Introduction

Greetings, everyone! Although I’ve been reading this blog since the beginning, I just signed up to contribute a few weeks ago. Along with all of the great tips and the support from everyone, I badly need some public accountability. I have an on-again/off-again workout partner, but other than her, I really am accountable to no one but myself. Unfortunately, that has proven not to be enough. So here I am.

I have been struggling with the same 60 lbs over the past four years. Well, it didn’t originally start out as 60 lbs – it started out as 30 lbs that I wanted to lose before my best friend’s wedding (I was in it). I successfully dieted and exercised away the 30 lbs before the wedding, but gained it all back (+10 more lbs) the next year. Looking back, I can’t say I’m surprised that I gained the weight back. Instead of making lifestyle changes, I went on a somewhat drastic diet to reach my goal. I lost the 30 lbs in two and half months and immediately went back to eating the way I had been before the diet. The next three years were filled with dieting, exercising, losing the 40lbs, gaining it back (+a few more lbs each time). Gain, lose, gain, lose, gain, gain, gain.

As of this summer, I am at my highest weight ever. Actually, I am 5 lbs over what I consider to be my scary weight – the weight I said I would never let myself get to again. Needless to say, I am very unhappy with where I am now.

Unlike in the past, this time I’m ready to make lifestyle changes and not just diet away the excess weight. I cannot continue to go through the lose/gain cycle. Not only is it hard on my body (physically), it’s also hard on my mental state; I beat myself up way too much when I gain the weight back. I need to have consistency and the only way to do that is to make permanent changes. I learned through trial and error that my success all depends on how consistently I exercise. When I keep up with my workout schedule, I eat healthy foods. That is the key for me. Whenever I exercise, I connect the food I consume to my workouts – the desire to eat so-called bad foods lessons because I think about how many hours on the elliptical I would have to do in order to burn those calories. The threat of having to work extra-hard at the gym keeps me from burying my face in that pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Thankfully, I don’t hate to exercise. Once I start doing it consistently, I feel much better and I would even say I enjoy it...but I still don't want to have to do extra. :)

For now, I’m going to keep my goals fairly simple and straightforward:
*Follow a gym schedule (exercise a minimum of 4 days p/week)
*Eat more healthy foods and less junk (and get my boyfriend to do the same...more about him later)
*Lose the dreaded 60 lbs for good
*Go back to belly dancing class (I’ve been dancing for close to 4 years, but stopped during the past year when I gained the weight back)

Things are off to a good start. I started my plan this past Monday and have already been to the gym three times. I’m also in the works of planning some fun exercise-based outings with Repressed Librarian. Yay!

tags: Goal-setting and Accountability