A Me Update

This is just an update about me and what I'm working toward right now.

I've been on and off with working out and my weight for a log time, unhappy with my weight and body shape/tone for a long time, eating great for about a week, then going right back into fast foods, or working out 1-2 days a week for 2 weeks then just stopping. I've recently made a pledge to be better to myself. This wasn't a New Year's Resolution, it was a decision I made on December 27th and I am determined to make this life choice stick. I've been doing cardio about 5 days a week since then, starting off at 20 min/day, moved it up to 30, and I'm not at 50 min of cardio a session. Right now I'm just concentrating on keeping my heart rate up and burning that stored fat. I will begin to integrate strength training exercises in the next 2 weeks and see how that comes along as well.

Working out isn't enough though, so I have also made a commitment to myself to change the way I eat and think about food. I'm using MyFitnessPal to track my daily food intake (actually only on day 4 of sticking to this religiously) but I am determined. Using this program, based on my starting weight(..which is ahem... 165lbs - the highest in my life), my height (5'7") and my age (25), and my desire to lose about 2 pounds a week, to reach my goal weight of 125lbs, my daily caloric intake is 1200 calories. I know 40lbs is a steep goal and I may never reach it, but I'm going to do my damndest to get as close as I can! I was that weight in high school so I know it's a least possible.

Going from my normal diet down to 1200 calories a day has been an adjustment. Even though I'm only on day 4, I've found myself so hungry that I start shaking, so I have had to reach for my rice cakes. But this is another choice I've made, instead of reaching for the candy that's on my desk or going to the vending machine, I have made a conscious effort to have healthy foods around. I have managed to stay under or right at my 1200 limit so far, and I know my body will adjust with time.

I have started measuring out my food so I can accurately track my intake, which really hasn't been as much of an inconvenience as I thought it would be. I was prepared to get very irritated and annoyed that I would have to enter something each time I ate, but it hasn't been that way. I've started putting my meals together the night before, so I already know what I'll be having and can enter it in then. Then if I don't eat part of that, I can take it off and I still have room for something else! MyFitnessPal also has an app for the iPhone and Android where you can scan food items that have a bar-code! Then you don't have to search for the food in their database, making it super convenient.

So far I'm proud of myself that I've been able to stick to working out for 2 weeks without giving up already. I'm also proud that I have taken the time and put in the effort to stick to my calorie limits. As a way of rewarding myself, I think I will try this: Every two weeks that I can keep this up, I'll treat myself to a small purchase, whether that be a new nail polish, top, lipstick or what, that will be my reward. I might change it to every 30 days depending, but right now I'm not trying to pressure myself and get burnt out. Here's to keeping it up and being the best me I can be!