The M Word

This post is solely dedicated to my main motivators! Complete with pictures and captions for your enjoyment :)

When I initially joined Weight Watchers in May '11, I didn't do it alone. Dad signed up with me, and unlike me, he never once looked back. He proceeded to go the next 8 months without going off program at all--that's right, not one time did he even have a single french fry or splurge on ice cream (or in his case, his Peanut Butter Smidgeons from the mall). Now, a year and a half later, he's still floating around 100 pounds down, running like a mad man, training for and competing in 5ks, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I couldn't be more proud of him! Even now, sometimes when I look at him, I still can't believe how he took control of his life and changed it permanently for the better. I'm determined to get to that same point someday. Here are some bragging pics :)

April 2011----->October 2011----->October 2012

And because I'm just such a cruel daughter, here is his halloween costume from this year, love you Dad! You look so skinny in this dress:

Halloween 2012

Next up on the list is the beautiful Miss Khrystyna! This girl is so determined, has more confidence in herself than anyone I know, and actually originally decided to lose weight based off of my success last year. I'm super, super proud of her, and now she's absolutely paying it forward by motivating me to get back on track! She has lost about 80 pounds since this past January. She looks phenomenal:

 January 2011----------------->Fall 2012

We don't have many "before" pictures together, this is as close as it gets:

This was taken probably Marchish 2011, and I believe the both of us are thinking "Um, why do we look like this? I don't know, but let's laugh about it!" lol. Oh, and that's our friend Molly! She's cray cray too.










Next up is my most recent motivator, my awesome cousin Miguel. He's actually like a brother to me, and recently he became addicted to the gym and getting fit, and you can definitely tell! Last I checked, he dropped about 40 pounds, and I'm so proud of him! I want to be that determined, and as someone that's lazy about working out, even having a sliver of his fitness mindset would do me wonders. He's amazing!

Oh, and cut off in the picture to the right is my Aunt Dawn. I mentioned her in my previous post "Why is it "The Chubby Couch?..."She also loves working out, and has turned me away from Cold Stone right into the arms of Yogo Crazy, which I guess, at the end of the day is a significantly better swap (if you don't include so many brownie bites and cookie dough clusters). Anyways, look how handsome he is! Love that kid.










And finally, my last motivator is...drum roll please.....ME. At the end of the day, I can ask these people for advice, and drop my mouth open in shock about how amazing they look, and I'm sure as you read this post, you did something similar when you saw some of these pictures--quite honestly, you're not human if you didn't--but at the end of the day, I'm the one choosing when to pick up a fork, or go for that 30-minute walk, or skip going out to eat to avoid temptation. It's me who has to make the choice to better her life; no one can do it for me. I'm determined to get back to how genuinely happy I look in this picture:

So, as a final thought, I'm going to set weekly challenges for myself, both a weight loss challenge, and a personal one, posted on here every Sunday. This week's challenge is to drink nothing but water, and that includes on New Years Eve. Bring it on. And my personal challenge is to write another chapter of my book (for those of you who don't know, I'm currently working on my first novel for young adults, excitement!) I'll report back next week about how I did/or did not meet those goals. Have a Happy New Year and thanks for reading! :)

Next post title: "The S Word" (The M Word obviously stood for Motivation, you can figure out what the S means)

Why is it called "The Chubby Couch" and not "The Confessions of a Fat Girl"?

Well, in order to answer that question, maybe I should tell you why I created a blog in the first place. Don't worry, I'll be quick about it. I know you're probably in a hurry to get to work, down some coffee, update Facebook, or maybe text while you drive. Don't lie, you've done it.

Anyway, after losing about 60 pounds from May '11 to December '11, and then spending all of 2012 gaining over half of it back, I figured it was time to buckle down and do something again. Obviously, something didn't stick the first time. Lack of motivation? Laziness? No self-confidence? I don't exactly know the answer. I'm hoping by blogging about my weight loss adventures, I'll figure a few things out about myself. Maybe no one is reading this, but if you are, I hope to motivate you to be the best person you can be as well. And of course, to make you laugh your ass off a few times. Well, let's hope at least.

So why "The Chubby Couch"? Why not something overdone like "Confessions of a Fat Girl", or the generic "A Weight Loss Memoir by Kayla Stamm"? It's all thanks to my aunt. You see, in our spare time, we talk about people. Come on, don't judge, who doesn't talk about people for fun? Well, one night we were actually talking about me and my weight loss (or lack thereof) issues, and she goes "You just need...a couch for chubbies!" (Which is the nicer way of kind of saying, "Girl, you got some serious issues a professional with a SOFA for you to LIE ON needs to sort out") However, it became our inside joke, and now, months later, months after I didn't get my couch for chubbies, here I am, creating my own space, and inventing a weight loss therapy method.

What is this gonna be like? I have no clue. Most likely a collection of moments, quotes, inspirations, motivations, pictures--all of the cliche crap attached to a blog like this. But I also hope to learn about myself and to motivate others that it's never too late or too early to change yourself for the better.

And why in the hell would I start this two days before New Years Eve, one of the biggest food and drinking days of the year? Because there will always be an excuse for why you shouldn't do something positive for yourself. Always. Holidays won't wait for you to change your life; they will always be here along with a thousand other obstacles standing in your way. It's my own ability to throw those excuses away that will ultimately define who I am. And I'm starting with this one.

If you're reading this line right now, YAY I have readers! Well, at least one :) Thank you!