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HYC Update: Progress on 2011 Goals

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

After reading Carina’s post recently, I’ve decided that it’s about time to review my progress on my 2011 goals that I set way back in January.  Scale Junkie also mentioned that we’re entering the last quarter of the year – only 4 months left in 2011 – so I think it’s about time to check in and see if what I’ve accomplished.

As a refresher, theses are the goals I wrote back in January:

1. Write at least one comment per day on one of the blogs in my blogroll (and hopefully many more than that).  I get so busy sometimes that I lose sight of the best part about being a weight loss/health blogger – the community.  And that community is a give and take.  I can’t expect to get support unless I give it.  And the fact of the matter is I get SO MUCH from reading these blogs.  I owe it to myself to take some time to do it everyday.  Great progress on this goal.  I write at least one blog comment every single day. 
   
2. Complete the TheDailyChallenge from MeYouHealth.(I hope you’ll join me in this one).  Join other challenges to keep myself motivated, remembering that I’m one busy lady and I don’t want to get overwhelmed.  Mediocre progress on this goal.  I was doing great through June and then all summer long I kind of took a break.  Now that I’m back to school I’ve been doing them  again. 
   
3. Keep my closets organized and snap a monthly check-in photo to post on this blog for accountability.  Mediocre progress on this goal. Overall, my closet is still really organized, and all of the clothes are in good shape. My shoes are thrown willy-nilly all over the floor of the closet, which is something I need to work on.  I’ve also failed to make any check-in posts. 
   
4. Walk in a 5K by the end of summer. No progress on this goal.  It’s no longer a priority at the moment.
   
5. Make my 40th birthday a time to remember!  Great progress on this goal.  I had a great time with friends and family throughout my birthday week. 
   
6. Revisit C25K once I feel strong/light enough.  No progress on this goal. I haven’t felt light enough yet, and  most likely won’t until after wls.
   
7. Travel more.  Visit at least one friend whom I have to get on a plane to see.  No progress on this goal.  It’s no longer a priority at the moment. I do have some fun plans for next summer, but for now, it’s not going to happen. 
   
   
8. Be more social.  Have more people over.  Go out more.  Live a little. Good progress on this  goal.  I’ve made it a point to reach out to friends and to accept their invitations. 
   
9. Curb unnecessary spending without sacrificing my lifestyle.  Life is meant to be enjoyed.  Good progress on this  goal. I’ve cut way back on many things and I’m making it work.  For example, I started waxing my own eyebrows, and I’m saving at least $30-45 a month. 
   
10. See more movies.  I absolutely love movies, yet I never seem to find/make the time to go out and see them.  Even if it means I’m just watching Netflix, I want to make sure I see more movies in 2011. Mediocre progress on this goal. I saw some movies this summer, but not nearly as many as I wanted to.  I also stopped my subscription to Netflix after their price hike, but I do have Comcast, so I have plenty of movies available to me.  Still a priority.
    
11. Above all, I want to lose weight. Plain and simple.  That’s what this entire blog has been about for years, and I want it to FINALLY happen in 2011. Most of the other goals on this list revolve around this one.
    • Lose the 36 lbs needed to qualify for the next step in the lap band process. Poor progress to date.
      
    • Keep my calories within 1400 per day most days (rare, truly special occasions allowed, because this is real life). Great progress – I changed this to 1200-1300 to be more in line with the nutritionist’s recommendations. 
      
    • Log my calories with LoseIt daily – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Great progress – with very few exceptions, I have logged my food intake every single day this year.
      
    • Email my food journals to daily to ScaleWarfare. Great progress – with very few exceptions, I have emailed  every single day this year.
      
    • Drink more water. Mediocre progress.  I’m  doing better, but still don’t drink as much water as I should. 
      
    • Move my body daily. This includes walking the dog, playing the Wii, doing a workout DVD, going to the gym for resistance training, riding my bike, swimming, taking a class (yoga, belly dance, zumba, spin, etc). Great progress on this.  I’ve been really good about meeting this goal, with very few exceptions. 
      
    • Weigh myself often (daily) to notice trends, stay on track, and keep motivation high. Record my “official” weight weekly. Great progress on this.  I started logging often in LoseIt and have changed my “official” reporting to monthly, to be more in line with the way that I report to Kaiser. 
      
    • Film bi-weekly YouTube videos about my journey so that I can have a visual record of myself and my progress. Good progress.  I’ve made videos monthly, but definitely more regularly than in the past. 
      

