How did I do?

As a recap, here were my goals for 2011.

1. Don’t get kicked out of Fat Camp
How I will accomplish this goal:

• Lose 7 lbs every 2 months
• Track food (myfitnesspal.com)
• Exercise 4-5 times a week for at least 45 minutes – can include walks on break if they get my heart up – Track it
• Pack my own lunch 3-4 times a week (or go home)
• Walk Nova 3 times a week (that is more than now, I=bad owner, but I need to be above freezing)
• Eat breakfast I prepare EVERY DAY (okay I can eat out occasionally, like 3 times a month)
• Be honest with myself

2. Keep my house company clean

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Open/sort/toss my mail the day I get it.
• Empty dishwasher when it is done, add dishes as soon as I finish with them
• Vacuum/Sweep once a week
• Mop at least once a month
• Put things away, don’t pile!

3. Add to savings

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Track expenses
• Quit random purchases (but not all random purchases, sometimes a girl needs to buy things she doesn't need to live, but it will make her life happier or easier - i.e. fish, pet toys, music, etc)
• Put money in my savings and if I pull out of savings I must replace what I took plus more (even if it is just a dollar) within the next month.

4. Read 60 books

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Read instead of tv or really keep on keeping on (I love this goal)

5. Write in my journal at least once a week.

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Remember that I have it.

6. Ride my bike to work 52 times.
How I will accomplish this goal:

• Since Charlie retired and isn’t here to push me anymore, I think I need to just suck it up and do it!
• Go clipless – this is a two prong approach, first prong is that it will make it easier, second is that I will have spent money so I will feel like I need to make it worth it.

7. Secret plan
How I will accomplish this goal:

• By doing secret

So how did I do? Um, crappy.

1. I got kicked out of Fat Camp. I can get back in now, but I have to lose like 3 pounds to do so, and we are switching insurance on April 1st, so it is now or never. But I will try. The County has a health coach now, so I have been meeting with her, that program just doesn't pay for my gym membership, but it is nice to have someone give me advice about training and stuff.

2. I did okay on keeping my house clean, not great, but okay.

3. I did not add to savings. Buying a new furnace, solatube (totally worth it) and repairing my fence required me to pull from savings. :(

4. I have KICKED ASS AT THIS GOAL!! WOO! Really by the end of the week I plan to have read 65 books (I need to finish one and a half books to do so)

5. I sucked at this goal. I may have written in it like twice..

6. Charlie would be sorely disappointed in me, I think I made it 9 times.

7. I actually did really well at my secret plan. What is it you ask? It is what you all guessed, to date more. Don't get your hopes up Mom or Dad, I haven't met anyone, but I have been at least trying. And they are all guys... (inside joke with my Dad, though I think my mom also worries). This has been a hard thing for me, because I am not good at being flirty and cute or willing to play dumb. But I did pretty well, I don't know how many guys I went out with this year, but it was multiple guys. Some of them were really fun, but I knew they would drive me nuts and others were better fits, but had WAY too much baggage and didn't seem to be willing to dump some of it. Oh well, c'est la vie, there is always 2012. So now you all know, I have been dating and it sucks and it so freaking weird!

So 2.5 out of 7, not exactly good, but it was okay. I actually did pretty well at the parts of my first goal, so maybe I get 3 out of 7.

I don't know what my goals for 2012 will be, maybe I won't have any. Or maybe I will think about it for the month of January and set them in February.

Peace out for now, Party People!

My year in words

This year has been an interesting year. I feel like I made a lot of changes. Yet, I don't really have any regrets, even about the hardest choice I made. Especially since I got the exact result I knew I would once I made that choice.

I feel like this year focused mostly on getting healthy. I spent my year counting my calories. I actually like counting calories, it is just one more thing I can track and I do love tracking random things. I also spent a lot of time working out, sure I could have worked out more/harder, but I think I did pretty good considering how little I have worked out in the past 10 years.

Here are some of the things I learned this year:

I learned that no matter if I stay within the recommended calories that my body is not going to be happy losing weight and will probably resist. Hopefully, 2012 will allow me to get over my plateau...

