something healthy for it too!

Reaching My Tree

I didn't go to bed last night because I was up late talking to my sisters and got so wound up that I couldn't sleep and then I found myself awake at 4 AM thinking about this hike of mine. I was excited but more so I was anxious. I kept thinking, what if I don't make it? what if I'm just not ready? At 5, I got out of bed and went for a walk to the beach to watch the sun rise, I was hoping to clear my mind but I kept battling myself, maybe I shouldn't go, maybe I should reschedule for next weekend. When i got home to upload my sunrise pictures, my sisters had posted words of encouragement on my wall, as if they knew I needed a little push. I ate a good breakfast, packed my lunch and covered myself in 70spf sunblock ( no shade at all on the mountain). The bus dropped me off and I walked the 2 miles to get to the trail head which in itself was uphill most of the way. I put my earbuds in and just started walking. I kept my head down because I knew that if I kept looking up, I would only focus on how much longer I had to go and not how far I had already come. All of my energy just went into putting one foot in front of the other. The next thing I know, I'm at the start of the summit, my legs were on fire, my thighs felt like they had been through a war. I had already gone 1,000 steps and had 48 more to go. I wanted to finish those steps so badly that I blocked out the pain and ran the last 48. So there I was, out of breath on top of my "hill" standing in front of a tree... my tree. I asked another hiker to take my picture with the tree and as soon as they snapped it, I was taken back by a wave of emotions that flooded my body. I reached the top and started to cry it was then that I realized that those tears were self doubt leaving my body. Even the most confident of us has moments of self doubt, I was second guessing myself standing at the bottom of those steps but we cannot let it hold us back. You will never know what you can and can not do if you don't allow yourself the opportunity to try. I will never forget this day in my life and will always keep climbing more hills to reach more trees.

My tree on the hill

Days ago, I was listening to a phone call from Kristin Steede from the Biggest Loser and she was talking about her first day on the campus. She said there was a tree on a hill on the campus that she wanted walk to but she told the other contestants she couldn't make it up the hill and that it would be a LONG time until she could.. A few days later she found herself on top of that hill next to the tree that she said she couldn't reach. She then told us on the call that it was then that she realized, It wasn't those couple of hours in the gym that gave her magical strength to make it up the hill, she realized could of made it to the tree the whole time, she just told herself that she couldn't. I've thought about that tree on the hill EVERY day since she told that story and I've been thinking... how many trees on a hill do I have in my life? For so long, I've been telling myself, I can't that now I don't know how to distinguish from what I can't do and what I've told myself I can't do. There's a hill in my valley, its about 2 miles straight up and its a couple hundred stairs to climb it. I've been telling myself, I'm going to climb that hill when I've lost more weight, when I am stronger, when I'm faster. Its my own tree on a hill and tomorrow I'm going to reach it. Is it going to be hard? yep and I'll probably be sore afterwards but can I do it? I sure can! It doesn't matter if your hill is physical , emotional, financial , whatever, stop telling yourself you can't reach it and just do it... your tree is waiting for you.

So of course you know tomorrow's blog will be about my hike and I'll post pictures!!

Take time to teach!

I missed a blogging day!?!? how could that be? oh thats right, my friday was jam PACKED. I've been spending a lot of time with a friend's 8 year old grandson and last night, he asked if he could work out with me. At first, I was frustrated because I knew he was going to slow me down but as I saw him pick up his weights to do wood chops with me, I realized that the workout for him was FAR more important than it was for me. It was the perfect opportunity for me to teach him about proper way to handle weights, the importance of warming up and cooling down, and why being strong and moving your body keeps you healthy for life. He was so ready and so eager to learn and maybe, just maybe taking that opportunity to let him soak in some education will impact his life. If you have young children in your life, give them opportunities to become interested in the healthy lifestyle you have. Let them make a healthy snack or meal with you, show them some challenging exercise and let them practice and take them on walks with you and share with them why its important to be healthy and fit! Thats why I LOVE the fast that past contestants of the biggest loser have gone on to speak in schools to children and have set up programs for youth fitness camps. The more they want to know, the more they will ask and the more opportunities you will have to share with them.

An important message

SLEEP IS IMPORTANT! And because it is, I'm going to bed! Write more morrow! NITE

Updated things they don't tell you about weight loss..but should

Ok, so there are some things I wish I had known so that I would have been prepared when starting to lose weight so I think we should just get them out in the open now so no more people go without knowing.

1. When people start to notice you are losing weight, they will offer you unsolicited diet and exercise advice, everyone from friends and family ( who haven't seen a gym in their lifetime) to the checkout lady at the store... and most of it will be bad advice! Stick to what you know works for you.