Moving into the last quarter of 2011, these are the goals I want to focus on:

1. Follow my BtS Weight Loss Plan.
2. Drink more water!!!
3. Continue therapy. I had a huge breakthrough/realization on my way home from my 2nd session yesterday, and I can’t wait to explore it and get to the bottom of things (more on this in a later post).
4. Visit blogs daily and comment on at least one per day.
5. Stay social.  Don’t fall into the school-time trap of becoming too much of a homebody. Get together with friends and family, especially on the weekends, that’s what they’re there for.

5 straightforward goals for September-December.  I’ll check in monthly with these.  Please keep me accountable if you notice that I miss a post.

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2011 Goals

I love this image because it represents exactly how I’m thinking of my 2011 Goals.  They’re more than just resolutions that I’ll make one day and break the next.  They’re more than just ideas that are difficult to achieve in reality.  They’re aspirations, intentions, objectives.  Things that give me hope, focus my energy, and a target to meet.

I believe in them so much that I’m going to post this on a page and put it on the top of my blog.  Then every month on the 3rd (since I’m a little late with this post, due to unforeseen circumstances), I’ll check back in with them and see where I stand.  I’m sure there will be some tweaking along the way, but these are the things I want to accomplish in 2011.

I’ve given these goals a lot of thought, and I want them to be realistic for my lifestyle, my level of ability, and my priorities.

1. Write at least one comment per day on one of the blogs in my blogroll (and hopefully many more than that).  I get so busy sometimes that I lose sight of the best part about being a weight loss/health blogger – the community.  And that community is a give and take.  I can’t expect to get support unless I give it.  And the fact of the matter is I get SO MUCH from reading these blogs.  I owe it to myself to take some time to do it everyday.
2. Complete the TheDailyChallenge from MeYouHealth.(I hope you’ll join me in this one).  Join other challenges to keep myself motivated, remembering that I’m one busy lady and I don’t want to get overwhelmed.
3. Keep my closets organized and snap a monthly check-in photo to post on this blog for accountability.
4. Walk in a 5K by the end of summer.
5. Make my 40th birthday a time to remember!
6. Revisit C25K once I feel strong/light enough.
7. Travel more.  Visit at least one friend whom I have to get on a plane to see.
8. Be more social.  Have more people over.  Go out more.  Live a little.
9. Curb unnecessary spending without sacrificing my lifestyle.  Life is meant to be enjoyed.
10. See more movies.  I absolutely love movies, yet I never seem to find/make the time to go out and see them.  Even if it means I’m just watching Netflix, I want to make sure I see more movies in 2011.
11. Above all, I want to lose weight. Plain and simple.  That’s what this entire blog has been about for years, and I want it to FINALLY happen in 2011. Most of the other goals on this list revolve around this one.
    • Lose the 36 lbs needed to qualify for the next step in the lap band process.
    • Keep my calories within 1400 per day most days (rare, truly special occasions allowed, because this is real life).
    • Log my calories with LoseIt daily – the good, the bad, and the ugly.
    • Email my food journals to daily to ScaleWarfare.
    • Drink more water.
    • Move my body daily. This includes walking the dog, playing the Wii, doing a workout DVD, going to the gym for resistance training, riding my bike, swimming, taking a class (yoga, belly dance, zumba, spin, etc).
    • Weigh myself often (daily) to notice trends, stay on track, and keep motivation high. Record my “official” weight weekly.
    • Film bi-weekly YouTube videos about my journey so that I can have a visual record of myself and my progress.

I’m really looking forward to these goals, because they’re going to make me a happier person by the end of 2011, which is what life is really all about, isn’t it?  See you on February 3 with my first check-in.

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Merry Christmas!

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”
―Burton Hillis

The thing I love the most about Christmas is the sense of joy and hope that it evokes in me. I love the thought that I get to spend extra time with family and friends so that we can catch up on the events of the past year. It always means that I have more time to myself, to share fun times with my
favorite people in the world. Having 2 weeks off doesn’t hurt, either! 😉

I hope all of you have a very joy-filled day, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas.

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“Transition Week” Weigh-In/HYC Update

I’m calling this past week a “transition” week because I still haven’t made it to WW for a meeting.  I had planned on going on Saturday morning, but after a physically and emotionally draining week, I slept in and missed the meeting. 

