Little by little...

I decided on New Years Day (yes, how very cliche of me) that it was time to make a change. I'm not happy with my weight. Haven't been for years. I decided it was time to get myself in gear and start losing the extra weight. So, as New Years resolutions often do, it started out all sunshine and roses and as the weeks and months went by the motivation went away too.  I still wanted to lose weight, I still wanted to make a change, I just wasnt' willing to actually do anything about it.

Well, about 3 weeks ago I decided (again, for only the 100th time) that the weight was not going to magically melt itself away.  I could haul myself in for one of those surgery's but then they stick needles in you and I am completely and totally opposed to that.  So, I will do this the old fashioned way.  I will have small goals, I will celebrate the small losses and I will keep myself motivated along the way.

My stats so far:

Since New Years I have lost 20.5 pounds.  I lost about 16 of it early on and 4.2 lbs I have lost in the last 3 weeks since joining Weight Watchers. It's a good program.  It works. It only works if you actually follow the guidelines of the program. There's a commitment aspect to it and I just need to stay committed. All together, I need to lose about 85 pounds from my starting weight. That's a lot of pounds. Right now I am focused on the 27.4 pounds I need to lose to get to my first goal.  I will get there. I would like to get there before our cruise but I am not focused on that. I will just focus on getting there eventually.

218 days...

I have countdown apps on my phone, yes apps. Not just one. Three. One of them is set to countdown everything moderately important between now and the actual important countdown. My hope was that if I counted down all the small stuff, it would make the time go faster to the big countdown. FYI... it's not working. I just breeze right past those and get to the end. Like reading the last chapter of the book.  Here are the countdowns...

Back to school (not me, the kids) - 52 days
Austin's birthday - 53 days (how is it possible that he will be 16??)
Emilee's birthday - 83 days
Halloween - 110 days (my busy season at work ends, ie the day I can breathe again)
Christmas - 165 days

and the all important one...

Vacation!!!! - 216 days, 16 hours and 18 minutes

That's a long time. I can handle it though. I will just keep obsessing over all the plans and flights and looking at pictures of the ship and beaches. 7 months and 3 days! Just happens that we are leaving on Valentine's Day.  The first time I have been excited about Valentine's Day in 12 years.