Breaking down goals: Losing 50 pounds

Weight loss is the bane of my existence. If you go back through these postings, you'll see many, many of them relate to weight loss experiments, attempts to get in shape, etc. And that's just what I posted about on here. I've been battling my weight off and on since college, and it feels like it's going to be a lifelong battle, especially since metabolism starts to slow at 30 and it becomes harder to lose weight.

What's even more frustrating is that I weigh more than I ever have before. I've gained 20 pounds since getting married, so I'm that much further from my goal. It's easy for me to get overwhelmed and a little depressed at the thought of having to lose even more weight, but I'm trying to be positive and break this down into smaller steps.

I've done complicated rewards systems for myself before that didn't really work (obviously not or this wouldn't be an issue still), so I just picked some significant dates for myself, including some holidays and birthdays and thought about some realistic goals for what I could lose in those time frames, and here's what I came up with:

• down 5 by end of year
• down 10 more (15 total) by Valentine's Day (our 3 year dating anniversary)
• down 5 more (20 total) by wedding anniversary (March 9)
• down 5 more (25 total) by Will's birthday (March 31)
• down 5 more (30 total) by Easter (April 20)
• down 10 more (40 total) by Memorial Day (May 26)
• down 10 more (50 total) by birthday (July 16)

There's a big gap between the last two goals, but I've always heard that the last few pounds are the most difficult to lose (I've never gotten to that point, so meh).

I plan to be more diligent about logging my food on My Fitness Pal (I'm amberiam on there if you'd like to be friends or gently harass me). I'm also not buying any more junk food. Even if I say that it's "for Will," I end up eating it, and usually a lot more than I need to. I know that sweets are a huge weakness for me, so I just don't need that temptation at home. I'm also working on getting more exercise, including walking, body weight exercises, and Wii Fit (don't laugh! My muscles are sore!). Being the list-a-holic that I am, I've been working on creating a workout plan for myself. I've also been working on some fitness goals, including a 5K on December 15 and a half marathon in February. 

So why am I writing about all of this? Well, for one reason, I've heard that sharing goals like this with others makes you more likely to succeed. I guess one reason for that is because then people will ask you how your goals are going, and you won't want to confess that you're not doing well. Another reason may be that they keep you accountable by looking at what you're doing and seeing if your actions match the words that you have said. Those are my theories anyway. 

I weigh in on Thursday mornings before eating or drinking anything. I'm not going to post my weight on here each week (although, talk about accountability...sheesh!!), but I will post a brief snippet about my progress either weekly or on my monthly 30 during 30 recaps. 

Would anyone like to be accountability partners? If so, leave a comment here or send me an email/Facebook message, and we can work out the details!

30 During 30: Month 4 Update (October 17-November 16)

I'm behind on this one! Perhaps updating my blog more regularly should be one of my 21 Days to Discipline goals!

I had a much better month 4 than month 3! The semester is a little slower now with not as much instruction, so I feel like I don't just crash when I come home!

I've been doing well on the repeating monthly goals, like date night and girl night. After the first of the year, I will work more on having coffee with potential friends. I decided not to participate in NaNoWriMo (goal #27) this year because I didn't really have any idea for a novel, and I chose to spend time on other pursuits. So, that goal is crossed off the list by default! We are starting to better with our tithing (goal #5), so we're working towards that one. I've been working on all of my spiritual goals over the past couple of weeks, so I feel like that section is going along, full steam.

Unfortunately, the other sections don't feel like they're going very well. For example, my goal to lose 50 pounds (goal #7) is going in the opposite direction. I started tracking my weight loss about seven weeks ago, and I've gained three pounds. That's just going to make it that much tougher on me! I also haven't been working on my financial goals either, so I need to focus on those two sections and figure out how I can accomplish or at least work towards those goals. In an earlier entry, I said that I was going to write about breaking down my goals, and I still plan to. I think that will help me refocus and dig into accomplishing what I want to before July.

I can do three push ups, so I'm 10% of the way to completing goal #10. Man, I've got some work to do!

30 During 30: Month 3 Update (September 17-October 16)

Ugh, yet another month that feels like it got away from me, and another month where I felt like I didn't really do anything. I probably went on a date night with Will, and I may have done something with a female friend, but I can't even remember. This has been a busy season at work, full of instruction, research consultations, and a lot of other little things. I've been behind on projects there and in my personal life, and I haven't really been updating either of my blogs. But, I'm not going to beat myself up. I'm going to brush myself off and start fresh right now.

