New Year's Goal Number One: Weightloss

One of my many goals for this new year is to get healthy and fit. I've always been a pretty healthy person, but over the past few months I've gained an extra 20 pounds. I also don't feel as strong as I was in the past. In order to remedy that I've come up with a simple plan of attack that seems to be working. Here goes:

Accountability: I have always known I've had an overactive sweet tooth, but I never really made myself accountable for the extra calories I've been taking in. I've read over and over that writing down what you eat makes you a more conscious eater. Since sugar is my main concern, I've made a sweets log. I keep track of all the sweets I take in each day. With this technique, I've gone from 3 major desserts a day to 1! I've also found myself swapping my usual fair for more fruit, which is awesome.




These yummy brownies have been swapped for...

 


  



These yummy berries



Increased activity: I live in a pretty pedestrian friendly place, and I try to walk as much as possible. Unfortunately time can be an issue when walking to work or to gatherings. I've been able to use time as an excuse to hop into a taxi more than I care to admit. I've found a remedy for that though, and her name is Priscilla, my shiny new bike



Shiny new wheels!



I was skeptical about the whole bike thing at first. In fact, this is my third attempt at becoming a "bike person". The third time is definitely the charm! I am in love! I can get to places in less than half the time it takes walking. And the added bonus, my legs are getting a major workout. It's win win.

Chilling out: I am a work-a-holic, multi-tasking fool sometimes. Most nights, five hours of sleep is my norm. I have always known that stress and lack of sleep contribute to weight gain, but I was somehow convinced that the rules didn't apply to me. Well, They Do! So, I've bought a nice big white board to make daily lists of what I need to accomplish. Having my to do list in front of me in living color helps me stay on track. Well what does that have to do with sleep? I wasted a lot of time putzing around with things that I didn't actually need to do, especially on-line. My to-do list keeps me on track, so I get my tasks done more efficiently. I've had so much free time this week, that I've been able to read the newspaper, finish a book, and give myself a mani-pedi. Not to mention, I've been able to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.



Beauty Sleep

 



 I'm proud to say that I've been on my plan for a week now, and I'm already seeing results. I have more energy, my mood is elevated, and my body feels light. I'm so excited to see how these change evolve over the course of this month. I'll be sure to check in with pertinent updates.

Do you have an great tips for dropping pounds?

 

Brownies: Source: bakingdom.com via Raychelle on Pinterest

Santa Berries: Source: Uploaded by user via Raychelle on Pinterest

Priscilla: Source: google.com via Raychelle on Pinterest
Beauty Sleep: Source: google.com via Raychelle on Pinterest