I learned that even if the scale isn't moving, other things are happening. I can now wear everything in my closet. In fact, I have actually got rid of somethings that are now too big. It is nice. I really don't plan on going back up ever, so I don't feel bad about donating clothes to the Road Home. Plus I am less jiggly. Sure some parts still jiggle and probably always will, but that is okay, other parts are no longer jiggling.

I learned that I can complete a triathlon (sure it was a sprint, but it was still a tri), a half marathon and 35+ miles on my bike (twice). I had some kind of organized event each month from April until October. It actually was really fun. And even though I spent a crapload on paying for the events, I think it was worth it. There is something about doing something with a large group of people, even if I am in the bottom 25%. The energy I got from the masses of people was worth way more than the t-shirts. Plus, I must admit, they were excellent excuses to drink chocolate milk.

I learned that it is okay to be me and not feel bad about it or apologize for it. This seems like such a weird thing for me to say, because I have always been fairly comfortable with myself, but there were/are some situations that I felt like I had to constantly defend myself or apologize for being me. Well, I am done with that (mostly).

I learned that it sucks to be rejected. Okay, so I already knew this in my personal life (as it happens A LOT), but I have never really had professional rejection. And boy, did I have some this year. While I am still having a hard time with it, I will get over it, hopefully. Though it would help if the person that "was better" could actually perform the job, or at least act like he is attempting....

I learned that I really love my friends. I don't have a lot of good friends, but the friends I have I truly love. They are such awesome people and I feel like they are always there for me, even if it is just over email or Facebook. And most likely if you are reading this, you are one of those people and I want you to know that I love you and appreciate your friendship!

I learned that I really love my family, even when they frustrate me. I can't imagine my life without them, even when I make hard choices about them. I am so grateful that I have two sets of parents and additional siblings/nieces/nephews. And what can I say about my wonderful sister-in-laws? They are the best! I love the women my brother's married and am so glad that I can call them up or drop by their houses to chat. And my Dad is just out of this world, we have done so many emergency projects in the last couple of months, it makes me extra glad I can call him my Dad. My Mom is one of the best out there, even if she comes to my house just to see if it is clean ;) I am glad that she stays at my house and even gladder that she has finally accepted that I am not a morning person and just can't have conversations before I eat and especially not before I shower!

I learned that I can no longer imagine my life without my pets. Occasionally, I think about what I will do when they die and I find myself fighting tears. The dog may get called the Damn Dog a lot, but she also makes me laugh every day. And the cat may terrorize anyone/thing that is not me, but to me, she is the cuddliest/sweetest/smartest kitty a girl could have.

I am sure I learned a lot of other crap, but my project is done uploading. So I can now leave the Starbucks and stop pretending to be a screen writer (it was my cover for mooching their wifi). Stay tuned for my plans for for the New Year (and probably a report on how I did on my plans for this year, this kind of was that, but not really).

Hey Mom!

Hey Mom,

I am going to keep blogging. Maybe you should set up Google Reader or another RSS feed so I don't have to remember to remind you, it will just pop up!

Love you

XOXO

Jenni

Photos!

I downloaded my camera card, I know I have more photos on my phone from these occasions, but this is what you get!

Don't know when this photo was taken, but I think it is cute and totally shows Nova's crazy demeanor.

And here she is at Doggie Swim Day. You can tell she is enjoying herself.
This was her "put down the camera and throw the frisbee" look
And now for something completely different.

I went to Memphis last month (you know, October). It was a very interesting city. Lots of good fried food and BBQ. Apparently they had good seafood too, but I didn't eat any. The only fish I ate was fried catfish, which was AWESOME!

This was a famous restaurant there. What is it called? Um, flying something...I just liked the catfish-airplane
This lovely poodle wallpaper was from Graceland...that's right Elvis loved poodles! Okay so it was in his parent's bathroom (which also featured purple tile) but it was AWESOME!
This lovely stain glass was in the front room at Graceland. No one has ever accused Elvis of being bland.
See. Not bland.
There were TONS of creepy accessories in the house. This was just one.
This was a model of Elvis's birth home. Why did I take a picture? Well, I do believe it could be the house I live in!! Except mine has an addition on the back. Maybe in 18 years, I will be a famous rock star..
Memphis is Elvis town (as well as the blues), and I didn't really know a lot about him, but I learned! We went on a tour of Sun Records (pictures on my phone, maybe...) and I learned that when Elvis first walked in the door he was REJECTED!! It took him a year of visiting the studio and recording amateur demos for the owner to sign him. And even then it was only because his secretary insisted that he listen to the record! Crazy stuff!

