A little progress

So Junk Free January was a colossal fail. I did ok until I got strep and couldn't eat anything but mashed potatoes and gravy and ice cream. And after I recovered I didn't stick to my guns like I should have. I did, however, start doing regular kettlebell workouts, and today Emery, Dexter and I walked 1.3 miles after I got home from work. Every muscle in my lower body is screaming at me - but I'm not giving up. I haven't lost any weight yet, but I'm back to counting calories and being very careful not to waste calories on junk. I'm sticking to about 1200 to 1400 calories per day, and since I've got a fridge full of fresh fruit and veggies, I've managed to do it without going hungry. Baby steps....I'm all about the baby steps!

The Truth of It All

Once upon a time my waist was so small that I could literally tie a kitchen towel aron it in lieu of an apron. Sadly, that was a long time and a lot of pounds ago. Though I'm not quite ready to post a current pic of myself on here - I am ready/willing to post my starting weight and measurements.

Today is Sunday, January 8, 2012. At the beginning of this week I weighed 171.5. My measurements were as follows:

Height: 5' 8"
Bust: 42"
Waist: 36"
Hips: 42"
Thighs: 23" (yes, each!)
Upper Arm: 13"

According to the health risk assesment I took at work, I need to lose 7 pounds for my BMI to move from the 'over weight' category to the high end of the 'normal' category, so my initial weight loss goal is just that -- to lose 7 pounds this month. Not that I'd complain if I could lose ten or 15 or more, but I'll be beyond happy to lose 7. I managed the entire first week of January without any cokes, Taco Casa (or other fast food) or any junky snacks. My 'splurge' for the week was an 8 ounce serving of sweet tea and a couple of Mozzarella sticks from Sonic... followed by a couple more. So for this week the goal is to be more disciplinied with my 'splurge'....a small serving of somethign sinfully delicious is a good thing, in my book. Following a small serving with a normal sized one, however, is NOT. I've got to keep this in mind this week.

I also cleared a spot in our den yesterday for P90X...I'm only committing to the ab-ripper workout and the yoga for now, but I'd like to work my way up to being able to do all of the workouts included.

One down, 50 To Go

One down isn't exactly an accurate statement, but it sounds much more optimistic to me than just 50 to go. In high school I suffered through being called things like Skinnie Minnie, Olive Oil and, my least favorite, Anorexia Girl. 15 years, and 80 pounds later, no one would make that mistake.

I've never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions so I'm looking at this more as a goal with a deadline than a New Year's resolution. My neice is getting married in June of this year...by the time the wedding gets here, I want to look more like I did in this picture that was taken with her about 8 years ago than I do now....so I have a lot of work to do in the coming months. I'm hoping that maybe if I blog about it, I'll be more likely to stick to it...so I'm declaring January 2012 'Junk Free January' to kick start my weight loss plan.

The goal is pretty simple - no junkfood for the entire month. I may allow myself one serving of something 'junkie' every week, just so I don't feel deprived and binge later, but I'll just take it day by day and see how it goes. Giving up sweet tea and Taco Casa will be the biggest challenge for me, but being happy in my skin and being healthier are pretty good rewards for giving up the Super Salads, Sweet Tea and Casa Delights that I have come to love so much.

The hardest part of this whole New Year, New Me thing is going to be posting my measurements and current pictures of myself on here... but hopefully if I see progress, as gradual as it may be, it will help me keep up the momentum....and since (for the moment anyway) I have no plans to let anyone know that I'm blogging about it, I doubt anyone will even see it..yeah, I'm sneaky cool like that. So here goes nothing...