Week One, Month One

Here's my gargantuan body before I start losing tons of weight and looking super super hot on my wedding day:






And here's how I plan on doing it:

1) A change in diet. While I already have fairly good eating habits, there are some changes that need to be made. The first, and formost, is no more fast food. Not even a little bite of something on the way home. No. More. Another similar change: limit eating out to only a few times a month, and when it's done, do it intelligently. I'm also cutting out certain breeds of foods: no more fried anything, limited white foods (potatoes, breads, starches in general), and very limited sugars.

2) A change in exercise. I plan on working out at least 5 times a week, alternating days between swimming and biking. Weekends are for resting my body, and exploring the wild state I live in. There are hundreds of parks and recreational areas around me, just waiting to be explored and enjoyed. I plan on doing so with as many as possible.

3) A change in attitude. I already have not-so-awesome thoughts about myself, and I need to work hard to eliminate them all together. A big part of this is just telling myself (repeatedly) that this isn't just so when I look back on my wedding pictures in 30 years, I'll think "Damn I looked good" (although I must admit: that is an incredibly motivating image) - it's so when I have kids, I can run and play with them. It's so I can be the best possible person I can, because I'll be healthy. It's so I can feel good about my body, and use those good feelings to change the world around me, and my entire life.

4) Setting goals. A big part of losing weight is the goals. I don't have a ton, and I don't intend do, but the goals I do have, and the ones I want to try hard to meet, are as follows:

• Have a jawline, and fewer love handles
• Fit into a size 12 or smaller
• Be able to swim a mile without stopping
• Be able to hike a mile without breaks
  (except, of course, to appreciate nature)
• Be proud of myself for what I will have accomplished
• Be able to completely give away
  every article of clothing in my wardrobe
  

Part of this is, for me, envisioning what "future me" will look / feel like when I have reached my goal. It's thinking about getting to throw away all the gigantic pairs of jeans I own; of finding my own teensy weeny yellow polka dot bikini; of being able to try on clothes that I actually like, not just because they will fit me, and not having a sob-attack in the dressing room. I like the idea of being complimented on my body. I like the idea of turning heads, of making myself an alluring and attractive female.

It's going to take some seriously hard work, and I intend to sweat for every second of it.