Recommitting!

Hello Everyone! As I mentioned in my Christmas Day post, I plan on coming back in 2012 with a vengeance. Blogging about my life is the best way to hold myself accountable and the support from all of you is part of what made me so successful in my first year. 


2011 was pretty much a write off in band land. I didn't lose, in fact I gained. I love my band, but I have not been working it, and honestly it has frustrated me for a while. My band has always been finicky. All of the side effects of the band (tight with period, tight when you're sick, tight when you fly, tight when stressed) seemed to hit me from the beginning. I learned of a new one the summer of 2010. Dehydration. When I did the drum corps reunion event and was rehearsing in 100 degree heat outside for a week, I was the most dehydrated I have ever been, band was so tight I couldn't eat. I lost 7 pounds that week bringing me to my goal of 165. My band hasn't been the same since. I can't seem to find the green zone and honestly have had a few times when I can't figure out if I'm too tight, or too loose. None of this is an excuse. But I have sort of forgotten about the band for the last year. 


Today is a new day. A new year, and I'm committed to getting to my goal and being healthier in general. I started the morning with coffee and a greek yogurt. Interesting realization this morning...I discovered the evil that is hazelnut coffee creamer in 2011. I decided to measure how much of it I actually put in my coffee this morning. To be fair, I used my huge travel mug, which is not my typical size of coffee in the morning, but alas...8 servings. EIGHT SERVINGS. That is 280 calories of creamer. PEOPLE...this is a problem! It's amazing how easy it is to put 280 calories of liquid creamer in a 24 ounce cup of coffee. Great lesson learned - 7 WW points on coffee. I'm not going to give up the creamer, but I'm going to drink a much smaller cup of coffee in the mornings and go for a max of 2 servings or 2 tbls. Then I'm going to wean myself off of the stuff!!


Talking about weaning off. Another thing that happened in 2011 was me discovering a local bar and becoming a regular. I promise this isn't as bad as it sounds. I wasn't there every day and when I was there I didn't always drink. But I was probably there 3-4 times a week, hanging with amazing new friends and I was eating things like quesadillas and drinking too many stoli raz and sodas. A local bar is an interesting thing. It literally is the place where everybody knows your name. You walk in and they yell it like you're Norm. It's a comfortable place where I can hang with my friends and discuss the days challenges or celebrate successes. But it doesn't need to be the place where I eat bad food and drink liquid calories. So 2012 becomes the year of making the bar what I need it to be. A place where I gather with friends, check in on each others lives, but not eat and drink on a regular basis. It begins with dry January. My friend Peter does it every year. A month of no drinking just to clean out the system a bit. I'm excited about it. It's a great way to kick off weight loss.


I changed my ticker. I didn't think I would - too embarrassing to admit that I gained 33 pounds from my prior ticker weight. But recommitting is about honesty and being honest means telling you all that I'm back to 213 pounds. 


Last thing that I hinted at in my last post. I am dating a guy...a wonderful, funny, loving and very cute boy. Interesting thing is that he's a physical education teacher and basketball and baseball coach. 6'2 and 215 pounds. All muscle. We've been dating for about 3 months...and I didn't tell him about the band until this weekend. I've been spending the last three months praying that I wouldn't get stuck in front of him, and heading to the bathroom quietly when I did. Eating food that I cannot eat - pizza, chinese food, etc. all because I was afraid to tell him about the band. So stupid! When I told him about it he said two things 1) good for you and 2) I wondered why you always ate such little amounts and so slow. I'm glad you told me, I was getting worried. 
Hilarious that I actually thought he wouldn't notice. All of this makes it much easier to recommit. Having someone that is supportive, and non judgmental. Happy for me to get healthy, but loves me regardless. It's a good place to be.


In closing, I've missed you guys. I'm sorry that I've been so reluctant to blog, and that I stepped away from supporting your journeys for so long. But I'm back and committed. I'm going to put some goals at the end of this blog entry so that I can check in on them and hold myself accountable. Then I'm off to grocery shop and get my fridge healthy! 


I turn 40 this year! So, goals are as follows:

1. Get to my goal weight by my birthday - Dec 22nd. That's 48 pounds in 12 months. 4 pounds a month = totally doable.
2. Make exercise a part of my daily life. 
3. Run at least one 5k and one 10k by my 40th birthday.
4. Blog regularly!!

One last note...I previewed this post and then looked to the right of the screen and saw my blog entries. Over 100+ in 2009 and 2010. 27 entries in 2011. If that's doesn't help me learn that no blogging equals lack of success for me, then I don't know what does!