Back to work for me tomorrow, signalling the official end of Christmas and the return to a more structured existence. I figure why wait until New Years to make my resolutions and hereby state that STARTING TOMORROW:

• I will eat a healthy breakfast consisting of protein, dairy and grains (in other words, no more rumballs with my morning Tim Hortons)
• I will eat 4-5 small, well-balanced nutritious meals daily
• I will snack on fruit and veggies, eliminate junk and monitor any "treats" very, very carefully
• I will drink 8-10 glasses of water daily, restrict myself to one coffee a day and one glass of wine (or 1oz of rye) a week
• I will distribute all the remaining boxes of chocolates to friends ~ or enemies ~ and bring the leftover holiday cookies, squares, tarts, etc. to the office for my co-workers to consume
• I will not take my dog to the dog park to romp with the other dogs while I sit and chat with other dog owners, but will walk (preferably over hilly terrain) with my dog for at least an hour daily
• I will either join a gym or a competitive sports league
• I will bring out all my Weight Watchers literature and remember how damn great it felt to lose 107lbs.
• I will not dwell on the fact I haven't reached goal and in fact have gained some weight back, but will, instead, reflect on success in the past, anticipate success in the future, and remember the lessons learned in-between
• I will journal - both in my WW journal and at the weekly journal buddy thread
• I will remind myself that comfort food rarely provides any comfort and that a brisk walk, telephone conversation with a good friend, or a good read soothes the soul much more than emotional eating

Well, I think that's ambitious enough to start with. Anyone else have any "starting tomorrow"s to share?

Oh yeah, and starting tonight (and continuing daily until Dec. 31) I will be asking (begging, pleading, nagging?) for votes so that Sofie (NOT Sophie) will win this darn contest and I won't have to hear three voices (four, including G) squealing "Blossom's catching up to Sofie!" anymore

http://www.happydoggie.ca/IconContestants.htm

Love it, Jilly! I will be back tomorrow to add mine to this post. I have to be at work in about 8 hours.

guess who's back, back again, spf's back, tell a friend:
"Anyone else have any "starting tomorrow"s to share?"

Starting tomorrow

• I will not visit my favorite Italian place more than once a week for lunch. They won't take checks from anyone else, but they will from me b/c they know who I am. In this vein, I will only go on days when I know they have something good like the caprese salad or osso buco soup!
• I will have as much water as I want, now that I can, for the next 3 years.
• I will get back to the gym, slowly but surely. I was a gym rat once, 3 times a week, it can be done again.
• I will cut down my animal protein to breakfast and lunch only. The best nephrologist in the country told me no more than 6 ounces a day. I'm going to try.
• I will switch to soy milk & cheeses. And yogurt. And speaking of:
• I will call the company that makes soy yogurt & ask how to purchase strawberry-only snack packs.
• I will go again to the PKDiet.com website & read up all I can on this disease & how to beat it through natural living.
• If I go off plan or target at all, I will get back on as soon as possible & not beat myself up about it.
• I will not look at my friends (I don't do this often, guys!) and wish I had their bodies. No one's life is perfect. We all have our crosses to bear.
• I will get 30 pounds off this year. Maybe more.
• My snacks will be low-sodium, low fat, and preferably fruit or veg.
• I will start preparing my healthy things here at home. Buying them is ok in a pinch, but big girls pack their lunches the night before so they don't have to waste their half hour lunch hour in the car.
• I will read Fast Food Nation & send it back to the lender. Before Easter.
• I will send back Sherry's book!!! It's been a few years!

I just voted for Sofie...she is currently six votes ahead of Blossom!

Welcome back Jill! I'm happy to "see" you again!

Like Nekkid Jell-o wresling.

I also need a strong recommitment (and kick in the pants). I need to sit down and make a plan darn it! That's my goal for today. Make a plan for the new year starting with January.

Good resolutions!! We're gonna hold you to 'em.

It's our year, Jilly!! 365 days from now we're both going to be able to say we're at goal.

Welcome Back Jilly!

Great resolutions - And I know you're strong enough to stick with 'em all!

Let's do it!

*I will use the pretty pink kitchen scales I got for Christmas and be vigilant about portion control
*I will get out of my comfort zone and try new things at the gym
*I will take pride in my changing shape and wear clothes that fit!
*I will weigh in at the drugstore once a month and stick the print out in my resolution book
*I will keep plugging away, regardless of the duration of plateaus that will inevitably come my way
*I will work harder in the gym and not just cruise!

