Sunday, August 26, 2012

Setting a Short-Term Goal

Generally I hesitate to set goals of the "I want to lose this much by this date" variety because, let's face it, our bodies get a vote, and sometimes they vote that they want to lose a lot slower. Or sometimes life gets in the way. A year ago I had hoped that I'd be at goal right now, but I'm still 50+ pounds shy. That's ok though. I took a few months off my diet and started down the wrong path before getting myself straightened out. 

I'm not sure if specific weight loss goals motivate or set us up for disappointment. But regardless, I'm going to give it a shot. Not for the total weight loss, but an intermediary goal. 

You see, in 11 weeks I am taking the trip of a lifetime. Here's a hint:


Zomg. I can't wait! I'll be in India for Diwali and then I'll be traveling around with a friend.  Just ONCE though, I'd like to have some pictures of me at the awesome places, instead of me just taking pictures and not appearing in them. I want to say "here's me at the Taj Mahal!" I want to be proud of my vacation pictures.

When I was visiting friends last week one of them managed to snap a shot of me at a very unflattering angle and posted it on facebook, and I was really upset. I WANT to like pictures of myself. I don't want to live in fear that someone will take and post awful pictures of me. So for this trip especially, I want good pictures.

So here is the goal:

I want to be at 168 when I leave for India. That will still be about 18 pounds overweight, but I look decent at that weight. That's about 23-24 pounds by the time I leave, or around 2 pounds a week. I think it's doable.

How will I do it?

- Upping exercise and intensity. I will work in intervals and try to keep pushing myself. I am also going to start doing more strength training, and adding a session of cardio in the morning to keep my metabolism going all day.

- Eating well. I am going to start lowering the carbs/starches I eat to focus primarily on lean proteins and good high fiber foods like beans.

- Lots and lots of water. 

- More sleep. I don't sleep enough. I can't bring myself to get to bed early but I'm going to start getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

- Walking during my lunch break. I almost never even take a lunch break but I'm going to start walking during it, especially since the weather is getting nicer.

Wish me luck!

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