A Good Start
For those who don't know yet, I have begun a journey to change my
lifestyle and lose a little bit of weight. I started on January 2nd (I
know, could I be any more typical with my New Year's resolution?) and as
of right now, I am down almost 14 pounds! While I do have a goal
weight, it is not only about the weight. I'll get to that later.
My bestie Lexi agreed to be kind of my "accountability partner". We both had similar goals for the year and it is way more fun and attainable to do it with someone else! Lexi is the perfect accountability partner for me because we can be pretty blunt and honest with each other. If I text her a picture of a cupcake or something that I really want to eat, she will tell me that I'd better not eat it or she will drive down here and punch me in the face. That is not an exact quote, but that is pretty much what our friendship is like. She is also great at encouraging me when I slip up though. She will usually tell me to dust myself off and start fresh from wherever I'm at, and that is nice coming from anyone.
But not only do I have my bestie to keep me accountable, Josh has also decided to join me on this journey! I am so proud of him too. He has taken so much initiative and has been working really hard! This is why it is not all about the weight for me. It is more about our future and trying to enjoy life more. We are both in our 20's and supposedly in the "prime of our lives" or something like that. But we have not been making that a true statement. A typical day off for us used to consist of Netflix, lounging around, and eating whatever we felt like eating.
While our days still involve a lot of Netflix, we have made SO many changes. We have both been measuring out actual serving sizes and paying more attention to what we choose to snack on. We also work out together and that is way more motivating than going to the gym alone! We have also designated nights for "cheat meals" which is WAY important for us because it gives us something to look forward to each week. I have also decided that we are going to have a "cheeseburger date" every single month, because we love cheeseburgers and I could never ever give them up for good. I think that everyone who is "dieting" should remember to have cheat meals. You don't have to give up all junk food all the time to live a healthy life! Since January 2nd, I have eaten pizza, tacos, lots of tortilla chips with various dips, cupcakes, and a few other junky things and I have still lost weight. It's because I've decided to eat healthy like 80% of the time.
When I think about our future and what life might be like when we decide to have kids, I picture a very specific lifestyle. I would like to be the kind of parents that spend the weekends outside with their kids. I want to have enough energy to go play soccer at the park and not get winded immediately. I want to be able to go on hikes and to the beach! I want to teach my kids that healthy food can be yummy and that it is totally okay to have a cupcake and/or ice cream every now and then, but maybe not every day. Or tell them that soda is okay to drink, but maybe only when we go out and not keep it in the house. These are all just general thoughts I have, who knows what will actually happen when I actually have a child. I already know things are easier said than done. These are just things I daydream about.
I have NOTHING against TV or couch time. In fact I love my couch. If you happened to see a Facebook status I posted a while ago where Josh answered questions about me, he may have said that my favorite place was "couch". He is not wrong. I love being on my couch with a pair of sweats and a warm blanket. In fact, usually when I'm out doing anything, there is at least a 80% chance that I'm thinking about when I get to go home and put my sweats on.
The problem is that that is all I did. All. The. Time. But I'm trying to change that. Even if it is just going on more walks with Jack or spending an hour doing something else before retiring to the couch for the evening. I think that it is important for everyone to have a "lazy day" every week. I just don't want every day to be a lazy day for us.
I feel like I am doing really well so far! But I feel the strong need to remind you that I am not perfect. The other day I was great all day and counted my calories but when the evening came around I decided I just didn't care that night and I had a bowl of ice cream AND a brownie. It was great. I also sometimes feel really lazy and don't do anything besides walk on the treadmill at the gym. But you know what? People really underestimate the power of just walking, because I burned over 300 calories from walking for 50 minutes.
Anyway, the whole point I'm trying to make is this; While it would be great to lose my goal amount of weight, I'm mainly just trying to live a better life. I won't be counting calories forever. And we all know I won't measure out exact servings forever. But I just want to get in the habit of being more conscious about what foods I choose to eat. And maybe also get in the habit of making healthy dinners 5 nights a week and having just two "bad" dinners.
My biggest fear is failing and I worry that a few months from now I will be back to my old habits. It is very likely that that could happen, but I'm trying to take it one day at a time.
On a slightly different but still related note...
