getting serious

I promised myself in January that I would use this year to get healthy and back to a heathy weight. So far I've had a tiny bit of success (see weight loss ticker on the left) and completed a 5k, but I'm not satisfied with those results. I realized that if I really want to meet my weight loss goals and see myself fitting into the clothes I wore 2 years ago then I'm going to need to put in some serious effort.

This afternoon I made up a reward chart for myself. Every 5 pounds I lose gives me a little reward. As the amount of weight lost gets bigger, so does the reward. My first reward (the one for losing a total of 5 pounds from where I am now) is a subscription to Real Simple magazine. I made it the first reward because I love the magazine and because getting it in the mail each month will be a reminder of past success.

The other rewards are things like mani/pedis, shoes, and visits to places I enjoy. I made a conscious choice to NOT make my big rewards food related.

However, I have built in a weekly "treat" as a reward for working out at least 5 days each week. If I stay on track and work out at least 30 minutes, 5 days out of the week I will reward myself with my favorite breakfast from starbucks... chai tea latte with soy and a blueberry scone. This way I will be less tempted to indulge during the week and more likely to get my tush to the gym!

As a final reward for meeting my overall goal, I am going to get a makeover. Cut and color my hair, get a whole new outfit and then go out somewhere fun with Steve to celebrate. I've always wanted a makeover and I figured it would be fun to do it this way.

I'm hoping that by setting up this reward system I will be able to stay motivated.

To reach my goals, I plan to keep going with my running and do speed and incline intervals to keep up the intensity. I also plan to alternate between running days and what I call "strength days" where I'll use the weight machine in the gym (our apartment gym has a bowflex type machine rather than traditional machines) as well as exercises like pushups, crunches, squats and lunges.

Finally, in regard to my diet, I am going to attempt to make good choices and listen to my body. I'm currently learning about intuitive eating. Basically, you listen to your body and eat when you feel hungry, stop when you are full, and eat the foods that satisfy you. Hopefully this approach will lead to a more permanent lifestyle change and continued success.

The numbers:
starting weight (taken in January): 185 lbs.
current weight (taken Wednesday): 173lbs
GOAL weight: 135 lbs
starting dress size: 14
current dress size: between a 12 and a 14
GOAL dress size: 8

If I had a tape measure I'd do measurements, but I don't. So I'm going by dress size and the scale. :)