Feel free to think out loud and post your thoughts about 2005 here. It's fun to go back and re-visit a thread like this as the year goes on - and once in a while it helps to be reminded of where we want to be in December, 2005.

I'll be back with a few thoughts of my own in a bit ...

My 2005 resolutions:

1. To lose those last few pounds I've been holding onto.
2. To get back to a regular exercise schedule.
3. To finally get this house into some semblance of order, which probably won't happen until...
4. Put FIL in a nursing home before he drives us all as crazy as he is.
5. Get back to work and school before I forget what it's all about.

I have been thinking ahead. I have three things I am considering for "resolution" kind of ideas.

1) exercise to 2000 calories/week. I currently average about 1800 calories/week now (according to numbers I get from caloriesperhour.com) and 200 calories is easily achieved. Another trip up and down the four flights of stairs here at work each day would add up to 200 calories per week. So would a nice slow hour-long walk with the dog once a week (and she loves walking, like all dogs. More than most - because of her limited sight - she loves reading the "doggie news" with her nose along the way). Fifteen more minutes of running in a week would be 200 calories a week. I'm working on a new exercise schedule now. I hope to finalize it soon, depending on a couple of other "resolutions".

2) thirty minutes of cardio a day for the dog. Along with this, I have to stop giving the dog so many treats. She's not grossly overweight but she is a little pudgy. The cardio would do us both good and she's getting to the age (6.5 years, about half of the expected lifespan for a retreiver) where I need to start taking care of her with an eye to things that will be beneficial to her long-term. She loves to play fetch and we don't do it often enough for long enough. My excuse of "short days" no longers works. Darkness doesn't matter to her in fetch. She's completely night-blind now and fetches as well in the dark using her ears and her nose as she does in the daylight.

3) train for and run a 10K in April. I've never run a 10K at all. I've always been a "short" middle distance runner. The longest distance I've ever run was an 8K about 157 years ago before the arthiritis got me. My little sister wants me to run in this semi-famous 10K in her neck of the woods (the Cooper River Bridge Run 10K). She's run it before and wants me to run it with her this spring. I'm intimidated by the distance and the fact that the race crosses a long, tall, double-spanned bridge across one of SC's wider rivers. I'm a little acrophobic and this bridge scares me. It's not the "hill" or the slope running uphill; it's the height of the bridge when you get to the top of the span. <sigh>

Those are my thoughts so far on 2005. Time to reflect on 2004 and see what I learned. (Yes, I know. I do things backwards sometimes...)

I was thinking about my goals for '05 last week. There are still afew days to hone them, but here goes:

I want: to keep working on improving my sleep (thought right now I am up too late already )

To eat ample fruits and veggies and fiber daily.

To grow lots of good veggies and then actually eat them

To eat moderately and healthfully and consistently

To eat only the best, most tastey items and avoid the mundane

To do some form of pleasant exercise almost daily

To finish losing my extra weight in a reasonable yet timely manner

To expand the edges of my life and try new things even if they seem scary.

To do more clothes therapy.

I am sure when I read others' goals, I will steal some of those too.

Jan

Great thread!
What I want to do in 2005:
- loose those 20 pounds, with first target to loose 6 pounds by my birthday in end of march
- lick this work burnout & depression thing that has made the last 3/4 of 2004 so difficult
-eat more healthy
-keep up with the 8 glasses of water every day
-don't fly of the handle with my husband & kids any more

But if I achieve 80% of this list it is already great.

I made a resolution several years ago never to make another New Year's resolution. But I guess Dec 28 isn't New Year's, and is as good a day as any. So my goals:

-Marathon on Jan 9
-Flossing (why this one is so hard for me, I'll never know).
-Get all recommended medical checkups
-Get at least 400 ug of folate per day
-Drop caffeine intake to 2 equivalent cups of coffee or less by February
-Stop buying diet cola for the house
-Don't eat work food
-Maintain or improve body composition (body fat)
-Do some non-triathlon exercise/sports/activities (like hiking)
-Think 3 positive thoughts about work each workday
-Spend at least 10 min per day on 'mind work', visualizing, meditating, goal setting, etc

This is the first year I haven't set any major physical goals since I lost the weight. With some potential major changes coming up, I want to remain somewhat flexible.

My Hopes for 2005:

Good Health for me and everyone around me
My BF gets a job he enjoys/loves
Everyone else in my life who's looking for new employment finds it
My brother gets into medical school (he would be an amazing doctor)
I enjoy my new work position
World Peace


My goals (I hate the 'r" word):

Use my money wisely
Stop using the words "I should have.....", "I could have...."
To be as positive as possible
To work on my coping mechanisms that require no food
Weight train regularly (I have great muscles, let's see me use them to my potential)
Get my bike fixed
Half-marathon (October)
Eat in a way that's mostly healthy, conductive to losing those last 10lbs, and that I can do for the rest of my life
Floss (Anne, I am one who struggles with this one too).
Keep my house in reasonable order and don't be afraid to throw/give stuff away if needs be.


I hope everyone has a very enriching 2005!

Cheers!

Ali

What a great thread!

Goals:
*Concentrate on eating whole foods and avoid processed foods as much as possible.
*Find a way of eating that allows me to be satiated and still maintain my weight loss.
*Maintain weight loss and loose 10-15 more pounds...I'll know when I get there.
*Continue running.
*Run a 10k in April.
*Run a half marathon in September.
*Stop apologizing for things that are not my fault.
*Become more assertive.
*Gain confidence.
*Increase running speed and distance.
*Run 10k in under an hour.
*Run at least 5 times per week.
*Drink at least 3 liters of water per day in addition to the ones I drink during exercise.
*Start strength training...for real.
*Pay off all debt aside from the house and my student loans.

