Hello 2010!

This is a good time to sum up 2009 and move forward with 2010. 2009 was full of attempts for me.

I joined a gym in February and went consistently for several weeks, then lost momentum and only went occasionally until the last couple weeks. Good intentions, poor follow-through. But last week I went to the gym twice and worked out three times (I’m counting ice-skating on Christmas Eve as a workout), and this week I have hit the gym twice so far, with plans to go today and tomorrow. Yay for good new habits!

I gained more weight in ‘09, at least 20 pounds. Yikes.

I started this blog in May! I started posted consistently the last couple of months of 2009.

I joined Weight Watchers on November 11, 2009. As of the last 2009 weigh-in I have lost 12.4 lbs. Whoo hoo! I think blogging about my weight-loss efforts and related interests, like cooking, has helped me stay on-task.

I found my weight-loss anchor, my watch. The concept of an anchor is discussed in this post. When I gained 20 lbs this year I could not wear it. After a few weeks on Weight Watchers I was finally able to wear it again. And it is a constant reminder of what I am doing and helps me stay focused.

Thanks to Weight Watchers and blogging, I have made it through the holiday season healthier and even one size smaller.

And thanks to blogging, I have discovered an entire community of people interested in health, fitness, and positive self-image. I appreciate all of you whose blogs I read (some mentioned in this post) and all of you who have read and commented on mine.

I’m not big on making resolutions but I have a few goals I would like to achieve in 2010.

1) After losing 10 more pounds I want to start running again. I love running and miss it, but I have just been too heavy and it’s too hard on my joints. Hence the elliptical trainer and stationary bike. I hope that by early summer I will be in good enough shape to head out the door for a 20 minute run 1st thing in the morning a few times a week.

2) I would like to average at least one pound a week of weight loss, and end 2010 maintaining my goal weight. My goal weight has yet to be determined, because Weight Watchers encourages you to lose at least 20% of your initial start weight before setting a goal. If you have that much or more to lose, that is. And I happen to have more than that to lose. Ahem. And I’m hoping to be able to set my goal weight by the end of January 2010.

3) I would like to be so fit that my goal weight is higher than anticipated, due to muscle mass. It doesn’t have to be a lot higher, a little will do.

So there are my hopes; they seem realistic and do-able. My plans for achieving these goals are:

1) Tracking my food points at least five days a week.

2) Working out (cardio) at least 20 minutes at least three days a week. Add strength training to the routine before Spring.

3) Continuing to attend Weight Watchers meetings every week. I like going in for the meetings, they help me use the program more effectively. Plus they show me that I am not alone, there are many of us out there working to improve our fitness and reach a healthy weight. They also emphasize that Weight Watchers is a way of life, not a diet. A diet is something you do for a few weeks and then quit, at least for me. Maybe for a few of you, too. Weight Watchers is a way to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, for life.

2010 is here; we are half a day in already. I’m not doing every single thing right but I’m trying to treat my body better every day. Today I skipped breakfast but made it up with a healthy lunch of whole wheat rotini and cannelloni seasoned with garlic salt and tossed with one teaspoon of olive oil. I have been practicing portion control and estimated it this time, eyeballing the amount of pasta and beans. It was much smaller than a meal I would have prepared for myself a few months ago as I’m learning about serving sizes and healthy portions. I’m going to snack on an apple, sliced and dipped in 1 tablespoon of melted blue cheese, before heading to the gym. The plan for the gym is 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer, 30 minutes on the stationary bike, 2 sets of 20 situps each and then stretching out.

Good luck to all of us and Happy New Year!