I think I may have needed an extra week before heading to a meeting.  Lots of things have been going on for me – a hectic schedule, my grandmother is in the hospital and they don’t think she’s going to come out, and in general, just the feeling of being exhausted.  I know that life will always throw curve balls at me, though, and so I need to take action and make it to a meeting this coming Saturday, because I need to re-join NOW. 

Last week was a mixed week in terms of weight loss.  I started out really well at the beginning of the week, planning, preparing, and cooking good meals for myself.  Things quickly deteriorated as the week continued, though.  Fast food was eaten on Friday night, and although I counted the points, I hadn’t really done much activity to counteract the effects.  Still, I am happy that I kept myself accountable.  I just have to work on giving in to the urge to eat food that I know will make me feel awful later.  I didn’t get a chance to workout this week, either.  I had planned to go to the Aqua class on Tuesday and Wednesday, but just didn’t have the energy.  I guess it was just one of those weeks for me. 

Still, I lost 0.8 pounds, which is a move in the right direction.  I’m actually thrilled that I  saw a loss of any kind on the scale this morning.  I am counting on the fact that this loss, as little as it is, will be just what I need to get back that glimmer of hope I had.  Because for me, hope leads to desire, which leads to determination, and from there, nothing can keep me from achieving my goals! 

Speaking of goals, I want to set a few for myself this week:

1. Count all points, even if I eat something I “shouldn’t”.
2. Make dinner for myself each night.  Make a few “big” meals so I have less work to do the other nights. 
3. Make a cup of tea after dinner, allowing it to soothe me into relaxation.
4. Prepare lunch at night before going to bed.
5. Go to bed at a reasonable hour.  (Which means no falling asleep on the couch, as has been my unfortunate pattern). 
6. Go the Aqua class Tuesday and Wednesday. 
7. Do a workout DVD on Monday and Thursday.
8. Take a long bike ride on Friday.
9. Check in with this blog, both in writing posts, but also reading others’ posts, for inspiration.
10. Make it to the WW meeting on Saturday. 

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Oprah’s Show – Best Life Week – Your Weight

I couldn’t wait to get home today to watch Oprah’s show that I had DVR’d.  I read the magazine article that caused all the fuss, and as I said before, I really don’t know why everyone was so up in arms.

To me, Oprah is incredibly brave for putting her honest, candid emotions out there about how disappointed she was in herself for gaining the weight.  And I think after watching the show it’s clear that she’s really not just disappointed about the weight, but disappointed that she forgot to make herself a priority.  That seemed to be the major theme of the show.  At least, that’s the theme I found drawn to.

I can relate so much to what she said about how she was hungry for balance in her life.  Now, I’m not trying to say that I’m anywhere near as busy as Ms. Winfrey, but I do know a thing or two about giving everything – your entire self – to your job.  So much so that there is NOTHING left for you.  Forget about even thinking about adding another person (significant other) to the mix.

There were so many profound moments for me while watching today’s show.  These are the things that especially struck a chord with me:

• Make yourself a priority.
• Your overweight self doesn’t stand before you craving food, it stands before you craving love.
• Be grateful for THIS body; for what it has done for you and will continue to do for you.
• This (weight loss and living a healthy life) is a lifelong journey that doesn’t end.
• Put yourself back on your “to do” list – whether it’s working out, getting a pedicure, or spending time with loved ones, schedule it like you would any other appointment.
• When you love yourself enough, you take care of yourself.
• You have to plan – for your life, and for your meals.
• There is no way you can ever maintain your weight without some regular cardio exercise. (30 min. a day, 6 days/wk).
• Exercise is the #1 thing to give yourself.
• There’s something missing, some void, that food is filling.
• It’s not a weight issue, it’s a LOVE issue.
• Ask yourself what you really want.
• 2009 is the year of HOPE.

There are a ton of tools on Oprah’s site, including information about the webcasts Oprah and Bob Greene are going to host, how to make the most of your metabolism, and overcoming hunger, to name a few.  I’ve already signed up for the webcasts because I’m sure there will be quite a few lessons to learn and be inspired by.

Bob Greene posed 5 questions that I found quite thought -provoking:

1. What are you really hungry for?
2. Why are you overweight?
3. Why have you been unable to maintain weight loss in the past?
4. What in your life is not working?
5. Why do you want to lose weight?

I plan to really look at each of these questions to see if I can uncover some ah-ha moments.  Once again, Oprah has inspired me more than I can express.

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