*Edit* I thought of a couple more after reading mel's from last year
*See myself as I am and as others see me (don't know if this is possible).
*Feel good about my body and the way I look...saggy skin and all.

1. Become more comfortable with maintenance, so I can devote more mental time to other interests.

2. Have a better sense of humor! Somehow losing weight and my fear of regain have reduced my always ready laughter. What's up with that? Maybe recognizing the problem and working just a bit to see amusement in the everyday will help?

3. Practice and learn about weight training. This will make me stronger for other activities like biking and hiking, will replace some muscle I lost when losing weight, and might up my metabolism so that I can eat more! (I like to eat )

4. Become more engaged at work. The past two weeks, I have been sitting down in the evenings when I plan my meals and workouts for the next day and used the time to also plan what I want to accomplish at work. It is helping! Thanks, Body for Life. Such a simple change might make a big difference.

5. Devote time to family and friend relationships.

6. Continue to improve marriage. We have very different life approaches and need to work on sending the right message to each other. Too often we just send signals of frustration (me) and passivity (him) when I know we really care deeply about each other. We have been married sixteen years and need to make the next 16 better.

7. And, every year, I say I'm going to floss. REALLY!

Now, to figure out some concrete steps for some of these goals! Thanks to everyone else for sharing. Your aspirations are greatly motivating

Keep my body composition in healthy range
Keep exercising - does not matter what I do, just do it! And enjoy it!
Start a year with resolution run 5 K - not much, but still it is a step!
Participate in 100 mountain bike ride in August - this time I will do all 100K without skipping the hard part!
Enjoy the world, let weight gain not ruin the world for me.
Take less responsibilities for me - give kids more of those.
More weight training.

2005
As of Jan 1--
Changing my workout -- Dropping cardio to no more than 4x/week, lifting heavier weights and buying a weight bench and full barbell set..

and with that comes..

NOT OBSESSING OVER THE EVIL SCALE. LOL.


I may gain a few pounds but my hormones are out of whack due to too much cardio so for 2005 I need that fixed.

I wish we hadn't had "The Great Crash" last winter/spring...I'd love to go back and look at the same thread from last year. I don't remember what my goals were, so I don't know if I've achieved them for 2004.

Probably for the first time in 24 years, losing weight is NOT one of my goals So what are mine for this year?
1) Maintain at this weight and body fat level or lower (wouldn't mind a little more muscle, especially in the shoulders). I'm pretty low right now, and I'm not sure if I can maintain here.
2) Bench press my weight. Maybe enter a BP competition in February.
3) Maintain my fitness level and increase "fun" fitness activities for the entire family.
4) Get re-certified. This is a major annoyance but necessary in order to keep working Develop a larger daytime client base.
5) HEAL these injuries and not acquire any new ones!
6) Be more patient and involved with my son.
7) Spend more time with my extended family and friends. I've been turning into a recluse this year, and I don't like it anymore.
8) FLOSS my teeth more

I really wish we could get those 2004 goals!

Mel

Just for you, chickie .... http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...45&postcount=6

OOOh! Thanks, Meg! I forgot that Dip had copied them.


OK, so how did I do? I've accomplished 1,2, and 3. I was calipered last week at 16%. That's close enough for me. As I said above, I'm not sure I can maintain at this level. I guess I should have added being more optimistic to my 2005 goals Still working on ds's eating, except he's now 14 years old. Eats healthy at home, but....Cardio! Sluggish cardio due to an injury seems to be a recurring annual theme Got the pull-ups. Working on the client base is ongoing. I just need to find more daytime (aka stay at home moms) clients! Worked on the skin issue with the help of a talented plastic surgeon. However, losing even 10 more pounds has created new skin issues But nothing like before! Not so sure about #9. I've come closer, but I'm always aware of what it takes to not be the fat lady.

Thanks Meg! You're an (with a good memory)

Mel

I loved reading all the goals and plans laid out here. It gives me such a sense of hope!

To be perfectly honest, I feel a little out of place. Not feeling much like a maintainer these days - much more like a yo-yo dieter. I've been off track since mid-October (since returning from our vacation) and my confidence and self-esteem have definitely suffered. I keep telling myself that this is how I feel EVERY December (because I have yet to remain strong and resolved through the holidays) and January will be better - that it will feel different. I don't want to bet the bank on that, though, so I've decided to take some drastic (for me) measures.

I've been at this for 3 years and every once in a while, it seems like I need to do something to re-spark my interest, excitement, motivation, etc. The last spark was joining the gym last April. I had just gotten a little bored with working out at home. My gym membership was a godsend and ever since I joined, I've been really excited about my exercise regimen. It was just what I needed to improve my consistency and intensity.

I've decided that my next spark is going to be joining Weight Watchers for 10 weeks. I think the structure and the accountabillity will be good for me. I'm already used to counting (calories, protein grams, fat grams, carbs, etc.), so I'm not intimidated by the point system. I'm signing up with a friend (my workout buddy, Kellie) so that will be fun, as well. I know I can't look to WW to lose this weight for me, but it may be a good opportunity to get my oomph back!

My goals:

1. Join Weight Watchers on Jan. 3rd
2. Get back down to my maintenance weight range
3. Transition from all over body workouts to alternating upper & lower body workouts
4. Increase my cardio intensity - challenge myself more
5. Work out 5-6 days per week
6. Stop nibbling - for me nibbling quickly turns to bingeing!
7. Participate fully in the Thin 4 Life book discussion here at 3FC
8. Stop looking at weekends as "days off" when it comes to eating right
9. Make "eating right" fun - regularly look for new ideas and recipes
10. Set up periodic rewards - my first one will be a facial at the end of February to celebrate two months of being back on track