We live in a BEAUTIFUL state and there are so many outdoor activities to enjoy here in Oregon. I already love hiking, but I'd like to do it more often. And I can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can go explore more of the beauty that Oregon has to offer! Here's to hoping that 2017 is an active year for us!
My bestie Lexi agreed to be kind of my "accountability partner". We both had similar goals for the year and it is way more fun and attainable to do it with someone else! Lexi is the perfect accountability partner for me because we can be pretty blunt and honest with each other. If I text her a picture of a cupcake or something that I really want to eat, she will tell me that I'd better not eat it or she will drive down here and punch me in the face. That is not an exact quote, but that is pretty much what our friendship is like. She is also great at encouraging me when I slip up though. She will usually tell me to dust myself off and start fresh from wherever I'm at, and that is nice coming from anyone.
But not only do I have my bestie to keep me accountable, Josh has also decided to join me on this journey! I am so proud of him too. He has taken so much initiative and has been working really hard! This is why it is not all about the weight for me. It is more about our future and trying to enjoy life more. We are both in our 20's and supposedly in the "prime of our lives" or something like that. But we have not been making that a true statement. A typical day off for us used to consist of Netflix, lounging around, and eating whatever we felt like eating.
While our days still involve a lot of Netflix, we have made SO many changes. We have both been measuring out actual serving sizes and paying more attention to what we choose to snack on. We also work out together and that is way more motivating than going to the gym alone! We have also designated nights for "cheat meals" which is WAY important for us because it gives us something to look forward to each week. I have also decided that we are going to have a "cheeseburger date" every single month, because we love cheeseburgers and I could never ever give them up for good. I think that everyone who is "dieting" should remember to have cheat meals. You don't have to give up all junk food all the time to live a healthy life! Since January 2nd, I have eaten pizza, tacos, lots of tortilla chips with various dips, cupcakes, and a few other junky things and I have still lost weight. It's because I've decided to eat healthy like 80% of the time.
When I think about our future and what life might be like when we decide to have kids, I picture a very specific lifestyle. I would like to be the kind of parents that spend the weekends outside with their kids. I want to have enough energy to go play soccer at the park and not get winded immediately. I want to be able to go on hikes and to the beach! I want to teach my kids that healthy food can be yummy and that it is totally okay to have a cupcake and/or ice cream every now and then, but maybe not every day. Or tell them that soda is okay to drink, but maybe only when we go out and not keep it in the house. These are all just general thoughts I have, who knows what will actually happen when I actually have a child. I already know things are easier said than done. These are just things I daydream about.
I have NOTHING against TV or couch time. In fact I love my couch. If you happened to see a Facebook status I posted a while ago where Josh answered questions about me, he may have said that my favorite place was "couch". He is not wrong. I love being on my couch with a pair of sweats and a warm blanket. In fact, usually when I'm out doing anything, there is at least a 80% chance that I'm thinking about when I get to go home and put my sweats on.
The problem is that that is all I did. All. The. Time. But I'm trying to change that. Even if it is just going on more walks with Jack or spending an hour doing something else before retiring to the couch for the evening. I think that it is important for everyone to have a "lazy day" every week. I just don't want every day to be a lazy day for us.
I feel like I am doing really well so far! But I feel the strong need to remind you that I am not perfect. The other day I was great all day and counted my calories but when the evening came around I decided I just didn't care that night and I had a bowl of ice cream AND a brownie. It was great. I also sometimes feel really lazy and don't do anything besides walk on the treadmill at the gym. But you know what? People really underestimate the power of just walking, because I burned over 300 calories from walking for 50 minutes.
Anyway, the whole point I'm trying to make is this; While it would be great to lose my goal amount of weight, I'm mainly just trying to live a better life. I won't be counting calories forever. And we all know I won't measure out exact servings forever. But I just want to get in the habit of being more conscious about what foods I choose to eat. And maybe also get in the habit of making healthy dinners 5 nights a week and having just two "bad" dinners.
My biggest fear is failing and I worry that a few months from now I will be back to my old habits. It is very likely that that could happen, but I'm trying to take it one day at a time.
On a slightly different but still related note...
We live in a BEAUTIFUL state and there are so many outdoor activities to enjoy here in Oregon. I already love hiking, but I'd like to do it more often. And I can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can go explore more of the beauty that Oregon has to offer! Here's to hoping that 2017 is an active year for us!
Comments
Post a Comment