This Life, Redefined...: Healthy Goals

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Healthy Goals

I put on a ton of weight when I was pregnant with Caitlin. This wasn't exactly a surprise to me, since I did the same thing with Brigid, but that doesn't make me any more excited about losing the 35-40lbs I need to lose all over again now that the pregnancy is over. To up the motivational ante a little bit, I joined a group of my online friends in a Biggest Blogging Loser weight loss challenge over the next twelve weeks, with the winner (based on percentage of weight lost) taking home something like $500.

Between that and my desire to fit into more than the one pair of (normally) two-sizes-too-big jeans in my closet, I'd say my motivation to eat well and exercise has NEVER been higher. But, just to keep myself honest and on-track, I've decided I'm going to log my progress on this blog, as well.

So...the stats (and keep in mind that I'm only 5'2, ok?):
Weight, as of 1/7/12 (our initial BBL weigh-in): 175lbs
Weight as of 1/14/12: 170.5lbs

These are the easy days, comparatively speaking, when the weight comes off in larger chunks, because my body doesn't generally start fighting the process until I get closer to 150lbs. So, even though the number is still really high, I'm happy with a 4.5lb loss in week one.

And anyway, it's a good thing the scale responded as well as it did, because yesterday I was running on about four hours of sleep after my dear, sweet, lovely children decided between the two of them that 4:30am seemed like a good time for me to start my day, and ALL I wanted to do was sit around and eat the entire plate of chocolate chip cookies for lunch that my neighbor had dropped off on Sunday night, but I went with a salad and a grilled chicken breast instead, because I didn't want to undo all of the progress I'd made the week before.

I'm still a little bitter about that decision, honestly. Proud, but bitter.

Those cookies looked good, man...

(Ok, FINE. I did go ahead and have ONE with my lunch. AND IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!)

(Did I mention that 4:30 wake-up call? A little sugar was needed to make it through the day...)

3 comments:

HeatherJanuary 15, 2013 at 3:06 PM
You are just so adorable. I love you for tracking your progress and keeping it real! We can do this! Let's go, loser!
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oomph.January 15, 2013 at 8:38 PM
haha, you have to treat yourself once in a while so that you don't binge later!! i tend to reach for the chocolate/sweets/snacks late an night when i'm on the computer, but i do feel good when i make healthier choices. last night was greek yogurt with dark choc chips.

rockoomph.blogspot.com
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ViktoriaJanuary 17, 2013 at 5:59 PM
How's the week going? You'll be back in shape in no time!!! 4.5 lbs already is awesome! I wish I had weight flying off me like that!
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2014 List

1) Send more mail...thank you notes, birthday cards, and 'just because' messages.

2) Be nicer, in general, to my husband and family. They deserve a much less crabby me than the one they were stuck with for most of 2013.

3) Make more of an effort to communicate with the long-distance people in my life. I got away from facetiming with my sister on a regular basis, and I miss it. Plus, now that she's making me an aunt, I think it's even more important that we get back into the habit of seeing each other every week. I do not need her new baby asking 'are you SURE you have more than one sister?', just because Aunt Mary lives in Indiana and Aunt Tara lives all of the way in Georgia.

4) Call or email or even text my friends from college more than I do now, which is hardly at all. Just because we can pick up after not talking to each other for months like no time has passed at all does not mean I should keep letting all of those months pass without the talking. I'm afraid the picking back up can't keep happening in a friendship like that.

5) Do one fitness/health related challenge each month. - You know all of those '0 to 1,000 sit-ups in just 30 days!!' kind of schedules that pop up on Pinterest all of the time? I'm going to start doing those. One each month. Fifteen minute plank? I'M COMING FOR YOU. I'm also throwing my meat-free/sugar-free/alcohol-free months in this category, as well.

6) Run another organized 5K. - It was so much more fun than I expected. Minus the running up a hill part, anyway.

7) Renew my vows with Steve, in Vegas, by Elvis, for our 10th anniversary in October.

8) Create an art wall somewhere in my house.

9) Organize a workspace for me

10) Attend The Blathering in Seattle. - Charleston was such a great time, I'd love to make it back for the Seattle trip.

11) Read at least two books a month.

12) Take Brigid camping.

13) Find a yoga studio and start taking classes regularly.

14) Write something, anything, not blog related.

15) No spending money on new clothes this year. Using gift cards and rewards points are fine, but I need to get out of the habit of spending money on new stuff, just to make myself feel better. I swear, shopping is my addiction, but the high I get from buying a new sweater probably isn't enough to justify the amount of money I spend on clothes I don't need.

16) No buying anything at all unless I absolutely need it. I have a bad habit of stocking up on things at sales (candles, lotions, make-up, beauty products), even if I have a cabinet full of the same stuff already at home. I will use the cabinet full of crap before I add more crap.

17) Be more consistent in updating my family blog, because my parents give me a hard time when I let it lag, and my personal blog, because I'm not as happy with myself when I let it lag.

18) Find a general practitioner and get a physical.

19) Post at least one picture a day on Instagram, to get myself into the habit of taking more pictures of my sweet girls, since I find entire events have passed where I've forgotten to photograph said events. Like Christmas. Sadly.

20) Get a haircut. - You can laugh at this one, if you must, but I did not get one single haircut in 2013. In fact, I haven't had a haircut since before Caitlin was born in November of 2012. I do not even know how this happens, but I know it must end. Soon. I think a Locks of Love kind of donation might be in order. My hair, it is long.

21) Make an effort to get to know the neighbors. - I tend to not get dressed/leave the house on the weekends, and this extends to not fraternizing with anyone who lives near me, because I'm afraid people will judge me for my make-up free, sweatpants clad weekend laze. I should probably get over that.

22) Write more thank you notes. - I am terrible at writing thank you notes. I should not be so terrible.

23) Buy new rugs for my new house. - The sunroom and foyer, in particular, need something fun.

24) Be more fearless in forming and maintaining relationships. - There are many times where I think of something I want to send to someone, whether it's an email, text, card, or what have you, and I don't, because I'm afraid I've maybe overestimated whether we have the type of friendship where I can do something like that. I don't want to worry about stuff like that anymore.

25) Put together an Advent/Christmas activity calendar for Brigid and Caitlin. - I did that for Brigid when I was home on maternity leave after Caitlin's birth, and it was so much fun. I didn't get the chance to do it this year, and I feel like I missed out on some part of the excitement of the season. I'm bringing it back.

26) Institute a once-a-month date night with Steve. Or date lunch, I guess, if necessary.

27) Institute a once-a-month girls' night, whether it be with my old college roommate, my SiLs, or the neighbors. I should get out of the house at least once a month with people who do not live in my house.