The BF and I spent the day with my family and my brother-in-laws parents. It was... interesting... to say the least. But we did have delicious iranian food. Who knew something so good could come out of Iran? Of course the in-laws lived there before the 1979 Iranian revolution which rocketed the country a few centuries backwards thanks to implementing Sharia law and the rule of fundamentalist Islam... but I digress.
I'm actually going to make a New Years resolution this year. I don't normally participate in such tom-foolery but i've been thinking about it for weeks now. And yes, my resolution involves the number one resolution made by Americans every year: to lose weight.
Back in 2004 I started having heart problems which lead to many sleepless nights and tests and alot of fear. Medication has finally regulated things but its still always on my mind. Beyond that and the occasional cold, i'm a healthy guy. Having a BF that is a gourmet cook has been excellent for my diet. I actually eat vegetables now and i'm working on more fruits and less red meat. Shoot, I even eat fish now which never happened! But my biggest problem is the amount of food I consume. I simply eat too many calories. But... I... love... food... And whats worse, I love FREE food. So whenever there is a party or someone brings something in, I inevitably eat too much. I've officially dieted twice in my life and I currently way 5 lbs less than the heaviest I can ever remember weighing. This goal won't involve "dieting."
I go to the gym regularly. Most people (so it seems) who lose massive amounts of weight do it because they START working out and start eating better. I already work out so i'm hesitant to think of how much weight I am realistically going to be able to lose. And I also fear that maybe my bodies homeostasis is around my current weight since I seem to hover here often. All I know is I can't constantly be hungry. I don't have the will power to stay in that state.
Thanks to my high school life skills class setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) goals has been drilled in my head so without further adieu here is my 2011 new years resolution:
That's it. Pretty simple but very hard to accomplish. I know myself. I know how lazy and undisciplined I am. Which is partially why I'm posting it here. To remind myself of my commitment and also to have some accountability. I've been fortunate with my health and now that i'm in my 30's I know i'll need to work to maintain my fitness level and overall health.
Goal: to lose 16 lbs by the end of summer. (that's 2 lbs a month)
Food: I need to incorporate more vegetables & fruit and less red meat into my diet. I regularly go for second helpings and I need to stop after 1 plate. There will be no more snacking after 8pm. Once I finish dinner, I am done.
Workout: My current workout schedule is 1) biceps/back/shoulders 2) chest/triceps/forearms/abs 3) legs/lower back/cardio. Occasionally a fitness class (usually zumba or turbo kick boxing) is thrown in the mix. And on the really good days I jog to the gym which is 1-mile each way. So on a good week when I work out 6-days a week which rarely happens, i'm only doing focusing on cardio 2x a week. I plan on cutting down the lifting and pumping up the cardio training. My new workout schedule will be 1) full body lifting 2) cardio & abs. My goal with this new workout schedule is to maintain my current muscle mass and tone rather than building muscle. I will also not spend less than 45 mins in any one session at the gym.
2 comments:
Happy new year to you too, Pomo! And thanks for posting your new year's resolution goals. I originally read your blog a day or so ago and it reminded me to go back and evaluate my performance against my 2010 goals and set my goals for 2011. Thanks!
Something that has helped me with diet is (1) preparing food in advance and (2) portion control. C and I usually pick 3 recipes and cook them together on the weekend. I have a bunch of little pyrex dishes, and I usually take three in my lunchbox to work. Roughly ever 2 hours I pop one in a microwave and eat it. I find this keeps my metabolism up, my hunger down, and my calories (mostly) in check.
But all bets are off when we go out to eat. I've read 3 or 4 of those "Eat This, Not That" books over the past couple of years and what they have opened my eyes to is the staggering range of calories that may be present in a given dish from one restaurant to the next. How do they possible fit 2200 calories into one milkshake at Baskin Robbins? How is it that no chain restaurant makes a chicken quesadilla or a turkey burger containing less than 1200 calories?
C and I are gradually learning that some restaurants can be trusted more than others and that we can select the good stuff from a menu by studying a restaurant's nutritional menu online first. I now try to avoid tortillas and rice when we dine out.
Oh, and certain Canadian we both know is NEVER dragging us to a Cheesecake Factory every again! LOL (and just kidding; I"m sure we'll go back)
How does that canadian keep his figure? Maybe he doesn't eat for the rest of the year to save up for the Cheescake gluttony!
Thanks for the tips!
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