Putting Myself Out There

Thank you to all of my friends and family that read this blog, and thank you to my new readers.  I'm really getting excited about putting my story out there for the world to see and to be held accountable by all of my readers.  I know that you are few and far between right now, but I do appreciate you all so much.

It's beyond motivating to share my story with you and to hear your feedback and read your comments. 

I just mentioned something out loud to my fiance.  Until I said it I wasn't sure that I even had this as a goal.  I want to have 100 followers by the end of 2011.  A lofty, yet not at all unachievable goal. 

So there it is.  My story will be heard!  Thanks for being there for me :)

Vegas Fit Club (Membership: 1)

Earlier this week I purchased round trip tickets to VEGAS! So that gives me a motivation and a deadline to get in shape. I don’t think I’ll be “finished” with my journey by the time Vegas comes around but I’m hoping that in 8 weeks I will have lost anywhere from 10-16 pounds. That’s anywhere from 1.25-2 pounds a week.

This goal is ambitious but doable, and it’s up to you – my loving audience – to cheer me on!

Vegas also corresponds with my friend’s wedding!!! So what better reason to get in shape than a wedding with college friends and cute dresses – Spoiler alert, I already bought a cute dress, which if I like will probably be worn to both the wedding and Vegas.

So no goal should come without a plan of action.

First step – Officially join a gym.

I found a gym I really liked and officially became a member yesterday. My main problem is that I think the cost of the gym is outrageously high… but when I went in to sign up THEY KNEW MY NAME! They also have other great amenities that I’ll have to take advantage of, such as a steam room and individual showers.

Second step – Go to the gym!

This is the hard part, joining the gym is painless aside from the monthly cost. But going to the gym is a completely different story. Luckily my boyfriend and I have worked out a system to correspond with his schedule. Since he’s a physical therapist, his hours often run late into the evening which puts me in a poor situation because I have no way to get home other than walking (poorly lit streets and limited sidewalks make for a scary journey home). For the past 3-4 weeks I’ve been trying out gyms in the area close to the metra (the train I take to get to/from work). So I’m making our difference in schedules work to my advantage by working out until he’s done with work, or asking him to pick me up at 7 if his schedule allows him to be home earlier! I’m so lucky to have such a supportive boyfriend!

Third step – Watch what I eat!

I’ve obviously been doing this for the past 8 weeks already but this is pretty much 80% of the battle. I mentioned recently about a podcast that I listened to which gave me some great advice… Since no one is perfect you can’t expect to be a perfect eater, but as long as you’re 80-90% compliant with eating healthy then you’re on your way.

“How many times is a toddler going to fall down when he’s learning to walk before you tell him to just give up?” – A quote that can be related to healthy lifestyles and forgiving yourself when you “fall” by going overboard with food.

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Personally, I think this all sounds too easy not to work! I’m excited to continue with this weight loss journey and happy that you’re all supporting me! I hope I make my short term goal!

On a related note, I’m not sure what my final “goal weight” will be… I’m not 100% sure how you pick that, if you have ever tried Weight Watchers, or lost weight on your own, how did you decide on a final goal weight?

Until next time, can I get a show of hands of those who are excited that I did some formatting to this post?