Day 1: Change

 (My son Chase & I - taken recently)

Hi everyone!  My name is Nicole Alexander (my maiden name being, Harayda).  I am a 32 year old stay-at-home Mom of two beautiful children: Chase will be turning 5 in February and Morgan will be 2 in April.  I seem to be always busy doing something, but not exactly taking very good care of myself.  I have struggled with my weight shortly after getting married 10 years ago.  At one point (B.C. = before children) I actually lost 43 lbs on Weight Watchers; which I was extremely proud of myself for doing.  I ended up gaining part of it back by the time I got pregnant with Chase and then never seemed to lose the weight when Morgan came.  I didn't gain terribly much with both pregnancies, but I haven't lost hardly anything since having them.  I HATE that I have a pouch/pooch - whatever it's called on my tummy now.  I feel as if I'm always "so many months" pregnant.  I never had that in school, but I know our bodies change over the years; plus being pregnant doesn't help either.  My boobs are way bigger than I'd like and that seems to be where I gain when the numbers on the scale increase.  My husband doesn't complain about them, of course.  =)  To be comfortable with myself and to feel healthier; I would like to lose around 60 lbs, at least.  I know it's best to start your goals off small and that is what I've tried to do over the past year.  I have lost and gained about 6 lbs in the last several months.  The holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas helped me to gain every bit of those 6 lbs back.  It's my fault, but I still like to blame it on something or someone else.  I am a very picky eater so I don't care to eat a lot of veggies or healthier foods.  I have gotten better over the years, but I still have a small list of foods that I do actually like.  Carbs are what kill me.  I love pasta, bread, and anything like that.  I am not a big meat eater and I despise seafood.  Blech!  My first goal is to lose 10 lbs and then go from there.  I will be happy when I get down 20 lbs, but before I do that; I need to lose the first 10 to make a difference.  I don't live locally and can't promise that I'll walk much, but I do plan to "show off" (ha ha) my pictures and keep motivated by all of you.  Thank you Katie for including me in this journey.  Let's encourage each other and STICK WITH IT!  =)  Good luck to you all!  WE CAN DO IT!