2. Ladies, if you have a lot of weight to lose and you start dropping pounds, you will wake up one morning and wonder who where your boobs have gone and ask yourself how could you have misplaced them! I didn't drop cup sizes until the past 3 months when I went from a DD to a C.

3. No one looks cute working out if your doing it right. Don't waist your time fixing your hair, putting on makeup or looking for a workout outfit that makes you look good because in the end, your hair will be a mess, sweat will be running down your face and your clothing will be soaked... be proud of looking like a hot mess, its a sign of a job well done.

4. When your working out and eating right, your going to lose weight and your body shape will change. Don't rush to buy new clothing every few pounds, you'll be broke! Wait until your clothing doesn't fit properly and then only buy essentials because it won't be long before you shrink down to the next size and places like Goodwill are a great place to buy clothing cheap when your changing sizes fast!

5. No matter how much cocoa butter you lather on, its not going to shrink the extra skin you have once you've lost weight. But think of it this way, you could be healthy and have loose skin or you could be sick and overweight... not a real hard decision.

6. Cheryl from MN said One thing I've learned in the past year is that working out is tough and should be. Most of the time the next day is sometimes even hard because you're in pain. I've learned to not be afraid of the pain. It's there because you pushed yourself. It's NOT going to kill you. It's actually what's keeping you alive.

7. Ali Trier said They should tell you that just because you don't LIKE a work out doesn't mean it won't WORK. Usually the things you hate most work the BEST. = ) If I had known that, I would have ventured out to try new things sooner!

Add something to the list and I'll re post it with the additions! Either tag in a comment or email me at alexis.mundis@gmail.com

Dont forget to laugh!

First of all, let me say how much I appreciate all of the encouragement that has come from everyone, I had a major workout tonight that involved an hour walk in sand and then an impromptu 10 mile hike home, it gave me alot of time to meditate and reflect and I spend most of those 10 miles thinking about all the wonderful support we have all shared with each other. OK so I was thinking, the blog has been pretty serious and its really about time to laugh a little. I LOVE to laugh and its very healing so here's a funny story! Go ahead and share it with someone in your support group or share one of your own! Lets start laughing everyone!

Ok so Bob Harper loves unleashing the Burpee challenges on us challenge followers ( a burpee is when you drop to a push up,jump into a squat and then to a jump and reach into the air and then go back to a push up) My first burpee challenge was kind of pathetic, I was just starting out and could hardly move my body to do just one. By the time the second Burpee challenge rolled around, I was excited to hit the ground! By then I had already started to lose weight fast and my clothing was really starting to sag most notably was my ever disappearing boobs, leaving my DD cup with lots of extra room. So I warmed up by walking to my local park, stretched on the grass, cranked up the ipod and started counting 1Burpee... Two Burpee... I noticed my pants starting to creep down so I stop and pull up my pants 3 Burpee... I got to 14 and I was on my last one. I was tired but wanted to finish strong so I gave it my all on my last jump squat and thats when IT happened... I had jumped so hard that not only did my bra fail to "contain" me but my pants AND underwear were now at my ankles! I pulled up my pants so fast but it was too late, people in the park were already snickering so I just tucked my boobs back in my bra and walked home holding tight onto my pants and laughing the whole way! Have a great workout today! :0)

PS If you mention burpees on Bob's facebook page, he will make SURE that he includes a burpee challenge... just a warning! haha

The Blog I almost didn't write

This is probably the most personal blog I could write and I almost didn't write it but the past few days it seems to be a reoccurring subject that's been glazed over among my weight loss communities and I think its time to crack the silence about obesity and infertility. I've had reproductive issues for most of my life, starting at the age of 7. At 14 I was told that the odds of me ever having kids were slim. I was obese, had Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrome (caused by obesity), was pre diabetic, and had high blood pressure, I was the perfect storm for infertility. My body was in crisis mode for many years and having been living in denial, instead of recognizing it, I just convinced myself I didn't want kids! Hey if I didn't want them, then it didn't matter right?!? Well that ill thinking only works as long as I never changed my mind. Everyone asks me all the time what made me want to lose weight. It wasn't because I wanted to fit designer jeans or wanted to wear a two piece, it was because I finally realized that my weight was taking away things I wanted, I want a long life, I want the freedom to move my body and at 22, I realized I wanted to be a mom some day. It wasn't until I started working on my inner compass ( read about it in Bob Harper's book Are You Ready?) that I realized that all those years of saying I didn't want kids was just me shielding myself from the consequences of being over weight. I'm no longer pre diabetic, I don't have high blood pressure and my last hormone test showed that my body is starting to regulate itself... I no longer qualify as having polycyctic ovarian syndrome. Losing weight doesn't guarantee that Ill be able to conceive but it does mean that my body will at least have the chance. There are so many women out there fighting their own battle with infertility , some win and some do not but if I'm going to fight this battle, I want to be armed with the best arsenal I have and that means having a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle. This blog was hard for me because there seems to be alot of shame, shame about being overweight, shame about infertility and shame for being in denial for so many years. I know there are a lot of women who have gone through or are heading in this direction and if there is just one thing I can say to you is don't let fears and shame hold you back, break the silence and don't deny yourself any opportunity in life because even if you don't realize it yet, you deserve all the happiness in the world!

