The resounding themes for my look back at 2009 were 1) failure at my weight loss goals, 2) not enough living/having fun/being generally negative, and 3) too much work stress (which was not an insignicant contributor to the first two). So, obviously, these will be the things that I will be working on in 2010. On a monthly basis, I will post updates as to my progress on this things. My Goals for 2010 are:
1. I will lose 93 pounds by 1/1/11.
Seems like a random amount of weight to lose, but it will put me at halfway to my final goal. My 2010 weight loss goal is more than twice as big as the goal I wasn't able to achieve in 2009. Am I nuts? Maybe. But what I think happened last year is that by setting my goal (expectations for myself) too low it was easy to let the months slip by with no progress. Didn't lose anything in Janaury? No problem, I can still lose 40 pounds in 11 months. Didn't lose anything in February? No problem, I can still lose 40 pounds in 10 months. You get the picture. And then pretty soon the year is over and no progress is made. So I decided it will be better to go with a bigger, yet still achievable, goal so that I will have to maintain focus on it through out the year in order to achieve it. Ninety-three pounds works out to just under 2 pounds per week in a year, a completely reasonable rate of weight loss.
Specific steps to achieving a 93 pound weight loss in 2010 is:
- Break it down into small goals. Each month I will set a goal weight loss for the month in order to keep me on track towards achieving my goal for the year. For January, my goal is going to be 10 pounds.
- Food. Keep a food journal and track calories. Initially, my goal will be to keep it under 2,500 calories per day. I will reevaluate my calorie level as time goes by and adjust as necessary.
- Exercise. Each month I will set a goal for the amount of time I spend exercising for that month. With a monthly goal I can make adjustments as time goes by and I lose weight and get more fit. For January, my goal is 360 minutes (6 hours). So, on average, I will need to exercise for 20 minutes for 18 days of January. Probably doesn't seem like much to alot of you but at my current weight back pain while exercising is a major problem. Twenty minutes is about as much as I can stand to do. I fully anticipate this will improve greatly as the weight comes off. My exercises of choice for January will be walking outside, walking on my treadmill, stationary cycling at the community clubhouse, and doing EA Sports Active (Wii).
- Measuring Success and Keeping Accountable. I will use a simple monthly calendar to track my daily successes with stickers (yes, I am 40 on the outside and 14 on the inside). One sticker will be for keeping my food journal and staying within my calorie budget for the day. Another sticker will be for any day that I exercise. I'll also track my exercise minutes in the calendar. I will be weighing in on Saturdays and posting results.
2. I will make having fun and relaxing a priority in my life.
My life is chock full of "have-to-do's" and nearly completely devoid of "want-to-do's". This is bullshit. I am 40 years old and if I am not going to start living now, then when? It easier to have enough fun when you are younger and have more time. But now I feel like I need to make an appointment for fun otherwise it's just not going to happen. There is so much I "have-to-do" in my life that unless I make it a point to get to some of my "want-to-do's" it will never happen, as evidenced by the entire year of 2009.
To this end, I will do at LEAST one fun or relaxing thing each week. I am currently working up a list of at least 52 things I can do for fun so I have some ideas to go to rather that sitting around saying, "I'm supposed to be having fun but there's nothing to do!" The sad part is, I am having a hard time coming up with that many. It seems I have been funless for so long I have forgotten how! The list I have so far includes spending a day reading and really enjoying a book cover to cover (instead of just getting a few pages in as I fall into bed exhausted every night), taking a craft class of some kind (crochet maybe?), getting a facial, and a few other things. I am happy to hear any suggestions you have. Nothing is too big or too small. I really do need some help here.
3. I will reduce my work-related stress.
The details on this one I am going to keep to myself for now. Suffice it to say that I am WELL aware the negative impact that too much work stress has had on my life and health and that it needs to change.
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9 comments:
Congratulations on setting some great goals, Deb!
Our weightloss programs for 2010 are really similar - here's to dropping 2 lbs per week for both of us. Walking is such great exercise, and I know you'll be happy with how quickly your stamina improves.
You go, girl, with the relaxing & having fun! Reading and spa-ing are two of my favorites, and taking a craft class sounds like fun.
These are super goals! I love the want-to-do realization. I think we get so caught up in have-tos, we forget to enjoy our lives sometimes.
you can do it! :)
Your plan looks a lot like the one I started with 3 years ago, and look where it got me. :)
I'm not generally a fan of weight-related goals, but I think they can sometimes be useful. Setting a "stretch objective" may be a more powerful motivator for some than setting the bar lower, especially if you can see the value and accomplishment in achieving even 80% of that goal. Face it, how disappointed would you *really* be if at this time next year, you were blogging that you'd "only" lost 75 pounds instead of 93? If you're like me, you'd me ecstatic!
Yeppers, I feel good about your goals and your plans, not to mention your chances for succeeding.
Got my pom-poms and am set for some cheerleading!
Deb, it's a very astute comment you made, about being 14 on the inside and 40 on the outside. When I finally lost my weight I was 40 on the outside and a frozen 15 year old on the inside, pretty much the age that a bunch of trauma occurred in my life (read: death of dad) and I turned to food rather than thinking. Just remember to do what so many successful blogging dieters have done on the Internet and deal with the stuff inside as well as the stuff on the outside so the two Debs will meet up (maybe at 30 years old???!).
great goals!!!!
Awesome!! I like your set up! I still have to make my weight goal.. I hate doing it - but if you fail to plan you plan to fail....
:)
Hey Deb,
I love your goals and your honesty! I can relate to the weight loss goal being too low. That and being a procrastinator! Not a good combo.
For fun? Do you like movies, pedicures, that's it, I'm out. I don't get to do too many fun on my own type things...sometimes for me just being alone in the quiet is a lot of fun! I'm almost positive that once you start trying some stuff you'll figure out what you want to do and your list will build from there!
Tough love - that's what 93 pounds in a year sounds like to me. I think you know what you are capable of and when you need to push yourself - you can do this, Deb...and I'm so rooting for you!
Great goals and i can't wait to see you reach each and every one of them!
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