This was the cutest little boat on the Mississippi. It is an Army Corp boat. We were on their inspection barge (which was HUGE) but this cute little thing came to visit. I feel like we need a boat like this for the Jordan River!

For more pictures of Memphis (and Doggie Swim Day). Click here.

August/September/October are gone!

Where has the year gone? When I was little, time dragged along and I never believed the old people that said that it would speed up when I got older. I BELIEVE YOU NOW, OLD PEOPLE!! Maybe, because I am now an old person.

August had my birthday, I went to lunch with two of the ladies I just can't shake from my life (thank goodness!) Thanks Mary and Marcie! And that night I got to see the awesome Becky get married. It was a lovely day. August also had the wedding of another friend, I was so happy when he found the woman he married, that I think I bugged him for like 6 months before he proposed to propose to her. I knew that they were a good fit. And with those two weddings, it rounded out my 3 weddings in 6 weeks. The first wedding was in July, and has to be one of the prettiest weddings I have ever attended, plus it was fun dancing the night away at the Country Club. Congrats Nat!!

September was, um, the month after August... Oh and the month I got kicked out of fat camp :( I didn't lose the 1 pound (I am still at the same freaking weight). But I did find out that in 6 months prior, according to the Healthy Lifestyles record, I had lost 9 pounds and ~5% body fat, so even though I have been staying the same weight for the past 4 months, I have been losing body fat, which is awesome and I will totally accept and be happy about.

October saw a trip to Memphis. It was for a conference, but I had a great time anyway. I ate a TON of fried food and BBQ. In fact, I really haven't been eating meat since I have been back. It really was an amazing city. The weather was FREEZING, but other than that it was great. I got to see Graceland (twice), take a boat tour of the Mississippi, ride the trolleys, tour Sun Records, hang out at BB King's club and catch up with my friends from around the country. I do love my professional organization for allowing me to meet such great people. And I am glad that my lovely Mother would come down to watch my crazy pets so that I didn't have to worry about them while I was gone.

Maybe, I will bring in my camera tomorrow and post some pictures. I feel like Facebook has taken over for my blog, which makes me sad. But it is just so much easier! I am still going to try and update, even if it is only for me to read :)

OH MY! I forgot what else happened in October!! I FINISHED A HALF MARATHON!! Cannot believe I forgot that!! I had a super slow time, but I am mostly okay with it. I would have made my goal, except the porta-potty line was 8-9 minutes and I didn't know if I would be okay just using a bush, so I just waited to use a "real" bathroom, so I missed my goal by 4'26". I did have a breakdown when I saw Mary after the race, but I really do blame it on my body being out of fuel (even though I had Gatorade and energy treats throughout the race), I was exhausted mentally and physically. It was a really fun race and it was so great to do it with so many of my friends (I think I knew like 10 people running in it). I really want to do it next year, but unfortunately it conflicts with my ASCE conference in Montreal, so I am going to have to make a hard decision next year on what I should do.

Also, KPP and Nova are doing great. KPP has been exploring the outside and allowing Nova to SNIFF her (it has to be in caps, because sometimes it is a little vigorous and actually moves her). Plus they will now sit by each other (not really close, but close enough). Nova gained 10 lbs in 6 months, so is on a diet. The vet was worried that it was her thyroid, but when I explained that she still has a ton of energy, that was ruled out and my giving her too many treats (she has been working out hard with me!) was probably the culprit. So needless to say, she now only gets one treat a day. I don't think she even notices.

And with that, I am really ending this post.

WHEW!

I am happy to report that I did not get kicked out!!! WOO!! But the bad news is I have to be down ~11 lbs by September 1st. Good bye cookies and candy, hello working out again.

I can do this, right?

Back in the saddle.

I am still disappointed in myself, but yes, I do realize that I have made great progress. I just like to meet goals, especially if they are random.

I am still not sure if I am still in the program, but I am going to still pretend I am, err, starting tomorrow. As today I ate a cheese burger for lunch (and frankly it was not worth it).