The Hidden Hills

So last night, I stepped on the scale, I NEVER weigh myself at night but something urged me to step on there and check it out. I was shocked to see that I had hit my first weight goal for myself. I had said I was going to to hit it by my birthday July 20th, but I did it sooner! Now it's exciting to have lost as much weight as I have but I still have another 100+ lbs to lose and I guess its been weighing on my mind. Last night I had two separate dreams and both of them went the same way. I was going about my business in a kitchen but I was cooking awful meals ( first dream it was hot dogs and baked beans with marshmallows on top.. gross... and the second one was mac and cheese with a pound of butter and a pound of bacon) and in both dreams, I ate it all, without even thinking about the consequences until AFTER I had finished eating it. I had this overwhelming sensation of fear and disappointment and then I would wake up in tears and the second time I woke up in a full blown panic attack. Is it silly to have such a strong reaction to a dream about eating food? yes and no. On one hand, I know that it was just a dream, but on the other hand I also know just how quickly all of my hard work can be reversed from careless mistakes and moments of weakness and after losing the first 100+ and still having another 100+ to go is like struggling to walk up a big hill and when you get to the top, only to realize there is a second, even bigger hill around the corner. While most people would give up before even attempting the second hill, I have something that most people do no... I have a support group of people who are on the same journey as me that encourages me along the way. When I woke up this morning, I knew I needed some words of encouragements and support and like EVERY morning, I found them waiting for me in my email box and on facebook. If there is ever one bit of advice I would give to anyone who is wanting to start a new healthy lifestyle, it is find a network of people to support you who are going through the same thing. Things can get a little rough and there are always bigger hills hiding around the corner but your support will be there to help you through it.

STOP DROP AND ROLL!

Ok, today's blog is posted here on the link and it was written by Kristen Steede. http://www.kristinsteede.com/blog/?p=167

As most of you know by now, I follow Bob Harper's daily challenges on facebook ( you should too!). This weekend challenge is complete a 10k. While its really left up to me how I want to complete it, I thought that I'd challenge myself by pledging AT LEAST half my miles be from running. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen on Bob's page messages from people saying they need bob to "kick their butts into shape" or they need him "to challenge them to work out", why wait? Don't sit around waiting for that biggest loser moment when someone comes and makes you change because that's not going to happen. Don't wait for your friends to be the ones to push you along because you could wait all your life. YOU have to challenge yourself to push harder, do better and want more in your life. Its scary, I'll admit! Its scary to ask of yourself more than you expect from yourself but don't be afraid! You can never fall short as long as you are always moving forward! For me its something I work on EVERY DAY and I hope that you do to! Have a great weekend and hope you'll join me in Bob's weekend challenge!

For myself

A friend of mine posted this on her facebook " I realized I was doing this for myself by myself!" , I couldn't haven said it better. No one can make you suceed or make you fail except yourself. If " for myself by myself" is not your motto in life, it should be!

My Secret Love Affair part 1

Up until 6 months ago, I would have never even thought there was such a thing as a relationship with food, let alone see that I had a problem with mine. It wasn't until I was doing the inner compass work in Bob Harper's book "are you ready" That I was asked about my relationship with food. At first I thought, ok Bob has lost his mind on this one, I'm supposed to have a relationship with food?!?! and then that's when it hit me that not only did I have a relationship, I
had a full blown secret love affair. My affair gave me comfort when I was anxious, made me happy when I was sad and was always there when I was feeling lonely! I learned at an early age the power of food and how it could be used to muffle emotions, so its without saying, I've been overweight ever since I was a little kid. I used to sneak food
after school when I was home alone, or out of the fridge at night time when I couldn't sleep. No matter what changed in my life, I knew food would ALWAYS be there for me. But now I was being asked to end my 22 year long affair. Breaking up is never easy, but like in real life relationships, its easier to break up when you have friends by your side supporting you. Ask yourself today, What is your relationship with food? Are you hiding a secret love affair? and are you ready for the break up? Part two, The Breakup, is comming tomorrow!

