Going Public

Folks, I'm on a diet.
Those of you that know me well might roll your eyes and say 'again?', but I'm just gonna ignore that...

If you've ever been even a little bit overweight, you'll understand just how taxing it can be on the soul. I've already told you something about my lifetime of struggles, and I probably will again. Once again, if you have some experience, you'll know it's tough. If you don't, you'll have no understanding of just how hard it is. People that have never had a problem with their weight don't get it. They think we're lazy pigs (yes, I am generalising here, I'm sorry, but it happens to me all the time!), and some of them even try to sabotage us: 'come on, you know you want this chocolate bar...'

And yes, I have done it before. But I'm not going into all that now. Because today I'm committing. I'm 'saying it out loud'.

A friend from work and I have been 'casually' dieting for the last few months, giving each other little bits of inspiration, motivation and encouragement.
A few weeks ago, she told me she was joining Michelle Bridges' 12 Week Body Transformation. At first I thought I'd leave her to it. I'm not a big fan of her work or anything (The Biggest Loser in all its unrealistic weightloss glory drives me crazy), plus it costs money to do! While I've tried lots of different diets etc, I generally don't pay people to tell me to diet.

Still, she started telling me about the things that were happening on the site, and it really appealed to me. A community of like-minded folks, all in the same boat (yes, a big boat -boom boom!), with some sensible advice (so far!).
So I joined up. I figured that in some of my darker days I would easily spend $20 a week on junk food. Heck, it's only 4 take away coffees when you think about it...

And it's been very good so far. I'm a little dubious about the calorie limits, but so far impressed with the level of support, and some of the great 'mindset' tasks that we have been set during the pre-season (the actual program doesn't start until mid-February).

One of the most recent tasks was that we needed to 'say it out loud'. We need to commit to losing weight and tell people about it. Seems simple enough, but I reckon it's a great idea. Accountability goes a long way, especially for someone like me that does not like to fail. Especially publicly.

So here they are, my goals for the coming year. Out there for anyone who wants to see. Scary!

In 2 weeks (around the start of the program): I will have lost another kilo. I've already lost 13 since October last year, so this will make 14.

In 3 months (around the end of the program): I will have lost a total of 20-25 kilos. I will reward myself with a nice haircut.

In 6 months (around July): I will have lost a total of 35-40 kilos, bringing me pretty close to where I should be. I will reward myself with some new clothes, maybe a facial. I am going to 'sponsor' myself $20 per kilo, so I'll have a bit of spending money!

How am I going to do this? Well, for one, I'm not going to go crazy. I've been doing Atkins, and while I definitely notice the difference low carbs makes to my digestion (and my weight!), it's too restrictive. I just know I am going to rebel if I try and stick to it.
No, I'm going to be sensible. I'll eat mainly good foods, but occasionally I have some chocolate, or a couple of beers. Not every day, but occasionally.
And I'll exercise. I've already got my three Sh'Bam days, I'm just going to add a couple of walks. And if I do it with Oliver, even better. He loves a walk or a ride around the lake. Last weekend, we even went walking up a mountain (Anthony came too of course!). It makes it so much easier when you're doing stuff you like doing. And I like walking in the bush.

I'm also hoping to train as a Sh'Bam instructor. I might never teach a class, but I like the idea of doing the training. I love the class, and I do OK at it. I think with some lost weight and more confidence, I'll get even better at it. I let this goal slip to my lovely Sh'Bam instructor the other night; she's already signing me up for the course!I did two classes in a row on Monday and survived it, so i reckon it's even possbile!

Of course, all of this means that I can't fail, because I'm just too stubborn to do that!

So here's what I look like at the moment:

Oli and I on top of Booroomba Rocks, last Saturday (28/1/2012)

I know, still a little way to go, but then again, this is what I looked like on the same day last year:

In 3 months, I'll post another picture. We'll see how it goes.

Wish me luck everyone! And please, ask me how I'm going. Keep me accountable. This year, I'm actually going to do it! It's all about habits, and that's what I'm going to be building. My friend says that habit is much more important than motivation, and she's right. So here's to good habits!