BUT, I signed up for another race. I say race, but for me they are just organized events and my only goal is to finish. The latest is the Deseret News 10k. This will be year number 3 for me and I am in my best shape yet, but again, I just want to finish. Which maybe harder this year than past years, since my mom/10k buddy may or may not sign up. She is usually my motivator. I guess this year I will have music fill her role.

With all the events I have signed up for, I have had an event once a month since April. Here is the breakdown.

April - 5k

May - Bike ride (30 miles)

June - TRIATHLON! (I'm still a little proud, though I will push myself harder next year)

July - 10k

August - 5k

September - ??

October - HALF MARATHON!!

So as you can read, I need an event in September. These are my criteria, something I can do, a reasonable price and not too far from home. Any ideas?

Failure

Well, I failed. I hate failing, but it happens a lot in my life, so I should be use to it, but I never am. I missed my goal by 2.5 pounds. I am still awaiting my fate in the Waist-A-Weigh program, but as of now, I am pretty sure I am out of it. I am discouraged, but I'll get over it right?

Call Me Jenni The Triathlete!

Last Saturday (June 18th), I completed my first ever triathlon. I say first ever, because I do believe I will do another one. I trained and trained and trained. That's right, it was a lot of training, sure I could have trained more, especially in the last month, but I didn't. Next year. Right?

I got talked into the triathlon a while back by Darla. And apparently I am very susceptible to peer pressure when it comes to sporty things. I think it is because I am not at all sporty or athletic, but I like to have goals, and like to have something to work towards, so I agreed.

Originally, we had talked about Daybreak Triathlon, but after much deliberation, we decided that the half mile open water swim was more than we wanted to take on. A half mile is a LONG swim and the open water meant finding a wet suit, due to the temperature. And since I have a hard time finding clothes that fit, I figured finding a wet suit was going to be a nightmare. When Darla found the Shark Attack Tri, I was stoked. It was only a 300 yd swim IN A POOL! 11.5 mile bike and a 5k. It felt a lot more doable. I had found a training guide an printed up a calendar and started on my way. It was really hard, I don't think I ever followed a full week. But I did pretty good. The weather this spring was great for running, but not for biking and since I don't do well on stationary bikes (too boring) I didn't bike as much as a should have, but oh well. Swimming was also another challenge. Sure, I go to the pool every year, but swimming laps is a whole different beast. So I signed up for an adult swim class (two sessions actually) with a friend and learned to improve my technique. It was actually a really fun class, and I miss it so I think I will do it again. Plus, I went out to swim with Darla in Herriman a couple of times and the Masters swim coach (i.e. adult swim team coach) helped us some more. She was so awesome and helpful, that I am jealous she is not at my pool!

At about a month out, I was feeling really confident and good and then I got a cold from hell. It knocked me on my butt BIG time! And then turned into a sinus infection. So that ate two weeks of training. I did swim once during that time (I think that was the day my cold was turning into a sinus infection, because I felt okay). And when I felt better I did go on a long run (4.3 miles) and did really well. So I while I would have liked to work out a little more in the past month, I figured that if I could run 4.3 miles, I could do the tri. And then the flooding started...

Usually our runoff season is done by mid-June, but not this year. And because I know the creeks really well (or at least so they say) I actually worked nights Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before the race. It was fun being on flood patrol, though it did get boring at times, but that is a good thing. Needless to say, the week before the race, I didn't get a lot of sleep, ate like crap and got a little stressed. But Friday night, I was actually asleep by 10, so I got 7 hours of sleep before the race.

The race started at 7a, which meant I was up at 5a. And from the before picture below, you can see I was still super tired. I am not a morning person, but on days that I have stuff early, I seem to do ok, even if I do look like crap.

The first picture is Darla and me, pre-race. We both look SUPER excited.

And here I am with all my stuff, you can't see the stuff on the ground, but I had two pairs of shoes (running and biking), a camelbak, sunscreen, towel, socks and random snacks.
Because the race was in a pool, it was a staggered start. Which meant we had to line up according to what we thought we could swim in, I had timed myself the Monday before and I was at 11'45", so SLOW. But I had taken a lot of breaks and was really sore, so I decided to stand in the 11' line. The frustrating part was overhearing all the people in the faster times saying that they thought they could finish in that time. Ugh... But I was happy to be where I was, it meant the pool was not really crowded and I got to watch a lot of people swim. And WOW some people are BAD swimmers. Granted, I did the back stroke for most of my swim, but when I did freestyle, my head was at least in the water!