Food for Thought

The only thing I love more than creating recipes is creating HEALTHY recipes! I'm not a big fan of meat, just because I don't like the taste but I've always been too afraid to make the switch to being a vegetarian and even more so since I started losing weight but that's all changed since I've grown more comfortable with different ingredients so my recipes will be vegetarian, low calorie and VERY tasty. My favorite saying I have is "I count calories like its a religion!" And its true, I find it the best way to stay on track and keep myself accountable so you will notice that after each ingredient, I have included the individual calorie count in ( ) so its easy for you to add it to your food journal and the total calorie count at the end of the recipe. Also, I cook for myself so all of my recipes will be one serving unless I specify. Have fun trying them out and don't be afraid to add your own flare. I'd love to hear feedback and new ideas and if you have a favorite food that you want a low calorie alternative, let me know so I can see what I can come up with

Thai Noodles This is a low calorie play on Thai Peanut noodles. It is both creamy from the peanut butter ( which is also high in protein) , spicy from the cayenne and the cilantro gives it a refreshing pop. You can omit the cayenne if you don't want heat or load it up it you like a real zip to your food.

2oz whole grain linguini or spaghetti (201)

1c frozen stir fry veggies (35)

1Tbs Vegetarian stir fry sauce (25)

1Tbs peanut butter (100)

1/4 c sodium free chicken broth (3)

1 tsp cilantro (.5)

a dash of cayenne pepper

Follow directions on the box to cook your pasta.Mix peanut butter, stir fry sauce, and chicken broth until smooth. Add cayenne for heat ( you can omit). Spray a skillet with PAM and heat it on medium high. Saute the frozen veggies until cooked but not mushy. Add drained lingini and saute for a few seconds, remove pan from heat and add peanut sauce, return to low heat until warmed through. Serve with Cilantro on top. Total calories 373.5

Sweet and Sour Black Eyed Peas I live in Hawaii so I'm surrounded by a lot of Asian influence and as a former lover of sweet and sour chicken, I wanted a vegetarian answer that gave me the same flavors without the meat and calories! I use spiced vinegar in this recipe because I like alittle heat and the added flavor, its just vinegar with chillies and garlic marinated in it and can be found usually in the Asian isle but you can use white vinegar. This one will please even the pickiest of eaters!

1/2c cooked black eyed peas (126) *note, I use dried beans and cook them ahead of time. If you use canned, look for low sodium and drain and rinse your beans before using them to cook with* 1/4c fresh pineapple (19)

1/4c onion (17)

1/4c peppers (4)

1/2Tbs Spiced vinegar (0)

Heat up a saute pan sprayed with PAM on high. Saute pineapple, onion and peppers for a few min. ( I like my veggies a little crunchy because it adds nice texture but you can make it as crispy or soft as you like) Add black eyed peas to the pan. Add vinegar at very end and serve! Total Calories 166

Home Made Fat Free Greek Yogurt

I've fallen in love with greek yogurt thanks to Bob Harper's master list of foods. Its higher in protein , high in flavor low in calories and can be used for a million and one different ways ( recipes to follow) but its expensive so after some research, I found I can make my own and now you can too! You will need to start your yogurt with store bought that already has the live cultures.

1 small container of fat free greek yogurt ( in the yogurt isle) 1 Quart of Fat Free milk

Cheese cloth ( can be bought in most stores, just ask!)

a bowl

colander

plastic wrap

Pour the milk into a pot and heat it until it gets ready to boil {you will see steam} remove from heat! In a small bowl mix two table spoons of greek yogurt with two tablespoons of the hot milk, mix and then stir into pot of milk. Pour milk mix into a clean bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Now here is where you have some options. If you live in a hot area and it is warm in your home, then wrap the bowl in towels to keep it warm, if you use air conditioning, live in a cool location or it gets cool overnight, then turn your oven onto the warm setting. either way, you just want to keep your milk warm so that the cultures can grown and turn your milk into yogurt! Let it sit overnight. In the morning, place the cheese cloth in a colander and then pour your yogurt into the cloth. Don't worry it will be runny, let the yogurt sit in the colander for 2 hours to let the whey run out . This will make your yogurt thick! If you like it real thick, let it sit longer. After you drained it, place it in a clean container with a paper towel on top to soak up any whey left over and keep it refrigerated. It seems like alot of steps but it's really not, the total amount of work you put into it is about 10 min. just don't forget to save 2 Tbs of your homemade yogurt for your next batch. Calories 60 per 1/2 cup

