It's time for a renewal....

of my commitment to exercise and getting this last 20 lbs off.

Things that made me a successful loser since I started on this weight loss journey in Dec 2008.

• Careful attention to food
• Bringing in own lunch to work
• Less eating out
• Working out - cardio 3-5 times a week, along with strength training. (That's a lot of time at the gym, folks)
• Having a support system
• Food journal sent to my dear sis most days.
• Preplanning what to eat.
• Allowing for things that I still want to enjoy in my daily food.... Things I won't give up: chocolate, alcohol, carbs, and fat. I just eat less of them!
• Tracking my weight and excercise in my daily planner ( I plan to keep this as a record and testament to what I CAN do when I put my head down to it!)

So what's changed since December when I began to slack off?

Well, lets see! I got sick and spent a week at home doing nothing, trying not to spread whatever upper respiratory infection I had, I started dating someone, my family moved into my upstairs (went from being a one person household to 5 overnight!). The boyfriend and my parents do not eat the way that I did before I began slacking off! It's been a real challenge to see how I can work good nutrition in while dealing with not being the person meal-planning. Edited to add: I also finally completed my course of study!! See my WOCN journey blog for details!

What's been keeping me from gaining a lot more back in the past 2 months? Well, will power for one. My trainer for 2. (I love her! She really IS looking out for me)

So I have been thinking, How do I get back on track? At the present moment, I don't want to go to the gym unless absolutely necessary! That mindset - GOTTA GO!

So here's my plan in it's rough stages:

• Workout at the gym on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (Thurs and Sat will be with the trainer)
• On Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, do yoga or another exercise DVD at home, something fun and not as hard, but that will get me up and moving!
• Start keeping track of food AND calories (this is already begun, my trainer and I have both reviewed it separately to see where things are falling apart)
• Start bringing food into work with myself again. (How will I achieve this when I will be in and out of the house a lot more now? I am going to add this to my "to ponder" list)
• I will remind myself of where I have been and where I want to go! 50 lbs gone! 20 more to go!

That's the plan - now for the action!

February Blues!

Well, it's Feb - still dating Robert, who remains attentive and wants to keep me around! :)

On the weight loss front - I am currently 164 lbs! I have been swimming 1-2 times a week and this week I did yoga. I swam on Monday, did yoga on Tuesday and spent Wednesday and Friday SORE! life is good - I hope to get some more weight off over time.

I love where I am!

Mom, Dad, Ben and Kathleen are still living here. I end up eating a lot of what they eat, but still trying to work in more fruits and veggies. Robert cooks kinda like them too - but he does cook! He planned to make english muffin pizzas this week, and has made spaghetti and pork chops. Its nice to have someone else cook!

I did do better this week in taking my lunch with me to work - so I think that helped.

I also started keeping my food journal again! I have been keeping it in my day planner since I have a monthly page to keep me on track, and then a weekly one to record my food intake.

I dont think I have lost that much weight since November, BUT I do notice that my body is remodeling itself. I love that! I hope it continues to get leaner, meaner, and tighter. I have been swimming because I want to get that lean swimmer's body. That's the end goal in my mind, no matter what the weight.

Valentine's Day soon!

I hope someone reads this - but if they don't, it's good to me to see all the things that I have done and continue to do to keep the weight off! :)