Here we are. The last card for the year. I can’t believe I’ve come this far. Even though I’m still holding on to the last ten pounds I’ve wanted to lose, I’ve come a long, long way this year.
More than anything else I’m amazed at the amount of exercise I’ve put into 2011. This is more exercise than I’ve done in my whole life up to now. Literally. I’ve walked/run almost 1,000 miles this year. This is an amazing record for me. I remember in 2010, when I setup my nike account, my password was something like “nonsense” because I thought it was crazy that I even thought I could do this.
And here we are. I know there is still one more day but at this point, I have enough faith in myself to tell you that I’ve exercised every single day in this calendar year.
Every. Single. Day.
I am beyond amazed. Proud. And I know this is just the beginning. I know the path forward is even harder. But now I am more determined than ever.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
In all honesty I am not sure if I gained the full pound back or not. Since I moved to using the scale and not the Wii, it’s been hard to remember the number from week to week so I can’t tell exactly how much I’ve lost or gained. I can tell around where the number is and that’s really all that matters to me. This way I can keep tabs of any drastic changes and those are what matter.
With the exception of chocolate, holiday eating hasn’t really been an issue so far. I’m sticking to my regular routine for the most part and still try to east as much whole food as I can. I do think I need to work on more of a plan for next year but I’ll admit that I am not motivated at all. So I am just giving myself some time off and I will figure out what to do with the food in a week or so.
The exercise is still going. 2.2 miles a day. Especially hard on these cold, dark winter mornings. But I am keeping at it and I am very grateful for my treadmill which has been used every single day that I was home since I bought it. Actually since Mom bought it. Thank you, Mom.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
As a follow up to my promise to a kind comment last week, I have photos of me wearing the dress I bought. Not the best light and angle but there you have it.
Still getting up at the crack of dawn and exercising and still not enjoying it but mostly doing it because I have come to believe in its power. Not just in the weight-loss but also how much stronger and more resilient it’s made me. I am not looking forward to the slight increase in January but I know I can do it and just knowing that is making me proud. I still haven’t been diligent about getting a trainer or coming up with a plan for more specific exercise but at least in the meantime, I’m running. I feel a bit too tired and busy during this season to take care of the rest. It’s still at the top of my list, though.
The food is still going so-so. I’ve been busy and focused which often makes me eat less and also less healthily. So I have to schedule some time to sit and make a plan for the next month so I can get back on schedule as the kids go back to school and the holidays wind down. Let’s see how it goes.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
This week was uneventful it seems. I gained a tiny bit of weight but I am not going to worry about it because it’s too insignificant to matter. To be honest, I am not eating well. Having one cup of latte every day and eating way more chocolate than someone should. And peanuts. And then not much else. Overall, a very unbalanced, terrible diet. I keep wanting to change it but feeling like I lack the strength, energy, or time. Which is, of course, total crap. Alas, here we are.
The exercise is going ok. I am running 2.2 miles every day. It’s hard, I am tired and feel like I can’t do it every day. But still I get up and actually do it every single day. I will admit that I still don’t look forward to it and I am still bummed I have to do and I am frustrated at having to wake up at 5:30am to do it. And it’s still hard. And tiring and definitely not the “rush” people claim it to be. Despite all that, I still keep going. Because I can tell it works. And I am not stopping it. Not ever.
The dress above is my most recent purchase. I haven’t bought anything in months so I was ok spending a little more than usual on it. And I was so so grateful to see how truly wonderful it felt to wear it.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
Well, without really trying I seem to have lost the pound from last week and then more. I have no idea what it is (likely just water) but whatever I’ll take it. I am still going steady. Exercising every morning first thing regardless of how tired, wiped, frustrated I might be. Now that it’s December, I’ve upped it to 2.2 miles a day. It’s hard for me. I have never run this much in my life. But I am working at it.
Day after day after day.
The food situation is not so great. Not that I am eating super-bad or anything but I know my diet is not balanced or super-nutritious. I’ve been lazy and haven’t invested the time into doing it right. One of the things I plan to focus on in 2012 is writing everything down. As cumbersome and annoying (and sometimes embarrassing) as it is I think it will keep me in check more and make me more aware and that’s an important part of the process. And one I didn’t pay enough attention to this year.
Well here we go. one more week down.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
So I think it’s finally time to admit to myself that I did, indeed, gain a pound. It’s been showing up on the scale on and off and I’ve been sort of avoiding it until now but this morning I finally just decided to acknowledge it. I know it’s not a big deal. One, two, three pounds are no big deal. But I also know that the hardest part of losing weight, eating healthy, working out isn’t doing it.
It’s keeping it up.
It’s not gaining it back. Not falling off the wagon and eating a lot of chocolate and cheese and making one bad decision after another. It’s lacing up the shoes even when I completely don’t feel like doing it. Even when it’s dark and rainy and cold. Staying on the plan is hard. But this past year was relatively painful for me and a lot of work and I have absolutely no intention of letting it all go to waste. I have no intention of having to go through all of this again.
So one pound symbolizes so much more than just what it sounds like. It means I have to pay attention and get back on the plan.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
We’re almost done with this year and I am, apparently, not going to lose these last bunch of pounds. That’s ok. Since this is a long-haul, I can live with not getting down to the ideal weight this year. In fact, if I did, it might motivate me less next year and I certainly don’t want that. My goal is to keep going. I’ve already increased my run to 2.1 miles for November and plan to go to 2.2 for December, all the way back to the 3.1 miles I was walking. This is a path I don’t plan to stop walking on.
