Ya Can’t Have One Without the Other…

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Hey All!!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are having a stress free holiday season…

I don’t want to brag….well never mind that, I do wanna brag!  I’ve worked hard for this so – drum roll please – as of tonight’s meeting I have lost a total of 34 pounds!  Oh Yeah, I’m the Queen! I’m just a tad disappointed because I wanted to hit 35 this week, but I will take any loss that comes along.  Any loss is a good loss and I was just happy to get this far…

Which brings me to our subjects for tonite – Setting Goals, (yes, I know I covered this one already, we doing it again for the new folks!) and working to achieve them, no matter how obsessive it is…

Let me first do a quick rundown of the story so far.  A year ago I joined SPP and wrote about my journey to the land of the thin, a journey that got cut short last Christmas when I took a U-turn to Xmas-cookie city. I fell big time, got into some disastrous (but kinda fun) relationships, rediscovered beer, and quickly gained back 35 plus pounds in the course of four months. 

Never one to give up on me, a “special” friend invited me to California to Yosemite National park to get me back into the exercise mode and jump start me back on my diet.  Ladies, here’s a word of advice: If you meet someone online and tell a bunch of lies about something, like, oh, how much you looooove the outdoors and hiking, if he takes you up on it, DONT GO!!!   Save yourself the agony of having him watch you cry as you try not to have a coronary while hiking up 3 straight miles to the top of a waterfall!  We almost killed each other – but it was a lot of fun!

Anyhoo, that trip should have motivated me to start over again, but it would be another 5 months before I decided to try again at this game.  So, along with my diet buddy Deb, I joined Weight Watchers in September and have successfully lost close to 35 pounds.  I started out at 257  and I now weigh 223.  I think that I can do it this time….

So anyway, back to the topics at hand.  Setting Goals, ya have to do it, no getting around it.  Some folks can set large goals and take the steps to complete it.  I make small goals over time and look back at the progress.  On the Weight Watchers program, we are given a weekly food intake tally that we use to write down every bite of food that we eat.  It keeps us honest and really lets you get a good look at what you are eating.  On the back of the booklet is a section where you write down your goals for the week and what you would like to accomplish.  Since September, I have been setting small goals for myself for the ultimate prize at Weight Watchers:  THE GOLD STAR!!

Yep, I’m knocking myself out for a gold foil, sticky back star that says “5″ on it!  For every five pound loss, the leader hands you a gold star that marks your progress.  And….get this….once you lose 10% of your total weight, you get – hold on to your hearts – a keychain!!  And it’s a beauty!  Goldbrassy tone and everything.

So find something that motivates you and set your goals! It could be a trip to the movies, a day at the spa, even buying yourself that favorite dvd!  Yeah the star and the keyfob are a little lame, but it does feel great to know that I am achieving my goals, one star at a time!

Now onto the second part – reaching your goals.  Every week , when I write down what I would like to achieve for the next week, I also write down just how I am going to make that happen.  Following my plan is only half the battle – the other half is work!  As I have stated before, I loooooove (not lying here!) walking. Walking, not hiking, but walking, and I walk 4 miles a day 5-6 days a week.  Extreme? Maybe..  Obsessed? Probably…  Is it working?  HELL YES!!  I drag myself out of bed at 5 am to walk an hour and a half before work and it is the absolute worst thing in the world….until I am done with it, then I feel great!   Blood’s pumping, mp3 player blastin’( hey remember “Ring My Bell”? I downloaded that one last nite!) and me praying that all the muggers are asleep!  If that ain’t a party, I don’t know what is!

Some of you are saying “Tracy, does it really take all of that?”  For me, yes it does, cuz I’m on a mission to lose this weight.  It may not take all of that for you all, but you have to get out and try. Don’t be afraid to test your limits.  I would like to jog or run, but that is not in the cards for now, too hard on the joints. Buuut, I can speedwalk and ride the stationary bike like a bat out of hell.  It is hard sometimes, but not impossible. And I am seeing and feeling the results everyday!  Weight loss and exercise  – ya can’t have one without the other.

Ladies, lets get out of the box and into the streets, and the gyms!  YOU CAN DO IT!!  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go to bed, 5 am comes too soon!

Til next time – will have some pics, some more dating horror stories, and details about my trip up the mountain!