2012 Spring Chick Challenge ~ Guidelines and Goals (Weight Loss)

For the past month, I've been thinking about things I want to change in my life this year.  Every year, my resolutions are the same.  Every year, I want to do something about my weight.  Every year, I fail.  This year will be different.  I want to succeed.  I need to succeed. 

With that in mind, I was thrilled when I received an email from my buddy Nicole.  She just signed up for the 2012 Spring "Chick" Challenge and wanted me to join with her.  It's always easier to lose weight with a buddy! 

Photo credit:  Photo Bucket

I checked out the challenge and using the guidelines of the challenge, I set a few goals for myself: 
 
Commit to a Non-Scale Victory: 

• Energy.  At the end of this challenge (and during, too), I want to have more energy.  It's embarassing to become winded while dancing around the living room with my toddler before the song is even over. 

• Wedding rings.  I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings since the end of my pregnancy with Grace.  I'd love to lose enough weight to be able to put them back on my finger.

 

• Healthy Lifestyle.  I want to set a good example for my daughter and help her to make healthy choices when it comes to food and activity.  While she can be very active, she also has no problem sitting on the sofa all day watching TV while eating cookies or cupcakes.  I want that to change, but I need to lead by example.  How can I tell her to exercise and eat a banana instead of a donut while I'm munching on a Hershey bar? 

Commit to a set of nutrition parameters and track via My Fitness Pal:

• Calories.  I have not weighed in yet, so I have not decided on my daily calorie intake.  Once I've weighed in, I will decide on the amount of weight I want to lose during the challenge and using My Fitness Pal, I'll come up with my daily calories. 

• Water.  I have such a difficult time getting my water in, not only in challenges, but in daily life, too.  I always tend to reach for the diet soda instead of water.  During the colder months, I don't drink much of anything.  So, this is going to be a challenge in itself.  My goal is to drink at least six 8 ounce glasses per day. 

• Portion Control.  I'm starting this challenge on a tight budget.  For the first week or so, I won't be using low-fat or low-cal foods.  I'll simply be eating smaller portions and filling up on some raw vegetables. 

• Dairy.  I'd like to increase the amount of dairy I consume daily.  Skim milk and low-fat yogurt are always in my fridge.  But usually shoved to the back and almost always forgotten about until trash day. 

• Fruits and Vegetables.  I love fruits and veggies, but find it so much easier to grab a donut than it is to bend over to grab an orange out of the produce bin in the fridge.  As I  stated before, this needs to change not only for my own health, but for Grace as well. 

•  Limitations.  I'm going to be realistic here and admit that I will not be cutting out all junk-food and sweets.  I know myself and know 100% that if I cut out those things completely, I will fail.  I will limit myself to some treats here and there based on other food and exercise choices made that day. 

• Vitamins.  Like the milk and yogurt, vitamins are always in the house, I just fail to take them.  I can't give any real reason other than the fact that I'm lazy.  Sure, they make me a little queasy the first couple of weeks (I won't even mention the funny colors they turn my urine...yikes!) but once I'm used to them that goes away.  I just rarely get past that point, before I stop taking them.  This, too, needs to change.   

Commit to a set of exercise parameters: 

• Exercise.  I'm guessing this should be more than just getting off the sofa to grab a snack from the fridge during commercials, huh?  Well, I dusted off the exercise bike and plan on setting up the Wii Fit in the morning.  I'll be starting off slow, but my goal will be to exercise 15-30 minutes a day, at least 5 times a week. 

• Sleep.  It's no secret that I have horrible sleep habits.  I've always been a night-owl, but since Grace has been in my life, my days have gotten longer.  I stay up late, just to have some time to myself.  Time to watch non-kiddie shows or to work on my blog.  I need to work out a blogging schedule for myself so that I can get to bed early without neglecting my blog.  Better sleep habits will help me make better choices regarding food and exercise each day. 

In addition to the above guidelines, I will blog twice a week regarding the challenge and attempt to offer support to as many of the other participants of the challenge as I can.  Time is sometimes an issue, since I spend so much of my day with Grace, so I may not always fulfill this part of the challenge.  Please accept my apologies in advance...but know that I am here rooting for each and every one of us in hopes that we will all succeed in reaching our goals! 

Check back later today for my official weigh-in and introduction post!