For 2012, I also want to add weights/exercises for more toning and something like pilates/yoga/meditation for being calmer, and stretching my muscles more. I think if I can get a way to do all three, I will have a well-rounded exercises routine and it will help with my stress as well.
As for the food, I bought myself a special plate with Kelly Rae Robert’s art on it. For now, I am staying away from bad decisions and leaving it at that for now. I do plan on fixing it but I am still feeling under the weather and I have no patience or strength to sit and figure it out now. So, as long as I stick to fresh food and proteins, I think I will be ok. At least until I can sit down and figure it out for once and all.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
I will admit that I am shocked I haven’t gained more weight with the way and kind of food I’ve been eating. While I haven’t eaten a ton, I’ve just been tired and not making the best choices. I’ve also had a lot of chocolate in the last few weeks. As well as coffee. All of which sucks. But I am too tired and too sick to deal with it at the moment so I am just grateful that the weight is not coming back on just yet. I plan to get the eating under control, I swear.
I ran 2.1 miles all week. Still watching movies as I run. I sort of gave up on the reading while I exercise for now. Partly because I’ve been so sick that I need the extra motivation to run. Or maybe it’s distraction. It’s also cause the books I’m reading currently are for book club and they are less escapist and more literary. So they need more focus. Anyhow, the good news is I am keeping up with the exercise, even through being sick.
My goal in the next two weeks is to actually find some help so I can solidify a plan for exercise next year and also to get my eating habits back to healthy and consistent. Let’s hope it works.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
I won’t lie: having visitors hasn’t done wonders for my weight-loss or even stay-healthy plans. Most significantly, I’ve been drinking coffee. Not the crappy, powdered thing I was drinking at home, but the stuff you buy at Starbucks. So while I am not worried about getting back on the 6-coffees-a-day wagon, I am still irritated at myself for drinking so many of these in the last two weeks. I’ve also eaten out more than usual and while I try to make healthy choices, it’s harder when you eat out often. All this made me appreciate our quiet lifestyle even more. Oh and it didn’t help that I am hormonal at this very moment.
Since November is here, I upped the running to 2.1 miles a day. It’s going ok but I am not reading much during running anymore and, instead, I watch movies or instructional videos for the classes I am taking. It makes the time go fast and helps me forget that I am running. I haven’t made progress on the trainer front but it’s still at the top of my list once I get myself organized.
I completely forgot what the scale said last week which is why the weight is n/a again. I promise to pay better attention this time.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
I finally bought a scale. After last week’s Wii fit disaster, I was sick of having to boot up the wii and make sure it wasn’t being wonky each week. Now I have a scale I can use once a week without having to boot anything up or press a bunch of buttons. It’s not as cute as the Wii and it won’t tell me my BMI but it will do for the new few months. Because it’s a completely new format, I decided to not count the weight loss it showed and I will just start this week anew and track loss and gain from here on out.
I am still running 2 miles a day and it’s still super-hard. But I am at it and I am not giving up. I have, however, not been doing so great with the food. With my parents here, I go out more and eat more than I usually do. I am still careful and try to pick the healthiest options. But I am guessing it will end up resulting in some weight gain for the next week. If so, I will deal with it. I am not worried.
I have officially begun looking for a personal trainer. One that can help me do some weights, etc. No idea how to find one but I’ve decided I want one and will actively search this month.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
I bought a new pair of jeans this week. I’d like to have waited for a little more weight loss but my older ones were way too big and it was starting to look a bit terrible. In fairness, they are super-stretchy but still what I bought is 5 sizes smaller than what I went into the store with. So even if the stretch adds 1-2 sizes, I am certainly moving in the right direction. So that makes me happy.
So this week’s weigh-in was a bit off. The Wii Fit broke and then worked again the next day so I am not sure how much to trust the results and I am not relying on them. I finally bought a digital scale so I will use that from now on when it comes. It does appear that I am not losing weight as much. Which is ok except that I am struggling with the snacks. My meals are ok but the snacks are hard for me. I eat peanuts and fruit at the moment. And I need a wider variety.
I plan to focus on that for the next few weeks and also integrate chicken back into my diet too. It disappeared in the last few weeks and I think I need more protein in general. So there we are; another week of moving things forward.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
I put the nikeplus photo again because I just passed my 1,000th mile mark this week. Had you told me I would exercise for 1000 miles in one year I would have laughed at you. Had you told me I would have exercised for 1,000 miles in my lifetime I would have laughed at you. Had you told me I would wake up at 5:30am and immediately run for 2 miles, I would have laughed at you.
But here we are.
I’m still not doing excellent on the food. Mostly a chocolate problem but I am going to turn things around. I plan to be better about it because I work too hard to let stupid chocolate get in the way of progress. I am also not doing the situps still. That’s from sheer laziness. I am tired and whiny at the end of the day so I just postpone it. I need to focus on it more, I know.
And this week I had a slight gain. Slight enough to not be significant but I am certainly not losing and I really do wish I were. Even if very slowly. But alas, I am still being healthy and that’s what matters most.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
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projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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