The Courage to Find Inspiration in Ourselves

Its easy to forget how far you've come. I had two reminders yesterday that were like a slap in the face. On my way home from snorkeling, I was carrying all my gear, a wet bathing suit and a soaked towel - its weight adding up to 35lbs. Carrying it at first was no problem, but 15min. into the walk, I began to feel an all too familiar feeling, my lower back was feeling pressure, I was starting to breath heavy and my feet were starting to cramp and just as I got onto the front lawn and dumped all of it on the ground. As soon as I felt the relief of that weight hitting the ground, it hit me that just a month or two ago, I was carrying that weight on me 24/7! Later on last night, after an intense workout, I was resting my very sore body while playing around on my computer. I stumbled on a picture of me 6 months ago ( up in the right ), right before I changed my life and I have to tell you, I was shocked, at how uncomfortable I looked and amazed at how different I am today. And then I felt something I've never felt about myself, inspiration. I've never been able to see myself in a positive enough light to find it within me, I always sought others for it. I dare you have the courage to seek inspiration from your own self journey. Never forget how far you have come, be it 5 lbs, 30lbs , 130lbs or just making the decision to start a new healthy life. Each step is a step forward and eventually, you will get to where you want to go!

5lbs in 5 days challenge

This week is a week of refocusing myself . I said 5 lbs in 5 days and so far so good. Whats the point you ask? Well I've realized that I'm not pushing myself hard enough in my workouts. I'm getting to that place where the things that used to be hard are now easy and I got really comfortable in the now easier workouts because I earned it right? WRONG! Its called a WORKout because you need to WORK. Today I've been burning mad calories, I did 2 hours of swimming in the ocean and am just getting ready to go for a run. This week is less about the actual lbs, and more about remembering the commitment I made to myself and testing my new limits. Who's ready to test theirs?

My First Blog!

Ok so after some encouragement from others, I decided to start my own blog about my weight loss journey and its only fitting to start off by telling my story. I've been overweight all my life. I've always been surrounded by lots of friends growing up, mostly because of my quick wit... or smart mouth.... but that didn't mean I came out of childhood unscathed by my weight. I took 20 pills a day, ani-inflammatory, arthritis medication, pre diabetes pills, blood pressure medication and medication for Lupus all at the ripe age of 21. I didn't think my weight was an issue, not even in college. It had gone up and down, from year to year 10 lbs up, 15 down, 20 up and so on until I moved to Hawaii after graduation in Aug. 07. I had lost 25lbs in a matter of months without really trying. In feb. I went on a 6 month long campaign tour for the Presidential campaign that was stressful to say the least. I slept little and ate alot and smoked like a hay stack! I gained back the 25lbs I had lost real quickly and it was about to get worse. At the end of the campaign, I was in a really bad car accident. For once in my life my size worked to my advantage because I was too fat to be thrown through the window! I suffered a bang on the head, two broken ribs, a broken foot, glass all over my body and 18 staples and 13 stitches in my left arm. I was luck to be alive but in pretty bad shape. I spent months in bed at home in PA, at first because I really did need to recover and then because I had become so depressed, I didn't want to get out of bed. In a matter of 4 months I packed on 35lbs. None of my already big clothing fit me, I spent my days in sweat pants and pajama shirts. Now I'm always been a fan of the Biggest Loser and most importantly, of Bob Harper and like many other years, I gathered every BL night with my chips and soda and mounds full of dinner on my plate to watch other people work out. I had always wished I could do what they did but I had never seen any woman close to my size on the show. Then came Kristin Steede (check out her blog, its my favorite! www.kristinsteede.com). A remarkable and inspiring woman who made me think, if she can do it, maybe I can too! I went to a boarders and bought Bob Harper's book 'Are you ready" Sat in a park and started reading. I did everything he had asked, I knew I was ready to change my life. I changed everything I ate. Only fresh fruits veggies, grains and proteins . And counted calories like it was a religion. I food journaled on mytrainerbob.com and started walking 3 times a week. Weight started coming off, each day another lb, then a few more. As I become comfortable in my new lifestyle, I started walking more and more, doing every daily challenge from Bob's website and weight started to fly off. I knew I wanted to move back to Hawaii so I packed up and moved back a month ago and have really kicked up my workouts. the work has paid off because I've lost over 100 lbs in 6 months! I work out as a way to reward myself, eat to fuel myself and love every healthy choice I make. I'm doing so well in my weight loss, I wanted to start blogging to share my new found healthy life with other people. I love to cook so I'll be posting some of my best recipes and encourage everyone to share their story, ideas and questions. Ok the next blog will be alot shorter, I promise!