I'm so with you guys. You would think that a year and a half into this, I would have hit at least my initial goal, but nope, no dice. I don't want to languish for years trying to lose those last 15-20 pounds. I would make excuses and say my body just wants to stop here, but I know my habits (while not terrible) aren't quite as good as they once were.

Ladies, *THIS IS OUR YEAR.*

To that end, my 2006 commitments are to:

1. Cut out as many refined carbs/sugars as possible. I was very good about this when I started, but I've let them slowly creep back in, along with the accompanying cravings.
2. Work out a MINIMUM of four days a week (but optimally five), including at least one "leg day." I used to work out at least six days but because my gym is much farther away, it's harder to get there, especially on weekends.
3. Try to prepare more food at home rather than eating out. My weight loss slowdown sadly correlates with the amount of eating out we've been doing. It's much harder to control portions and estimate what's in food at restaurants.
4. Encourage/support hubby to get back on track, too.
5. Be at or under my initial goal of 145 by May when we take our anniversary trip to Italy! I want hordes of Italian men to positively SWOON!

I know we can do this. The collective will of women is a powerful thing!

Alright, I'm in.

My first resolution is to not make any unreasonably retrictive resolutions that I know in my heart I'm not going to keep. So, with that in mind...

I will accept the fact that I am not willing to lower my caloric intake below 1500 and will, more than likely, hover around 1800 most of the time.

Given the above, I resolve to focus my attention on fitness - burning extra calories and really pushing myself during my weight routine so that I can shed these last 15-20 pounds without changing my diet. I haven't been exercising much at all in the past few months and I know I probably would have already reached my goal weight if I hadn't neglected that part of the equation.

I'm going to start paying attention to my total package so that when I do hit my goal weight I'm not nit picking at every other imaginable flaw. I have an appointment tomorrow for my first ever microdermabrasion, I'm looking for a great new haircut, and I'm having a couple of moles that drive me crazy removed. I'll do a better job of keeping my highlights touched up, eyebrows waxed, and nails done. I will start using sunscreen everyday.

There. It is all in writing for the world to see so there is no backing out now!

Good luck ladies. I like reading other people's goals. They help put mine into perspective! I find that it's easier to set a few, maybe three or four, that way I can really try to focus on them.. here are mine:

-weigh and measure everything. I have to be a dictator about this or else I will make excuses and this is probably the one thing that will make the biggest difference for me personally.
-Start weight lifting again. Get to the gym a minimum of four times a week (one of these MUST be a weekend day so I don't pig out all weekend).
-Be vigilant about keeping track.
-Actually cook at least 4 times a week instead of frozen dinners and/or pasta.

Those are mine.

Happy new year everyone. 2006 is our year.

Alright, so now that i've had some time to think about it... Here are my goals for 2006:

-EAT Healthy! Eating out is only allowed 1-2 times per week. Shop by a list to ensure you have ALL ingredients to cook a good meal, so that you don't order out instead.
- Water - start drinking it all day long at work! Everyone else is doing it
- Be ACTIVE! I need to stop being such a lazy lump and doing things. No more just watching tv, computer and going to bed after work. This is the year to get moving!
- Alright, we're going to be living in a brand new community (as of April) and have tons of walking paths, bike paths, tennis courts, etc available. I have to get at least 1 new sporting habit. I used to really enjoying biking and now that I have somewhere to do it.... I want to buy a bike and start riding for at least 30 minutes, 3 times per week.

That's it so far...Happy NEW YEAR! And here's to a fantastic 2006!

PS: Dana - so glad to see you... We really must catch up!

Jilly's back!!

Yep, 2006 is our year you guys!! I am in 100%. I won't be reaching goal, but I fully expect 100 or more lbs to be shed from this body of mine.

WB Jill and others.
I have vowed this year that I will not actually make any diet, exercise, health, weight loss related resolutions. The only two resolutions I committed to are to try and arrive to work on time and to be better organized.

On my health and weight loss front I truly believe that 2006 is going to be an awesome year for me.
• I am not going to set a certain amount of weight I would like to lose. I would like to weigh less at the end of the year than what I came in weighing.
• I want to be consistently exercising at least 30 min. a day 5x a week.
• Get back into drinking water again. (the past few days I've been feeling parched and it's from drinking too much pop and alcohol and less water.)
• I would love to have enough control over my diet and exercise that when something comes up I'm prepared for it and I don't freak out and let it all go out the window.

I think that's it for now.