really back on track this time (long)
 

The last obstacle standing between me and resolutions is finally out of the way: my work had its holiday party on Sunday night (we work in a restaurant, and so spend the actual holidays hosting everyone else's parties). We ate and drank to our hearts' content, and now I am ready to lose all the weight I gained back over the holidays (5 lbs!).

TOM should be over by the end of this week. I bought a Wii fit. I have the 30-day-shred DVD. I ordered a basket for my bike so I am more likely to ride it to class when the weather warms up a little (15 degrees here today...) and I also ordered a food thermos so I can eat a healthy hot lunch, which for some reason makes me feel more satisfied than a cold lunch.

It's so hard for me with my odd schedule (7 college classes, and working 20 hours a week) to get a healthy eating habit. Some days I am in class from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and it seems so much easier just to pop into a restaurant and grab something for lunch rather than wake up extra early to make something. Same thing with exercise. I know that I need to to it to look good, but waking up a couple hours early to get it done is so difficult when I have stayed up until 12 or 1 doing homework. I can't survive on fewer than 8-9 hours of sleep daily or I eventually just crash and start making really bad choices.

I did recently decide to cut out drinking during the week entirely, giving up even the "1-2 glasses for your heart" that was my routine in the past, mostly because I don't even have time to waste drinking it, but also because it's another easy way to cut calories. I am going to adopt a plan of "drink better wine less often" and instead of drinking three-buck Chuck every night, get a good $15 bottle and drink it over the weekend.

I am also making some progress on changing the way I think about food. I did a three-day detox water fast recently that reset my mindset of what hunger is and what food is. Food is fuel, not entertainment. The tough part for me is to make sure it is "good fuel" that I choose when on the go. The vending machines and convenience stores are too, well, convenient. Why don't they put a little health food store near campus instead of row upon row of pizza joints, cheap fatty Mexican and mini-stores full of chips and chocolate? They make it so hard to eat well.

My biggest motivation is that I want to look good naked again for my husband. Right now I feel ugly and gross, and have bulges in unsightly places. He said something the other day about this girl he saw with "a bangin' body" (we're very honest with each other, and neither of us are jealous people), and I did get a little sad to think that I know for a fact that my body isn't even approaching "bangin'" at this point. I am back to only like 2 of my pairs of pants fitting, and wearing layered tops to hide my love handles. :o

I bought a couple of cute mini-dresses from the thrift store for when the weather warms up. They'll look really good on me when it no longer looks like I am smuggling the bowling ball otherwise known as my potbelly, and my thighs aren't all squished together at the top.

I am going to stay back on track with food, at least, even if I can't fit exercise in every day due to time constraints. My plan is 1200-1400 calories per day, and to do either Wii Fit or 30-day-shred at least three days a week (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, since those are the days I have a little more time). I will aim for every day, but I will force myself to do it at least those three days, no matter how lazy I feel. I will ride my bike each day that the temperature is 55-80 degrees at 9:00 a.m. and not supposed to rain.

I will not allow myself to deviate from plan until Spring Break (40 days) except for one day at my cousin's wedding. I will go easy on myself the week of Spring Break, and then will go back to being good until graduation (109 days from today), except for on my husband's birthday. Using this plan, I expect to lose 12-18 lbs. by graduation, or around a pound a week.

I can do it! SO MANY people on here have lost so much weight that I can lose a measly 12-18 lbs. And then I, too, will have a "bangin' body" and wear my mini-dresses.

Hey Aurelie.. Sounds like you are ready to go! I just have a few suggestions that might help. I'm a student too, and I know how hard it is.
One, if you are not a morning person, you might want to consider exercising in the afternoon or evening. I know from experience that homework takes as long as you give it. What I mean is, if you stay up til 12 or 1 doing homework, whether or not you exercise earlier in the evening is unlikely to affect that. Homework mysteriously expands to fill all of our free time, no matter how long or short that time is. :lol:
Secondly, there are a few quick snacks that I've found are super helpful for the student lifestyle. One in particular is these packages that come with a little can of flavoured tuna and some crackers. I bring them to school with me all the time.. there's no preparation and they are satisfying. Also it's great if you can bring your lunch but there will no doubt be days when you just won't have the time. You CAN get healthy food at restaurants, even fast food places. It is possible to lose weight as a student! You can do it.

Good luck. :)

Thanks for the tips. The tuna thing sounds good. I tried going to a sandwich place (Jimmy John's) yesterday, and getting the healthiest thing they had: whole wheat bread, avocado, sprouts, tomato, lettuce, and a slice of provolone. I even got it without mayo, because I cannot stand mayo. I looked it up on their website and even though I didn't eat all the bread (it was really thick) it was still over 500 calories -- as much as a burger! I think I am just going to have to stock up on the lunch supplies and face up to bringing my own food.

And as for the homework/exercise thing, it's tough because I use the TV for exercise, and at the time of night I get out of work/class (11 p.m./8:45 p.m.) my husband is either getting ready to try to go to sleep or he is glued to the TV watching some sport. Maybe I can make some sort of deal with him...