Weigh 130lbs

I think the last time I actually tried to change the number that appears on the weighing machine was about six years ago in gym class. I think I did manage to lose some weight, but I don't remember how much.
In my recent memories, I have always remembered weighing in at around 140 lbs. On my light days I weigh around 139 lbs and on my heavy days I weigh around 141 lbs.
Sure, I've said to myself and to people around me, "I'm going to get fit and lose some weight."
..right. Like that ever happened.


Goal crazy that I am, I know that goals with a defined plan and a specific outcome are more likely to be achieved than those that don't. I, of course, neglected to implement that in my 'weight loss goal'.

My ideal number is 130lbs. Don't ask me why, I have no science to back it up; I just really like that number, it feels right to me. 

That's ten pounds. 

I commit to weight 130lbs by September 2012.

So there's my specific outcome.

It's not hard, it averages out to less than a pound a month. Tim Ferris,[http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/ ] mentions that there are you can lose weight by optimizing any of the three factors t: exercise, diet, and drug/supplement regimen.

To me improving [if not optimizing] exercise and diet make the most sense. I am going to go with a very common sense approach with titbits from health and fitness articles/research I look up over the course of the year.

The Plan

I hardly ever exercise. I know I should, and when I do, I enjoy it. However, I rarely ever do it. I may get started and keep it up for a week or two...and then it kind of fades into oblivion again. 

At the same time, I despair over my lack of a flat stomach and a behind that could probably do with some toning. I could also do with some stamina-building-blood-circulating-heart-enlarging cardio. I need to follow my own advice: if you aren't going to do something about it, stop complaining, or..do something about it!**

My latest class in the week ends at 5 pm. From past experience, I know that unless I bring a snack to the class, within an hour of that class ending, I usually want dinner. Not eating before exercising also promotes the burning of body-fat [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37492881/ns/health-fitness/t/get-rid-fat-dont-eat-workout/]. So taking a very light snack to eat before/during the class to stave off hunger, then heading to the gym for an hour, and then going home to dinner sounds like an good plan. 

I know from personal experience that I'm better at adhering to a daily schedule than a schedule that calls for something to be done only a few times a week. So I will do this everyday: finish my last class, head straight to the gym for an hour, and then go home to dinner.

When it comes to improving my diet, cutting out junk food is the first thought I have, my personal vice is Coca-Cola, I drink it excessively...I almost wonder if I'm not causing undue harm to my insides with all the poison Coca-Cola probably contains... never-mind calories. So I will do my best to limit Coca-Cola in my life..no more than two 500 [or is it 750] mL bottles a week.

Eating when I'm bored, I do that a lot, is something I definitely need to limit. My, not so common, common sense tells me that it's probably wise to eat only when I'm hungry, and to stop eating when I'm full. Sure there are exceptions: feasts and/or occasions where we overindulge a little bit, however, it shouldn't be a frequent occurrence. Drawing from Tim Ferris' philosophy, I'll limit my overindulgence to once a week at most.

I try to eat a healthy amount of carbs and protein, incorporating vegetables, meat, and grains into my diet as best as I can. I am not a very accomplished cook, though I fend for myself pretty well and can even whip out a fancy dish once in a while as well. I do enjoy cooking, in general, so I will try to be more conscious of the kind of food I prepare and try to make it as healthy as possible. Not too greasy, not too much starch, a lot of protein, definitely have some greens, etc.

So there you have it, a wordy and fleshed out plan to help me reach my goal of 130 lbs. This is not a hard goal in the sense that it seems an impossible goal to reach in the target time frame, rather, it seems more than feasible, I mean, it's just ten measly pounds, right? Yet, it is hard in that this is not something I have ever done before : deliberately improve my health in a specific and measurable way.

The more I think about this upcoming year and the goals I've set for myself, the more pumped I get for September to arrive. Something to give a very tiny amount of excitement to everyday life. =)

** I feel that tackling my tummy and not so toned behind is too ambitious for now, when I've never ever managed to affect my body deliberately. This year's Weight 130lbs goal can be a stepping stone towards the very long term goal of having a flat tummy and a nice[er] behind..so I do retain my right to complain. =D