Keeping it simple

This year is half over, actually over half over, and I don't feel very accomplished in reaching my goals for the year. Part of it is out of my control, like the races and running, can't exactly run while injured, but the year isn't over and I could still reach these goals. But the rest of it isn't out of my control. Sure, some of it I've worked on, but when I look at that list of goals, I feel like I haven't really been trying to reach them. But its not like I haven't been working on anything, it's like I see something else I want/need to work on and I get sidetracked.

For example, catching up on my scrapbooking and finishing my NaNo novels. I've had time to work on both of these, but I keep finding novels that I want to read and so I spend weeks at a time where my free time is filled with reading. I just need to put the books down and do the other two once in a while.

The one area of my goals that is really bothering me lately is my weight loss one. I had hoped that I would've dropped a good majority of my weight by now, that I would've been running the half-marathon as a "not-so-fat" runner. I finally weighed myself the other day and I don't think I weigh any different than I did back in January. True, I haven't been running for the past four or five weeks, and its hard to lose weight (for me) without that, but when I look at what I have been doing, it isn't what I set out in January to do. My goal was to workout everyday and count calories, plain and simple. The good ol' calories in vs. calories out. So, what am I doing? I have been cutting out dairy, and gluten, then adding dairy back in, baking all sorts of gluten free goodies and trying lots of new recipes. I've been reading about the state of our food and making goals to feed my family healthier. I've been indulging in all the fun foods of summer and not keeping very good track of what goes into my mouth. Looking back on it, I think that I was making it more complicated than it really is.

I made a mental note to myself back in January, that if I couldn't reach my goals on my own by the middle of the year that I would try either a. WeightWatchers or b.Using a bodybugg. I figured that going with WeightWatchers would keep me accountable and help me figure out what I was eating without counting calories (I hate counting calories, thought maybe points would be easier) or that by using the bodybugg I would know exactly how many calories I was burning which would make the counting calories more effective. I need to talk to Erik before committing to either one, but I am leaning towards wanting the bodybugg more even if it is more expensive. I think it might help me with more long term success, but usually with Erik it all boils down to the expense.

In the meantime, however I decided that I just need to keep it simple, you know the acronym K.I.S.S.? Keep it simple, stupid? What I need to do is focus on two things:
1. Workout everyday
2. Count my calories and keep them down to 1400.

That's it, plain and simple, right? Well the working out frustrates me because I can't run, but I've been sort of doing the P90X Lean routine and I like it--it gives me about an hour workout pretty much everyday, and most of it is low impact. I do have to tweak some of the plyometric type moves (if I can't run, I better not jump either!) but for the most part its a decent workout. I haven't done it enough to really see any effects, but I figure doing something is better than nothing at this point. When its time to try running again, hopefully I can just add in a few easy runs along with the P90X.

As for the calorie counting, I'm not going to worry about cutting anything out (i.e. gluten) but just focus on eating healthy foods (closer to their natural form) and keeping track of how many calories. In order to not starve and have energy to workout while counting calories, you kind of naturally go towards the more healthy options anyways, a half turkey sandwich gets me farther than say, a snicker's bar. I probably will try not  to  eat too many breads, seeing as I did have success on lowering my cholesterol when eating a low-glycemic diet, but I'm not going worry too much about it, instead I'll just focus on the calories. And by that I mean counting them all day and even including the blt's (bites, licks and tastes) when I'm cooking. I usually start the day out great keeping track but then it falls apart by dinner time. When I plan what is for dinner and know how many calories it will be around, its easier to stay on track for the first part of the day, so I will probably get back into better meal planning. At least with summer we eat a lot of grilled meat, salad and fruit!

But I have been thinking about this the past couple of days, and instead of just blogging about this and then trying to go succeed on my own, this time I'm going to take it one step further. I thought about logging my food on here, but then decided I didn't want to bore you with that, besides I have a little notebook on my kitchen counter and I do better when using real pen & paper to track my food instead of relying on the computer. So I decided that I would post weekly about my weight and how I'm doing. For years I've sort of kept track on a little sheet of paper in my bathroom, but I'm probably the only one to see the actual numbers (besides my doctor and sometimes Erik). I think I need more accountability than that, obviously what I have been doing isn't working. Wednesdays will be my weigh-in day, hopefully I will remember, and then I will post my weight loss or gain here for the whole blogosphere to see. It scares me a little, but not as much as what could happen if I don't take this weight loss issue seriously. I've got to get it under control now while I'm still "young". I totally have my mother's build, and she's been struggling with it for as long as I can remember, partly because that's just how we're built and also because it just gets harder to as we get older. I don't want to be struggling with this same twenty pounds in thirty years. So, stay tuned for tomorrows post, and the beginning of the end of my weight loss goals (hopefully).