Finding It In Myself

 August 1-9, 2022

There is no shame in my game. I am yet again, starting over. I know. I know. I’ve been here dozens of times. Starting over. I get that motivation and lose it just as quickly. 

This time I started out a little differently. I typically start here, on the blog, to try and muster up some motivation and accountability. Instead, I found my motivation at the end of July, started up in August and have been going strong since. Because I have stuck through the first couple of weeks, I figured it was time to get back on here and give it another shot. 

As mentioned, I found my motivation. Again, something completely different but it’s working. My SO and I were talking about planning a cruise sometime in the next year or two. We started pricing things out and one thing led to another. We had this idea and turned around and booked a cruise for December 2023! We have both been once before, not together and well over ten years ago. To say I am excited is an understatement. 

I’m going to be completely honest here, one of my first thoughts after it was booked was… I was overweight last time and I would love to be at a comfortable weight this time. Oh and wear cute bathing suits! That was all it took. From there I set a start date of August 1st. I weighed myself, took my measurements and set some small goals for that week. 

To start off this journey, I weighed in at 188 pounds. I then decided on my goal weight of 143 pounds. Why the odd number you may be wondering? I met my husband somewhere between 140-145. It wasn’t my smallest but I was really happy at that weight. This gives me a total of 45 pounds to lose. I then had to set my deadline. Originally I said a year but after thinking of my goals it changed to May. Nine months. That is still completely obtainable at 5 pounds lost a month. My reasoning for the change is simple really. I want to buy all new bathing suits for the cruise. They come out as early as March and only last until about the end of June. If for any reason I haven’t reached my goal by May, I will then readjust for a full year but for now I’m giving myself 9 months. 

My first weekly goals were simple changes. I wanted to start off slowly and build momentum from there. I have a tendency to jump all in and burn out quickly. I’ve got all the motivation for now but I want to keep it going this time and honestly, that is the hardest of all of this. Finding new ways to keep motivated is hard and the excuses can easily become a roadblock. 

Week 1 Goals:

1. Wear my Apple Watch daily. I’ve never liked wearing watches but it is convenient to have my steps tracked, set goals and get reminders for those goals throughout the day. 
2. Increase water intake. I have a Hydrojug that holds 73 oz. This week I just wanted to finish one a day. 
3. Significantly reduce drinking my calories. I love coffee and I won’t ever be giving that up. However, to meet in the middle, I’ve been only having one cup a day with a serving size (2tbsp) of creamer. I prefer less creamer than most but it was still a decent amount more and after so many cups it really adds up. No more Dr. Pepper…
4. Start tracking my calories via MyFitnessPal again. It’s common knowledge that you have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. I am not focusing on that just yet. Instead, become more mindful of what I am already consuming on a daily basis.
5. Track daily steps. I’d love to get in 10,000 steps a day and I will work up to that for sure but for now I’ll start at 4,000. I have no idea how much I normally get but it’s a starting point. I’ll bump up as needed. 

That’s it. Keeping it simple and not rushing into anything. I’m in it for the long haul and as they say; It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Can’t wait to share how this week went, my first weigh in and my second week. All coming soon.