Sickness Never was Happiness

This past Monday marked the start day for our family's Biggest Loser Diet Challenge. We each put $30 as our buy-in and the winner takes home $270 after 3 months. (Which officially ends on July 25th) We are all doing our initial weigh-in and pictures, but most are not posting them online as I am. 

I was in Vegas on the Monday we started, so I essentially lost a day to traveling back home. But come Tuesday afternoon, I got hit with a head cold that pretty much knocked me off my feet. Pasquale also got sick, so it was a pretty miserable day indeed. Illness became compounded by sleeplessness as my little one seemed to be plagued by restlessness all night. I think he started feeling under the weather as well. But that meant I was only able to sleep in 15 minute increments throughout the night. But gratefully, Pasquale was feeling better. He was able to help with the kids and that night, I fell asleep around 7pm. I was still up most of the night with Dominic, but at least I got a solid 3 hours before all that and about 3 hours in the late morning.
So, here it is Saturday morning. I've put together a menu for the week, but haven't been able to go shopping for it. I haven't exercised at all. I'm lucky to make it upstairs to bed, I've been so weak. I gorged myself on Easter candy in Vegas before I came home, so all that chocolate has made it's way to my hips and thighs (which seem to operate somewhere along the lines of the dead sea...) I've lost an entire week in this 12 week challenge.

That seems daunting to me, but with proper motivation (I watched myself trying to run in a video we took of a family kickball game) and a good plan, I am still going to win this thing. You just wait. So on that note, I took better before pictures. Well, I'm not sure if they are better. They show a truer accounting of just how much weight I am carrying. I also took a picture of my weight on Tuesday to keep everything honest. (Yes, that actually says I'm weighing in at a hefty 244.2 lbs) Crazy, right? I thought so.

So, there's a sense of sadness and embarrassment about posting these online. But the worst they are now, the better it will look when I lose all the weight. My goal is to drop about 110 pounds by the end of the year. I'm pretty confident that's not a crazy dream. I would also like to pick up ballroom dancing, bike riding, mountain climbing and running marathons by that time as well. You seen, this isn't just a get in shape goal for me. This is a shape up my life goal. And I intend to fulfill it!

So, to make it a little easier and less thinking involved, I am going to follow Bill Phillips' Body for Life Challenge. (Mainly because his course is geared towards results in 12 weeks - which, as it turns out, is as long as I have!) I will post my menus and workout schedules daily and report on them each day. I am also going to keep a photo journal of my day-to-day progress. I hope to make a video of the pictures when I'm done. I think that should be pretty cool!

Wish me luck!