2006 in review:

The Good:

• Went vegetarian, then vegan in August
• Started running in April
• Got a SparkPeople account
• Got medical treatment for an issue that might affect my weight
• Went to bellydance class almost every Monday in 2006

The Bad:

• Did not get back into lifting weights
• Did not sleep enough
• Ate too much junk before August
• Stopped running in December

The Mediocre

• Joined eDiets

2007 Resolutions

• Get maximum points on SparkPeople every day
• Run or do other cardio 3 times a week
• Lift weights twice a week
• Eat a 50% raw (or higher) vegan diet (increasing slowly)
• Get back to bellydance class as soon as possible
• Take the free yoga and meditation classes on campus, if possible
• Listen to meditation audio 2-3 times a week

Obviously, I hope to lose all of the extra weight this year. I can’t set a number, though, because it just doesn’t work. I just have to try to do everything that I know should work.

I want to be a success story in 2007.  More so, I want to be a success story by June.  I went through my old photo album from my early 20s the other day.  I miss looking like that.  I have a picture of me in Berlin in 1998, and I was normal weight then.  I always thought if I lost the weight from having my baby, it would not be a problem to keep it off.  Of course, I think there were so many issues involved in the weight gain and the inability to lose it that I can’t pinpoint any one thing.  It’s just unbelievable that I have been completely unable to lose it.  I’ve gotten a Master’s degree– I’m obviously not dumb.  So how is it that I can’t do something that is portrayed as “so simple”?  But that kind of thinking is not helpful.  I need to stay positive.  I WILL be a success story in 2007.

I can’t remember what I wrote before, but I’m working on going more raw with my diet.  More fresh fruits and veggies.  This does clash with my new break activity, which is baking wonderful vegan breads, muffins, and cupcakes, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

After we get back from the in-laws’ next week, I’m going to ease back into running.  Just 20 minutes a couple of times next week.  And a Cathe DVD or two.  After that, I hope to work back up to six times a week.

I’m envisioning a weekly video update, along with shots of me exercising, making and eating food, trying to fit in activity in my daily life, etc.  The final product would be 30-45 minutes long.  I want to address a lot more than just weight loss.  I also want to talk about ethical food choices, meditation, yoga, and all of the other elements that lead to a balanced person.

I’ll let you know if I launch this thing. If I do, it will start January first.

I also need to stop drinking coffee.  Again.  Detoxing again.  Sigh.  I’ve gotten up to a pot a day.  Definitely not healthy.

After this week, I’m going to have about a month off, so I’m going to catch up on sleep, clean, do Cathe tapes every day, and get back to running three times a week.  I’m also going to plan my strategy for next semester so I don’t fall apart at the end like I did this semester.

My official weight for the week is 82.8. My body is doing what it wants, and I’m okay with that. My goal is living a healthy life and letting my body get to its natural healthy weight.

At the Y tonight, I started to obsess about how weird my thighs look in the mirror (which I think is designed to make the viewer look and feel fat.) Then on the way home, I started thinking about a girl I know who was paralyzed from the waist down a few years ago. I realized just how terrible it is that I don’t appreciate what my body can do.

I’m going to let my body do what it needs to do and not impose an artificial deadline on it.

I had a milestone run this week.  Thursday I timed myself doing a 3-mile run on the 1/3 mile track on campus.  I did it in 32:28. Not too bad, considering how overweight I am! I’m pretty happy with that time, though I hope to get it under 30 by the end of January.  So much of running is mental!  Of course, it will also help that I’ll be 10-20 pounds (4-9 kilos) lighter by the end of January.  I’d like to lose a kilo a week, and if I can understand the effects of my eating and workouts, I might be able to manage it, but if not, I’m just going to focus on being healthy.

I love my Cathe tapes, but I can see that some of them are better saved for refinement.  B&G is a logical progression from Leaner Legs or Pyramid Lower Body. I still need to work on the more general muscle workouts before getting so specific.  But I think I would like to fit this one in once every two weeks or so.

My Spark buddy and I are trying to lose 1.3 a week until the end of the year. That’s at the high end of the range at which I am successful, but I’m willing to give it a try.  I’m trying to reserve some tricks, so I’m currently only doing cardio 4 days a week at most.  I want to have room to increase it when I stop losing.  I’m also not doing any step, so I can use it later to shock the system.

My biggest issues right now are not getting enough sleep and not eating enough.  The low-fat, mostly vegan things I eat are pretty filling, so I’m not really all that hungry.  Plus, I don’t always have time.  Even when I do go over on calories, my fat content is still good.

I would like to get back to doing more yoga.  The running (since April!  Yay!) is showing me that I need to work on my flexibility.  As for running, I’ve downloaded another Nike mix from iTunes.  It’s the speed mix with Alberto Salazar and techno-ish music.  I don’t like the music as much as I like the endurance hip-hop, but it’s definitely a doable workout once a week.  I had to walk one of the six speed sections, but I’ll get there.  Luckily, Thursday is just a regular run.  (Or treadmill or elliptical if the weather is icy.)

Next year, I’m going to try to get 300 workouts and to track them here like I used to.  I might also bring back the archives, especially since I believe I am finally on a successful path.