The swim took me 8 minutes to complete. The official time says 10 something, but that was because the transition mat was out a ways from the pool and I walked over to it.

The biking was SO much harder than I expected. I knew the course had a couple of hills in it, but I was not expecting HILLS! About two miles from the turn around a hill started and it SUCKED! It was so bad that when the kid in front of me didn't move over in time for me to pass, I lost momentum and ended up being passed by Darla and her sister-in-law (curses!). Which ended up being fine, because on one stretch of the hill when my biking speed had dropped to about 4mph, I got off and walked to the top of that stretch before getting back on. And another example of how bad the hill was, at the turn around I didn't pedal for probably 1.5 miles and rode my brakes and STILL hit 29mph! That is INSANE!! Next year, I will definitely ride more hills. I was also worried about my knee, as it had started hurting when I did the Salt Lake Century and had been hurting all week, so I knew if I wanted to be able to walk, much less run, I knew that I couldn't push the bike very much, so it took 55 minutes. But still, I vow I will do better next year.

Finally, it was the 5k. I got off my bike, put on my running shoes and I was off. Except, I was so not feeling like running. My legs were fine, I wasn't sore, but without music or a dog, I just can't run. That is definitely something I need to work on, but I LOVE running with my dog, she is an awesome partner/motivator! After I actually felt like I could have gone on a run with Nova, but I went to brunch with my Dad instead. The 5k took ~40 minutes, which for walking most of it is really good. It was such a beautiful day and I love walking by the river. It really was fun, plus I love cheering for people. It makes me happy when people are happy and you can tell they are excited to be there. So I cheered for everyone I saw.

Another good thing of the day, was that my dad came out to support me. It meant so much to me that he was willing to wake up at the crack of dawn to sit around and cheer me on for the minutes that he saw me. He was an AWESOME cheerleader and actually got random strangers to also cheer for me. And they got so into it, that they cheered me on every time they saw me, even if he wasn't there. It was very sweet. Plus, free breakfast is always nice! Thanks Dad! You made race day even better!!

Here is my after picture. I don't think I look too bad for exercising for 1:51'38". Granted, I had to wait around forever for them to fix my time (they finally just wrote down what my watch said and changed it) so I am sure I looked worse, before I finally made it to my phone to take a pic.

It really was fun, and I will do it again next year. It is amazing what a lazy girl can accomplish! And here's hoping the half marathon I signed up for in October is as fun!

On another note, I have an official weigh-in next week. I don't think I will make it. I have been at the same weight all month, which is awesome, except it is 4 pounds above what I need it to be! I guess I'll have to be extra good with my food for the next bit and start working out again!

Milestone!

I have now lost 20.1 lbs. Sure, I haven't really eaten in 5 days due to a cold, but still I am down 20.1 lbs!!! And I don't think it will come back, since I have been hovering around the 19lb mark for a while. And I am staying super hydrated as water/juice are the only things that sound good to me.

WOO HOO!! Now if only my stuffy head would go away!

On another note, I have my triathlon in 17 days. SEVENTEEN DAYS!! I am getting nervous. I know I can do all the events, but not being able to work out this week, is putting a cramp on things. I did, however, do a "brick", which consists of doing two of the events back to back. People say the transition from biking to running is the hardest, so that is what I did (I was suppose to be doing these once a week, but I always skipped those workouts). And while I only did 8 miles on the bike (the ride for the tri is 11.5) and a 1.25 run (5k for the tri), it wasn't bad. The only reason I didn't do the full 11.5 and 3.1 was time. I needed to be done in 45 minutes. So I am less worried about transitions to the next event than I am about what I am going to wear!

Now for some cute pictures that I took when I was home hyped up on cold meds yesterday.