Here's to a more productive month 4!

30 During 30: Month 2 Update (August 17-September 16)

I'm a couple of days behind on this update because it's been a little crazy at work this week.

I'll just be honest; I didn't do so hot from August to September. I don't know if it was because work picked up or what, but it was nothing like the first month. I went on another date night with Will (#18) and had a sushi night with my mom and another female friend (#19). I also determined that I'm not going to work on my website design certification (#30) right now because I could only pay for it by going into debt or really stretching our monthly budget, and it just wasn't worth it to me. Plus, there are a lot of good, free training sites that I can use to gain some skills. But, that's about it. It's a marathon, not a sprint, right?

On another, not-so-good note, I weighed myself one day while at my parents' house and found out that I've gained a good amount of weight during our six months (!) of marriage. So, I've changed my goal 7 from lose 40 pounds to 50. Le sigh. I've decided to participate in Peak 313's 5 week Living and Active Challenge. I'm a couple of days behind on starting this one too, but I'd like to hit the ground running (semi-literally) tomorrow.

Anyone else participating in this one?

30 During 30: Month 1 Update (July 17-August 16)

This month has flown by! I'm sure I'll say that every month though. Maybe that's just how it happens when you're 30! ;-)

I completed a goal already! I finished writing and sending the wedding thank you cards (goal 22) on August 11. 1 down, 29 to go, right?I've added the list to the left sidebar so I can mark out goals and put the completion date instead of having to update the original entry.

I have made some progress in a couple of others also. I've been doing research on goal 6 (learn how to really study the Bible), and I've been better about doing a daily devotional/bit of quiet time. We also went on a date night (goal 18) on July 28. It was technically more of a day date, but I'm counting it anyway! I've also started a posting schedule for one of my blogs (goal 25), worked on my online website and portfolio (goal 29), and sent off the application for the website design certificate courses (goal 30). Phew!

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to post how I'm breaking down some of these goals, such as memorizing the Bible verses, losing that pesky 40 pounds, and remixing my wardrobe. As weird as this sounds, I can't wait to dive into these goals!

Does anyone else have any goals they're working on, or any tips on how to break them down into more manageable steps?

30 during 30

As promised last year (sorry! Life and marriage and such got in the way), here is my hopefully not cliche 30 before 30 list, which has now turned into a 30 during 30 list since I hit the big 3-0 already! This is a list of 30 things that I would like to accomplish in the next year before I turn 31 years old.

The 30 During 30 List:

Spiritual Goals:
1. Memorize 30 Bible verses
2. Lead someone to Jesus
3. Volunteer to help at more church events
4. Get involved with another area of ministry at church
5. Become a consistent tither
6. Learn how to really study the Bible

Physical/Health Goals:
7. Lose 50 pounds
8. Run an entire 5K
9. Finish a half marathon in under 3 hours
10. Be able to do 30 consecutive real push ups

Beauty/Fashion Goals:
11. Learn to effectively put on eyeliner (seriously...I missed that day during girl school)
12. Learn how to remix every item of clothing into at least 3 different outfits

Financial Goals:
13. Finish Dave Ramsey Baby Step 1
14. Reduce debt by at least half
15. Save at least $4,000 towards a new (to us) car to replace Will's truck
16. Learn how to create and stick to an effective monthly household, zero based budget

Relationship Goals:
17. Celebrate 1 year of marriage (this is a slam dunk!)
18. Go on a real date night with Will at least once a month
19. Hang out with female friends at least once a month
20. Invite a female I'd like to become friends with to have coffee every couple of months

Organization/Domestic Goals:
21. Finish unpacking/putting stuff away/purging
22. Finish wedding thank you notes
23. Create an 8 week rotating meal plan
24. Stick to Flylady's plan so the house always looks presentable!

Writing Goals:
25. Post on my blogs more consistently by creating a posting schedule
26. Sell at least 4 pieces of writing
27. Finish NaNoWriMo in November
28. Finish writer website/online portfolio

Career Goals:
29. Finish librarian website/online portfolio
30. Work towards the completion of website design certification

There you have it! I've really thought about these goals to make sure they are "SMART" (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound). I think that will help me be a lot more successful than I've been in the past with vague goals. As always, I plan to come back and update as I complete goals or make progress in others. Does anyone else have any before or during 30 goals?