- Reach the 140s - As explained in December, reaching the 140s is a huge milestone for me. The symbolism tied in to New Year's Eve aside, the 140s has been something I've had my mind on ever since I restarted my weight-loss journey exactly one year ago today at 182.8 pounds - my second time in my mid-to-low 180s, which is also the highest weight I've ever been. Now, roughly 28 pounds lighter, my mind is more than ever fixated on that number; fixated on the feeling of looking down at the scale and seeing a "14" in front of my weight. With roughly five pounds to go, this should be something I can easily grasp this month - and I'll kiss the 150s goodbye FOREVER in the process!
- Attend Two-to-Three Pilates Classes a Week - I attended my first Pilates class the day after Christmas. I had always wanted to take Pilates but just never was able to get around to it. After my first class, I didn't feel much of anything, but the next day (later in the day) I felt more and more sore. I wasn't able to attend class that night because of it. The reason I've elected two-three classes instead of the solid three classes as I originally intended is because I'm not sure how many more times I will be too sore to attend a class and therefore don't want to set an unrealistic goal. However, Sunday evenings are free classes that don't cut into my subscription cost, so I'm going to hold those as mandatory - otherwise it's like throwing away money! A two-to-three day gap between the Sunday class and the Wednesday or Thursday classes will hopefully be enough for me to recover, getting in my minimum of two classes per week.
- Go to the Gym Three Times / Run Three Miles a Week - Although I will be taking Pilates classes two-three times a week, I still want to get some regular cardio in as well. I want to start running some 5Ks this year, the first of which on my to-do-list in May. Therefore, I'm going to start adding running into my fitness regimen. I would like to say I'm going to run a mile a day, but I know I won't stick to that. So, for the moment, until I get back into the swing of going to the gym every morning as I had been before, I'm going to hold myself to three times a week, running one mile each time I go to the gym. A 5K isn't a horribly difficult race (I was training for a half marathon last summer, ironically, and ran a 5K almost every day) so I'm not going to worry about officially training until about a month or so before my first race. For now, three miles a week / three times at the gym will be enough!
- Drink More Water - I have never been very good at drinking water. I've gotten pretty good at making it a point to order water when I go out to eat at restaurants, but at home and at work I still struggle. When I moved into my new apartment in August I got really good at drinking it for a little while, largely due to my new Brita, but over the last month or so I've somewhat reverted back to my old, non-water-drinking self. So I'm going to try to drink at least two glasses of water a day - one at work and one at home. No this isn't a lot, but it's better than I'm doing now, and I want to keep it in a realistic range. Next month I'll up the requirement, but for now, two glasses a day!
- No More Self-Sabotage - Since I began this round of my weight loss journey, I've had three documented moments of weakness. When I say "moments of weakness," what I really mean is, "moments when I stuffed my face beyond all comprehension." These moments were usually brought upon by drinking, smoking, or general inebriation, but that is no excuse! This month I am setting a goal to not participate in this type of destructive behavior. I'm not saying I won't go over my daily points here and there, and I'm not even ruling out going over my weekly points (as I use 14 weekly points less than Weight Watchers allows in the first place) - but what I'm saying is I won't indulge in pounds and pounds of pizza, ice cream, candy, baked goods, chips, cookies, you name it! This month I will stick to the plan!
I'm looking forward to this month! I think I will accomplish a lot of really good things!
Meet Samantha, a twenty-something aspiring musical theatre performer based in the greater Chicagoland area. My three greatest passions are the power of music, the comfort of family and friends, and the enjoyment of food. My weight has held me back for years, keeping me from being truely happy and succeeding in the things I care about most. Now I'm in a new city, living a new life, and enough is enough! Time to finally finish what I've started.
