Saturday, July 7, 2007

My Weight Loss Struggle

Recently, I made the decision to try and get myself healthy! Yay! Of course, when I was twenty-six I made this same attempt and was massively successful before becoming pregnant and gaining every pound, and then some, back. My ever fought battle with weight is not a new thing for me. Since my horrible teen years I have fought, and lost, the battle of the bulge in reoccurring cycles. Gain massively, lose massively, gain even more, lose even less... you get the idea.

To put it bluntly, I was a fat baby, fatter toddler, and even fatter teen. My chubby cheeks were my trademark, and nearly every person in my life repeatedly felt the need to remind me that I was a big fatty. (DUH! Like I didn't know!) It was not until I turned 18 and discovered laxatives and starvation diets that I gained any "real" ground in this area - and even after I starved my genetically large frame down to a scrawny size 7 with my skin pulling tauntly over every bone, it wasn't long before I once again lost that small battle to the beckoning lure of McDonalds French fries and ice cold Cokes. Of course, as I grew older, my taste buds seem to develop even greater preferences for chips and queso and the sweetest iced tea anyone person could endure. (My dearest friend refers to this yummy delicacy as "humming bird feed", although I would venture a guess that even a precious little hummer would label my tea as "too sweet"for every day consumption.)

For about six months I have been watching my diet (for the most part) and walking over three miles five days a week. Of course, there were a few days when that wasn't possible, but I stuck to this routine to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, the excess poundage has refused to budge from my ever expanding backside. So, here I am 5'5'' (rounded up) and 217 pounds (rounded down, of course) but with the greatest calves of my entire life! What can I say, at least I look pretty nice in heels! LOL! (But, then of course, I can't wear them for any length of time without waving my arms around frantically and reaching out to grab a hold of anything to keep me from actually taking flight.) Needless to say, I really NEED to get my weight under control. My dreams of having another child are quickly fading with ever additional pound I gain - no way could this frame take baby weight on top of my fat slob weight! But more than anything, I am realizing that my body issues will eventually affect my beautiful and perfect baby girl, and that is NOT okay.

So here I go - starting once again down the path to a new me.... wish me luck folks!

Hello World!!

Well, this is my first ever blog attempt - so forgive me if I sound like an amateur because, quite frankly, I am! ;-)

Introductions first, right?!

My name is Talinda and I live in the central part of Texas, just outside of Austin. My friends call me "Tilly" or "Ta" but "Ta's World" just didn't have the right ring to it, hence the title of my blog page, Tilly's World.

For the most part I am a pretty typical fun loving thirty-one year old stay-at-home wife and mother of one. And although my most pressing daily tasks include managing my home and trying to find the energy to keep up with my precious baby girl, at one time I was actually the public school teacher of several amazingly intelligent fifth grade students. Of course, I have been out of the classroom for nearly six years now, so please don't go pointing out any spelling errors! LOL! My hobbies include reading, writing, music (singing), watching movies, and most recently, playing guitar (I'm pretty excited about that recent endeavor by the way).

So why would a semi-leveled headed, thirty-something, stay-at-home mom want to blog? Simple, my husband has been pestering me for months to start one. For some reason he thinks people would want to know what I have to say. Although I am a bit skeptical about his view on this particular stance, my husband is a blogger extraordinaire, so I am acting upon the extreme assumption that he would know about such things.

My husband is actually an extremely brilliant entrepreneur with his own software consulting and developing company. Although putting food in our bellies is his full time job, the man's brilliant mind never seems to rest when it comes to new career possibilities. I believe in the time we have been together (since 1994) that man has concocted approximately 1500 amazing and creative business ideas. Some of his most brilliant ideas have actually spawned even newer and grander ideas as he continued to mull them over - and all of this happens on a daily basis! Try keeping up with that one! Although he has never had the funds to embark upon all said creations, he has done his best to stretch out his wings and take a few risky leaps from time to time, much to the chagrin of my mother I might add. Of course, because of his ever expanding mind of possibilities, I think he has about five different blogs going at all times, each with its own personalized look, feel, and content. I have been given the extraordinary task of proofing a few of his creative postings, and must admit, he has a real knack for this type or writing forum! But me? Well, I'm not quite as convinced that my writings will be taken as anything more than the rantings of another raving lunatic mom who spends too much time debating life with her four year old to truly appreciate anything of real importance. (Of course, then I would have to argue that the debates I have with my daughter, however insignificant they might seem to the casual observer, would be massively important if the strange smell I was telling her not to comment on, was in fact emanating from whichever reader is brave enough to delve into my life/blog.) :-)

So, with that said, let the journey begin!