Nova likes to be by me at all times, so she usually sits by me on the couch. It starts out like this
And ends up like this. Good thing she has calmed down a LOT and now sleeps 90% of the time I need her to be mellow.
PotPie has also decided that she is coming out of my room whether or not the dog is in the house. It is nice. Yesterday, as I was being smooshed by Nova, KPP was sitting on top the couch watching things. She was still on watch, but overall, she was being quite pleasant.
I'm glad that it only took 2.5 years for them to get to where they are, knowing KPP, it could have taken MUCH longer!

New Floor, New Paint, New Quilts!

I got a wild hair to put laminate in my dining room/entry room. And then after I tore out the carpet, I decided I needed to paint.

Here is the room after the carpet had been removed. Nova and Maxine were quite happy with the progress.

Here is a during construction. I had to move my fish tank into my kitchen. This was the scene 80% of the time Pie was awake. ugh. Poor fish.
And here is an after. I now have furniture back in, and quarter round in, but you get the point. I now have blue walls and pretty flooring!
I also made some quilts. My work friend is having twins, which means TWO babies, therefore I made two quilts. oh and she is having a boy and a girl.

This is for the boy. I love the back.
These were my first attempts at pinwheels. I think they turned out well.
And for the girl (you can tell by the pink instead of blue)
The pink is a little too deep for the other colors, but I like it.
Now these two next pictures are of Nova. This is here for a reference, so you can see how cute she is.
And then there is this picture...
WHAT THE CRAP IS SHE DOING?? Hilarious!!

As for fat camp, I have my second official weigh-in on the 29th. I am a little nervous, right now I need to lose about 3 pounds to make it. Here's hoping!

Ugh!

Ugh, where has the time gone??

I am pretty much at the same point I was at my last check in. I should be happy about my 15 pounds, but I would like to have my weight lost line be straight, not like stairs.

But on another point I have officially signed up for a 5k, 36 mile bike ride, and a triathlon sprint. The sprint means that it is a 300 yard swim, 11.5 miles bike, and a 5k run. So still long, but short enough to manage.

This morning was my second day of really swimming laps. I did okay. I got 12 - 50 yard laps finished in 30 minutes (well 29:45). 7 of my laps were before the 15 minute mark, so I definitely slowed down for the second half. And I have learn this, swimming is exhausting and while it perks me up in the morning, I crash HARD about 11, especially without caffeine (I'm cutting back). Plus, I feel motion sick today, don't know if it is related, but I think it is. ugh.

Why must being active and healthy be so hard??

Check in #1

Today I had my first official check in with Fat Camp. I MADE IT!! WOO! Sure I had to change into some shorts to make it, but with jeans I was .3lbs over what was allowable (they round down, even if it is a .9 it rounds down). In my shorts I was EXACTLY the weight I needed to be.

And I am sure you all have noticed my ticker hasn't moved, that is because I went up this month and today was finally back to where I was in my last ticker check in. Ya, I have been sucking, but I am back on track. Hopefully.

This month will bring the challenge of me having to be an inspector, which means I will be out in the field most of the day. That also means that I will probably not get to work out at lunch. Luckily, I have completed half of the "Couch to 5k" program, and am enjoying running outside.

Plus, in the next week or so, I am going to begin training for a triathlon sprint. The sprint I think I will do is a half a mile swim (the most nerve racking part), 5k and 18k bike ride (~11 miles).

Wish me luck! And don't offer me cookies, because I will eat them!! (which I totally ordered a case of GS cookies. Thank goodness they freeze well!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, POTPIE!!

I cannot believe that my baby kitty is SEVEN!!! She is a joy in my life! (no one else's, but I am all that matters)

She is good kitty and so freaking cute. Since I am a bad owner, I forgot to take a recent picture so I am posting one of my favorite pictures of her.

I love you, PotPie!

And as always, happy birthday to Bernie. I can't believe that he has been in my family for more than a decade and that I have known him for almost 18 years. I love you Bernie and hope you have had a great birthday.

End of January already??

Well, I must say this month has FLOWN by!

However, I think so far I am doing super-duper awesome at my goals, sure there is room for improvement on some of them. But that is always going to be the case.

And as you can tell from my little tracker to your right, I am really kicking butt at my first goal, which is not to get kicked out of fat camp. It currently says 13, which is it being nice by rounding up. I am actually down 12.5 lbs, so I am not going to claim the 13 until I am there.

