Friday, January 1, 2010

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!

6 comments:

Cammy@TippyToeDiet said...

You are certainly starting your new year off right! I like your goals and your plans for achieving them. I also like your odds for achieving them. :) My money's on YOU!

karen@fitnessjourney said...

It sounds like a really sensible plan. Planning is really key to success, I've found. I especially like that you planned your workout before hitting the gym. It's easy to go to the gym and flounder around deciding what to do then ending up not doing a good workout. Your plans sound great. I wish you all the success in the world and look forward to following your progress.

liz at imsheddingthefatsuit said...

thank you ladies! i did make it to the gym today, though most of the way there i had to distract myself from thoughts that a nap would be so much more pleasant :)
but i executed the trip as planned and am glad.

Tricia said...

Good luck with your goals!

Kelly said...

It seems like you have set really manageable goals for yourself. It helps that you have already been working on a lot of these for over a month!

Mary :: A Merry Life said...

Happy new year! You've got a good plan and I'm sure you will make 2010 a great year. :)