New Year Means New Me

If you ask 10 people what their New Years resolution is, I bet you 9 out of those 10 people will say "weight loss." I am part of that 9 out of 10. That's right, my biggest new years resolution is to lose weight this year. I'll be honest, this is probably my annual resolution, but I never seem to succeed. This year, I am determined to change this.

What makes this year different from past years? I have no idea. A hunch maybe? I am 23 going on 24 and you know what, I am still overweight and I hate it. I have managed to lose weight here and there, but I haven't succeeded in losing weight and losing it for good. This year, I want to break the cycle.

My mantra that I keep saying to myself over and over again to keep me motivated is: "This is the year of the snake. This is YOUR year." (That is my zodiac sign) My goal? Lose 30 lb by the end of the year. I have decided to tell you all this because I want to be held accountable. I want you guys to know this and it is my dream to be able to say, "hello loyal readers! Guess what?! I met my -30 lb goal!" Who knows, if I am really lucky, maybe I will lose more?! That would be amazing!

Right, so what am I doing to help meet my goal? I am trying to change my eating habits. I did Weight Watchers for a while, and it really worked! I lost 15 lb. I decided to stop doing Weight Watchers, because the "points" were starting to drive me crazy. I hated that after a while, I would see food not for nutritional content, but rather for its points values. It was perturbing to me that food that I love and knew was healthy, was given such high points values, and thus I was hesitant to eat them. It just started to drive me crazy. It is for this reason, that I decided to leave the Weight Watchers program.

I like to think that I am normally a healthy-ish eater. My meals are well balanced, but my problem is portion control and snacks. I went through my pantry the other night and threw out all of my junk food. A major food purge. I also don't really eat fast food, which is good. My mom has always served us balanced meals, so when I cook, she is my inspiration. Now, when I sit down the night before to plan my meals, I always ask myself, "What would mom make? What veggies would mom make? And how many different components would she have." So far, it has worked out wonderfully.

For me, the big challenge will be exercise. I do my best to exercise at the gym, but sometimes I feel lazy or I get overwhelmed by homework. I've decided that now I have to treat exercise like a class. It's a part of my schedule and it needs to get done. I will try to do one hour of cardio everyday. For this endeavor, I have lots of movies and tv shows lined up for my iPad! (I like to watch things on my iPad while I am at the gym. Music doesn't do it for me.)

Instead of always using machines, I have also decided to try my hand at group classes too, which are offered at my gym for free. Sadly, most of the classes either meet when I have class/lab or they don't really appeal to me. No worries, I have found something that I like! My gym has some dance classes and boxing classes...both of which I like very much.

Now, strength training is equally important, but I am crap at it. I'm never quite sure what to do and I always get so bored. Not anymore. I have arranged to get a trainer and I hope he whips me into shape. It will be brutal and I am sure that there will be moments of dread and moments where I hate my trainer, but as the saying goes: NO PAIN, NO GAIN.

So, this is the year that I finally lose some weight! Wish me luck! I'll be sure to check in and let you know how I am progressing.

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