Which I have been struggling with when to count the weight loss, since I fluctuate. So I only count it if I am at that weight two days in a three day period, or I drop more the second day. And I have the rule that if I go back up significantly, I won't record until I am down below the previously recorded weight. So you know if that number hasn't changed in while it is because I went up. I guess I could say I went up, but I don't want to be discouraged by the tracker number getting smaller.

So there you go...a quick update, since I don't have internet at home, it makes posting harder. But I guess staying late at work isn't too bad...

And maybe next time I will have some pictures.

2011 - The year of awesome?

As I mentioned last post, I am in Fat Camp. It started January 1st, 2011 (not actually a camp, go read my other post if you are confused) due to my BMI being over 30 (okay it is 31, so just barely, but still puts me in the obese category). Which means every 60 days I have to have lost 7 lbs, 7 lbs seems reasonable in two months right?

So by the end of the year I should be almost 50 lbs lighter, otherwise I have been kicked out of Fat Camp. And when I total everything up, 50 lbs scares me! Especially since I know I have a weakness for sugar and anything delicious (luckily, I also love veggies and healthy foods).

Needless to say, I am going to need help, but not nagging help, because that just makes me want to rebel. The help I’ll need will be the encouragement and support of my friends and family, this means, not offering sweets multiple times after I say no (and allowing me to eat them if I want to, because sometimes a girl needs some caramel), not encouraging me to skip the gym for something else (unless it is really really really good), not asking me obsessively if I went to the gym or if I am eating right, etc.

Also, to help me along I am using an app/website called myfitnesspal.com. I think it is a great app and encourage people to use it (and be my friend on it). And to add to the honesty I have going on, I am adding a tracker (see on the right of your screen). It doesn’t tell you how much I weigh, just how much I have lost, but if you all really wanted to know, I would probably tell you or you could figure it out. Just know that I started tracking at a higher weight than what my Fat Camp starting weight was, so it does not necessarily reflect how close I am to my goal for Fat Camp, but it shows my overall progress (even though I didn’t start at my highest weight).

I am going to try really, really hard not to let this take over my life, but frankly, I think it needs too or at least be my top priority for the year. But if I become too much like a one-trick pony, let me know and I will try and reign it in (pun not intended).

With all that, here are my goals for 2011. New for 2011, I am adding how I will accomplish my goals.

1. Don’t get kicked out of Fat Camp
How I will accomplish this goal:

• Lose 7 lbs every 2 months
• Track food (myfitnesspal.com)
• Exercise 4-5 times a week for at least 45 minutes – can include walks on break if they get my heart up – Track it
• Pack my own lunch 3-4 times a week (or go home)
• Walk Nova 3 times a week (that is more than now, I=bad owner, but I need to be above freezing)
• Eat breakfast I prepare EVERY DAY (okay I can eat out occasionally, like 3 times a month)
• Be honest with myself

2. Keep my house company clean

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Open/sort/toss my mail the day I get it.
• Empty dishwasher when it is done, add dishes as soon as I finish with them
• Vacuum/Sweep once a week
• Mop at least once a month
• Put things away, don’t pile!

3. Add to savings

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Track expenses
• Quit random purchases (but not all random purchases, sometimes a girl needs to buy things she doesn't need to live, but it will make her life happier or easier - i.e. fish, pet toys, music, etc)
• Put money in my savings and if I pull out of savings I must replace what I took plus more (even if it is just a dollar) within the next month.

4. Read 60 books

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Read instead of tv or really keep on keeping on (I love this goal)

5. Write in my journal at least once a week.

How I will accomplish this goal:

• Remember that I have it.

6. Ride my bike to work 52 times.
How I will accomplish this goal:

• Since Charlie retired and isn’t here to push me anymore, I think I need to just suck it up and do it!
• Go clipless – this is a two prong approach, first prong is that it will make it easier, second is that I will have spent money so I will feel like I need to make it worth it.

7. Secret plan
How I will accomplish this goal:

• By doing secret things

So I am down to 7 goals. Yes, I realize that my "how I will accomplish" plans are also goals, however, I am looking at them as guidelines to my 7 main goals.

What do you all (my 3 readers) think?

Also, I need to think of rewards for myself for weight loss mile stones. I have a hard time coming up with rewards, especially since I don't want them to be food related. Suggestions would help.