Progress Update

When I started this journey thirteen months ago, I thought I'd have accomplished my goal and moved on by now, but it has proven to be a longer process than I originally expected.  I went on vacations, I enjoyed the holidays, and even took a couple wine tasting classes.  My weight went up and down and I barely blinked.  In all honesty, fitness slipped from being my primary focus.

As I mentioned before, Hawaii was my turning point.  As I began on my new journey during that vacation, I had a conversation that really helped me solidify my renewed effort to work out and be healthier.  Andrew and I were lazing around in our room in the condo talking about work and life goals, and I asked him, "do you think I could lose thirty pounds?"  Without hesitating, he said, "yes."  It felt good to have someone support me immediately.  He didn't bring up obstacles or question whether or not my number was realistic, he just told me I could do it.  Other successful people whom I admire have referenced the constant support of a partner or spouse when they decided to take on new things throughout the course of their careers, and I feel lucky that I have that support in my own life. 

Even if I'm over-reaching, having a cheerleader who believes I can do it is a huge motivating factor.  I realized I don't need to set "safe" goals that I know I can accomplish.  Why not try for something I've never done before?  I decided to set loftier goals for myself, and make it a priority.  I can run more miles, I can set a lower goal weight, and I can have a six-pack.  I can do it.

Right now I'm the lowest weight I've been in a couple years and I'm determined to continue tipping that scale and increase my strength.  I can and I will.

Coffeemate and a Check-In

This morning I woke up and I was a little sore, undoubtedly from yesterday's spill.  I don't feel like running today.  I'm not gonna.  I'm tired and my ribs/everything hurts.  I feel like it's hurting more as the day progresses.

Today is day-two without Coffeemate, and so far I'm not really missing it.  My co-worker Jeff calls it "white death."  I have to admit, that was part of my decision (maybe the nail in the coffin) to give it up.  I think I might be able to go cold turkey, but I'm not going to commit to that route just yet.  I think I need a full week of success before I call it out as a sustainable goal.

So I've been getting Jillian Michaels' e-newsletter, and one of her articles was How to Take Off Those Last 10 Pounds.  Her advice is simple, direct, and not at all what I want to do.  But I'm going to try... at least a little.  I drink plenty of water and I work out (but I guess I could more), and I try to stay away from processed foods, but the drinking and the salting are where I definitely over-indulge.  I am going to try really hard over the next several weeks to cut down on both A LOT and see how I feel.  I typically eat about twice the recommended sodium in a day, so this will be an interesting experiment.

monthly weigh-in!

Weekends.  Weekends are my challenge.  I love checking in each weekday about sticking to my plan... or not.  However, weekends are sticky.  I like to go with the flow, have drinks with dinner, and generally eat whatever.  It's been two months now and I'm not exactly losing weight at a break-neck pace, but the numbers are still going down and that's a good thing.  I still have about 10 lbs to go.  I don't think I can do it in a month, but maybe two?  I do feel less doughy, and my waist is a lot smaller than it used to be.

I decided to take this week off running for knee sensitivity issues, and I'm going to rely on my own determination at the gym.  My circuit training cardio plan has been good for keeping the boredom at bay (limit only 10 min per machine) and my buddy Jeff has been singing the praises of interval training on the elliptical machine so I'll give that a whirl as well.

And as always, it's all about portion control.  I love eating and when I taste something delicious, it's hard for me to stop.  I read something in Shape yesterday that might help: visualize the bikini bod.  I'm going to try that.

See y'all tomorrow with some stats to report!

12/21/09

Ladies, I'm kicking this off before the new year because I just can't wait.  I'm really excited we're in this together.  I was inspired by an article I read in Shape about a woman who tracked her progress on a regular basis, posting photos and stats of what she'd accomplished (current weight, % body fat, total weight lost so far).  What a great idea!  Having the visuals as well as the data is a great motivator for me, and knowing I'm going to have to come clean on a regular basis about what I'm doing or not doing to reach my goal will hopefully help me stay on track.  Once a month I'll post a progress photo with my stats, and in the interim I'm going to post my journey (hopefully day-to-day) so you can follow me along the way.  I've never really felt like a Fatty-Fatso, but I need a little extra motivation to be the Hotterton I know I can be.  This is the first step to making it happen.

I'm currently sitting at my desk surrounded by the annual holiday treats that have been sent to our office by various consultants we've worked with this past year.  Ann just plunked a giant box of French chocolate truffles at my desk.  While talking myself out of tearing the box wide open, I've figured out that each truffle is 50 cal, 4 g of fat.  So it would take 8 truffles to undo my 30 min on the elliptical machine today.  If you're following my justification math, that's 4 minute per truffle; not so bad, right?  My muffin top just spoke up and told me it's not worth it.  Thanks, muffin top; I knew you were good for something.

If you're interested in becoming a member/author, let me know and I'll set you up.  Anything you're doing to help yourself along in your goal is fair game to share here; it could be a healthy recipe, a rundown of your workouts, what you've decided to change in your diet, or even just a log of your meals - totally up to you.  You can also post your challenges and slip-ups as well, just to get it off your chest (and you know I will!).  Next post will have my fitness goals, my "before" pic, and all my info.

Thanks for your support!
Monica