• Amalah
• Ampersand
• Cowgirl Funk
• Cut the Crap
• A Damn Thing
• Fly in the Honey
• From the Mind of the Dawnie
• Hannah Cooks
• Hannah Talks
• Hashai
• Hate Your Daddy
• Hussified
• Invinciblegirl
• JournalCon 2004
• Journey of a Girl
• Kiss My Grits
• Les-Cadeaux
• Meegor
• Nearly There
• The Nuthouse
• Pineapple Girl
• The Rage Diaries
• The Random Muse
• SkinnyKat
• That Something
• What Does a Girl Do?

Today is Day One of the Self Challenge and Lisa kindly organized a group of her friends and Mathletes to participate in this year’s challenge together. This is exactly what I need to kick-start my 2004 weight loss. I did so well up until December last year and lost about 25 pounds on the Weight Watchers program. However, I went home for a week at Christmas and all my careful food diary-keeping and POINTS-logging habits flew right out the window somewhere on I-70. So, I gained about 12 pounds between mid-December and mid-January and have lost nearly all of that since then, so I’m back to where I was three months ago. This is frustrating and things have to improve in the health and fitness department.

One of the items on my list of 104 Things to do in 2004 is to lose an additional 50 pounds in 2004. I have a lot of milestones coming up this year by which I need to mark my progress, such as being at least 30 lbs lighter for J-Con in August and trying to reach the 50-lb mark in November for Squish’s wedding. I know this is do-able, I just need to shut off the TiVo and get off the couch in the evenings. I lost the first 25 lbs through improved eating habits alone and hardly any exercise, but I’m doing the Race for the Cure in October and I want to run the whole thing. And I am in horrible shape.

As soon as I can swing the sign-up fee (sidenote: when did February get so expensive? It seems like all kinds of once-a-year things must be purchased or paid for in February, like new contacts and dental work and insurance premiums and good-bye savings!) I plan to join a local Galloway running group. Several of my friends are marathoners, and while I don’t envision that in my future, I’d like to get to a point where I’m running several 5 to 10-k races each year. Besides, running is free, it doesn’t take that much time, and it’s something I can do at any hour of the day.

I’m also fortunate in that my office and my apartment complex both have awesome fitness centers, so I don’t need to pay money to join a gym. Both places have weights and treadmills and ellipticals and that’s about all that I need right now. In addition, I have a small collection of fitness DVDs as well as a trail that goes all around my apartment complex, so I have plenty of workout options that are absolutely no cost to me. I need to get some new sports bras, but I have to budget that carefully – I have so much boobage that a sports bra that actually does its job usually runs me at least $50. I’ll probably start getting fitness DVDs with my regular Netflix movies so that I can experiment with yoga and Pilates and other things that are good for me. I loathe working out, but I have to start moving more and I have no excuses since all of the tools that I need are available. I’ve already proven that I can eat less and make better food choices, which is evident through my weight loss to date. Now I just need to do it every day, with no excuses.

Some of my other immediate fitness goals include reducing my alcohol consumption, reducing my bad carbs intake, and resisting junk food at the grocery. T and I have fallen into the habit of putting away way too much wine on the weekends and that has to stop. Just because Yellowtail Shiraz-Cab is $5 at Cost Plus does not mean that we have to drink a case each month. I’ve also decided to give up fast food for Lent and I hope that I’ll be able to kick the habit for good. My weakness for Taco Bell gorditas and McDonald’s breakfast burritos and the crazy-cheap Chinese place and greasy In-A-Tub has to change. I’m still allowing myself to dine out, but only at places with waited tables. I know it’s only six weeks, but my hell season at work starts soon and it gets so tempting to pick up a chicken sandwich or some tacos on the way home. I am going to cook more and continue to plan ahead so that it’s not an issue. More things to spreadsheet!

(In other news, if you have any good vibes to spare, I could use a few – my relationship with T seems to be heading for disaster unless we can work things out soon. I can’t talk about it anymore because it will consume me for the rest of my day, but some good vibes would help a little. Thanks.)