Much ado about the Game On! Challenge.........it's on my brain constantly so I thought it would be the perfect time to shed a little on light on my latest bit of madness.

Recently I began to notice that my clothes were getting snug and once my birthday came and went, I really realized I HAVE TO LOSE WEIGHT. To some folks, I may look just fine, but when you aren't comfortable in your own skin and you are the heaviest you have ever been NOT pregnant it's truly eye-opening. And wouldn't you know, a group of awesome women from community theatre were starting this challenge so I asked if I could join. With a little info., I was GAME! And apparently it's just what I needed.......a bit of friendly competition to make the world go round.

The basic routine: 5 small meals a day (on a schedule --carb,protein,fat), 3 liters of water, exercise daily, and adding a new habit while abandoning an old habit. No alcohol, no soda, no artificial sweeteners. You get points for meeting goals and penalties for others. There is more to it but that is it in a nutshell. Sign-me-up; I can do this. We all have good things we SHOULD be doing and things we SHOULD not be doing and you are telling me I get points for it. Awesome. Time to come clean: for good habit-- I'm taking a daily multivitamin and have to have an empty kitchen sink when I go to bed (no dishes, utensils, etc.). In other words, stop being lazy. For ridding myself of a bad habit I chose no more falling asleep in front of the tv.  My teammates are doing a variety of things as goals ranging from bible study time to no more snooze alarm. You make it want you NEED it to be. And the best part, smack talking is allowed!

In recent years I have tried to eat more healthy overall and have done a bit of meal planning here and there. But now, it helps SO MUCH. Not only are my family dinner meals planned for the next two weeks, but now I am writing down what I plan to eat during the day so I can pack my lunch w/o thinking about it. I have to get two meals in during my work day schedule so it's easy to have it in my bag and not have to worry about what might be tempting me in the staff lounge. I usually eat what my family eats at dinner for my meal 5; I just revise it a little b/c I'm not super hungry. Example: tomorrow night is turkey burgers, french fries, and fresh berries. I'll have the burger (my carb and protein) with lettuce, tomato, mustard, a tsp. of mayo (the fat). No fries or berries for me.

Here's my day tomorrow:
Meal 1 -- scrambled egg (protein&fat) with spinach and mush.; 1/2 grapefruit (carb)
Meal 2 -- Mini Babybel Light, 7 walnuts, apple (protein, fat, carb)
Meal 3 -- Blend of lettuce with carrots/bell pepp/cucumber add small amt. of chicken, sliced almonds (no dressing);  kiwi on the side
Meal 4 -- non-fat greek yogurt with fresh berries and 7 crushed walnuts
Meal 5 -- turkey burger on whole wheat bun with lett.,tom.,must.,mayo
I'll count my coffee creamer for calories and the mayo and I'm under my 100 allowed extra calories.

You can do this too. I swear it's super easy. Well, until the exercise part. At least that is the REAL challenge for me. Four kids keeps me busy enough but add in a commitment to exercise and my brain goes a little wonky. BUT I have been doing it (except for my one allowed day off) so far and I must say I think I'm rockin' it. I hate the making time and getting-ready-to-go part of changing my clothes, etc. I would much rather sit on the couch and read or play on Facebook or even clean the house. When I am out there walking/jogging pushing my lazy butt across the pavement, I don't hate it. Well, sometimes I do, but it's not like I can quit half way and call Collin to pick me up. All I can say is.....if the scale doesn't go down, I'm going to be a little  completely peeved.

Weigh-in for the week is on Wednesday morning; you have been warned.