One Year Later

Renewing my commitment.

I promise to cook. I promise to go to the gym. I promise to be aware of my drinking. I promise to avoid Ramen.

But like all New Year's Resolutions these will have no power if I don't do something else first...

I must schedule them.

My new iPod will be the best friend I can have for this purpose. If I schedule it I will have another layer of accountability. And the iPod has a calendar built into it. I will cook on Mondays and Saturdays. I will go to the gym on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I will Blog on Thursdays and Sundays and/or Mondays.

Short term goal...

To lose 10 lbs by the end of February

Mid-length goal...

To lose an additional 10 lbs by June

Longer term goal...

To lose an additional 10 lbs by Labor Day

Obstacles...

My new lifestyle...I have recently begun going out to the club much more regularly and the drinking has therefore increased. Unlike last year I am not willing to forgo the alcohol for the weight loss. This means I will have to work doubly hard and be more aware of my alcohol intake.

The continuation of my former lifestyle...In that I am working 2 part time jobs and still broke. I need to remember to eat breakfast even though I am generally frazzled in the mornings, and more difficult...eat lunch after I have been cooking for 4 hours or so. Working with food really kills my appetite.

Original starting weight...207lbs (or so)

Current weight...186lbs

2009 weight goal...156lbs

Ultimate weight goal...125lbs

Today's log:

Food: No breakfast. Lunch was leftover Chinese food...Mai Fun (rice noodle dish) and some stir fried mixed vegetables with a Red Bull. Dinner was half of a ham and provolone sandwich with spinach a dill pickle and some mayo on a French roll. Post Dinner...an Effen Cherry Red Bull at the club and I am making some pasta right now for eating before I go to bed.

Exercise: Went to the gym and used the Elliptical trainer for 45 minutes went 3 miles! Did a little dancing at the club.

Incredible Hulk ... Drink

This weekend was the opening weekend for a great little movie: The Incredible Hulk…a much better movie than the unfortunate Hulk movie from a few years back. The plot consisted of mostly action with some minor comedy and romance. It is a fun way to spend an evening.

To honor the movie and my new ability to drink I am providing you all with the secret of how to make an Incredible Hulk in your own homes!

For this you will need:

A Rocks Glass

Ice

Hpnotiq

Cognac

Take your glass and add ice to about half way.

Take 2 shots of Hpnotiq and add to the glass.

Take 1 to 2 shots of cognac (depending on how strong you want it) and carefully float on the Hpnotiq.

Swirl the glass and watch the magic!

Drink!

Cheers!

Wow, it's been a while! I bet you all are wondering what happened to me...Not much actually. I lost my job and I've had to scramble to find a new one and make enough money on e-bay selling some crap I had in storage to make rent. I've been very tired at night and haven't had time to drop any notes here but I hope for that to change.

I have not been cooking much but I have been working out when I can and the result is here to see...

CHEERS!

20 pounds gone! Or at least what I'm going to call 20 pounds. I've come to the decision that I can't really be sure how heavy I was when I started this mess because I was not weighing in regularly and on the same scale so...I've decided to call 190 the point at which I get to drink again. I hit the magic number last week and on Saturday night I toasted my success with some friends at La Hacienda on Park Street. And later that night at Maduro's on King Street. I decided to go ahead and drink for a variety of reasons and now I'm glad I did.

There is a country song that with some minor adjustments could have represented me these last few months, at least if you ask my friends: “You ain't much fun since I quit drinking”. The difference of course being that I sobered up and I stopped being fun. Apparently “There is a kingdom called Passive Aggressiva, and I am their Queen”~Addison from Grey's Anatomy. Everyone seems to think I am more forgiving of faults when I know that there will be a drink available at the end of the day. Granted I didn't drink every day before I gave it up for the diet but hey...These have been some rough months and I have been without any vises all year. (Last year I broke-up with my boyfriend so that go rid of the sex, I don't smoke or do recreational drugs, and then I quit drinking) So I was starting to take up the vise of being mean to everyone and everything I guess. Well, no more!

I have lost weight to reach the first milestone and now I can have the booze back, but not the Ramen. That is gone for good. There is nothing that the Ramen can give me that I can not get from a better source! (Although it is pretty much the perfect hang-over preventative or palliative)

I do realize that sobriety has played a role in my weight loss and I will not discount that role just because the alcohol is back in my life. I could not have lost this weight with the ease and speed that I did if I had been drinking hard the way I had last year. Because of this I have decided that drinking is to remain a special treat and not to return to my former drunken ways – at least not for another 20 pounds.

The booze is back but only at restaurants on special occasions and at parties in my home or the home of others. Hopefully I will cease my sour ways now and everyone can breather a little easier, especially me... I have a lot let weight on my chest!

So toast to me. “To 20 pounds! And 60 more around the corner!”