578 days to get to goal?

Is 578 days to get to my goal weight realistic?  Maybe yes, maybe no.  Will I give it a shot?  Oh hells yes I will!  I figure I need numbers, lists, something to smack in the face to remind me of what I want to do.  So I have revised my initial goal date (Christmas of next year) to my birthday in 2013.  That is 19 months away, but if I get there faster who will begrudge me that?

So to get there I need to write down everything that I eat, write down my exercise (such as it is), and make sure that I stick to my calorie budget.  So far so good.  All I need to do really is kick it up a notch…instead of merely tracking my intake I need to plan my intake.  Instead of merely logging my exercise I need to plan my exercise and go do it.  Instead of hoping to hit my water intake goal I need to make myself do it.  Instead of trying to get a minimum of 5+ servings of fruits and veggies I need to really go for it and plug them into my eating plan. 

Planning my meals and exercise is something that is anathema to me.  I avoid such things like the plague.  However if I make myself a work sheet of sorts that I can just check off each thing I find that it works better for me.  I think I will have to get myself some small notebook (yay more notebooks – I already carry three in my purse habitually) and create a checklist so that I can mark off my water, veggies, etc. and also so that I can write down what I am eating/doing.  I know, I know, there are the online trackers on SP which are awesome as they show me exactly what my calories in and out are, but I just need the actual act of writing things down.  I guess I am still a low tech person, an old fashioned kind of girl even with all of the high technology things in my world and the fact that between my husband and I there are more than 8 computers in our lives at present.  I guess I am a bit steam punk (embracing new technology, but still loving things a bit old school), just less neo-Victorian than most.

And as a side note – the work Holiday Party was this afternoon and I successfully avoided ALL of the food, but I am currently enjoying my second hot chocolate (224cals for the hot chocolates combined thank you very much!).  I won strawberry jam and mini Christmas pudding in the raffle as well.  And our Santa gave out boxes of tea (I happened to get a box of Gingerbread Spice – love it!).

Tomorrow night I am going out with a few of the ladies I have made friends with since getting here – it is going to be a night of dancing, drinking, and a little bit of eating.  For me it will probably be more dancing than the other two items on the agenda. It should be a good time – I hope!

Be well,

            Buttercupp