so after looking at my goals for the summer and 2012, i’m checking things off left and right. i’ve devised new strategies, routines, processes for a lot of things in my life and now consider them habits. the one area i have been lacking, or maybe procrastinating on, is the weight loss.

<sigh>

so….we being again. how will i make it stick this time? i have several angles here:

MOTIVATION: it’s more than just vanity now. if i am serious about trying to have kids, then i need to be healthy. to grow healthy kids. to help make pregnancy easier. to help cope all around, physically and mentally.

also, i just can’t keep getting bigger. i just can’t. never in my wildest dreams did i think i would be this size and anything bigger just terrifies the crap out of me. i mean i’ve always joked about how even at my ideal size i’m still considered borderline obese, but this is just ridiculous. if i keep doing what i’m doing, i am only a decade away from being that woman on a hover-round scooter.

HURDLES: one of the big reasons i eat poorly is laziness. i am putting junk into my body because i am too lazy to do one of the most fundamental functions of being human – cook a well-balanced meal. shame on me! taking care of myself should be top priority and that should include making healthy meals for myself (and my husband). i’m so anal and particular about so many things, my diet should be one of them.

another reason i eat poorly is social. do you have any idea what our family parties are like? and how often we have them? so much of what i do with loved ones involves food. and unhealthy food at that.

the third main reason i eat poorly is stress and emotions. i gotta find better ways to cope. seriously.

BOUNDARIES: i think for those last 2 reasons, having boundaries will help. until the end of september, i will have no refined starches, i will make vegetables the focus of every meal and snack, and i will drink more water. if i can give up facebook for lent, i can do this. if i can pay off over $20k in debt, i can do this. if i can run a freaking marathon, i can do this. it’s not forever, but it’s a start that i know will make me feel better even if significant pounds do not come off right away.

PRACTICE: i’ve decided that meal planning is the best way to build a new habit. and a good way to save money. if i have the healthy food on hand, i’m more apt to eat it, rather than stop off somewhere to get something, anything. having a plan to fall back on when i’m tired or stressed or emotional will hopefully curb impulsive bad habits. having a plan also gives me something to look forward to – a new recipe or at the very least, i don’t have to make the decision of what to eat when i’m tired. i’ve already made that decision earlier in the week.

obviously, i’ve also got to get more active. i’m setting the bar kinda low for now – as long as i get out for a 2-mile walk at lunch everyday, i’ll be pleased. the weather is finally getting cooler, so i have no excuses now.

ready, set, go!

boy, has this been a week. i have been failing miserably when it comes to the workouts. i went to kickboxing on sunday, after a night of many beers and lots of risotto. i had to dig deep for that workout and i was still feeling it on monday. so i waited until tuesday night for my next workout. wednesday came and went. i was just all around tired and achy. thursday came and hit me like a ton of bricks. i knew it was going to be bad when i woke up late with an icky feeling in my throat. i got worse throughout the morning at work and self-medicated with a huge bowl of hot pho and poured buckets of sriracha into it. that definitely cleared out the sinuses and helped me sweat everything out. i felt noticably better by the afternoon, but that could have just been the caffeine from my thai iced tea talking.

so here we are on friday with no plans of working out, since that icky feeling still lives in my sinuses. i’m not as tired though. i’m really not trying to get myself full-blown sick when it’s supposed to be so friggin’ nice this weekend. and we’re picking up our bikes on sunday! i sure as hell am not missing out on that.

so rest it is. thankfully, i’ve been good about my eating (save monday) and have been walking at lunch. no gold stars, but it’s still something.

on another note, i have another pants story to tell! i got a new pair of jeans in the most unlikely of places. seriously you will never guess. not in a million years…

…

i got jeans at grocery outlet. not just any grocery store, but at an outlet grocery store!! i am so classy! not only that, they’re sassoon. yes, sassoon! that were apparently sold at Walmart. is your mind not blown?

i bought jeans.

at a grocery outlet.

that were originally sold at walmart.

and now reduced and marked down.

i am so high class. no but seriously, dudes. they’re cute! and they make my butt look awe-some! which is a huge score in my world. they didn’t have dressing rooms at the grocery store, so i did the old wrap the waistband around my neck trick to see if it would fit. i figured at $9 it wasn’t that much of a risk. not only did they fit but they look damned good. like good enough that my mom mentioned that i was really losing weight. what what?

yes people, it was one size smaller than my recently mentioned hole-in-the-thighs pair. take that, pants!

we live about 20 minutes from the town of davis, which is the bicycle capital of the world. i didn’t look it up, but i’m pretty sure it is. i don’t know how the kids at uc davis find their bikes after they lock them up to go to class. their racks hold hundreds and hundreds of bikes. they should have some honor system where if you leave one, you can take one.

so i knew davis would be a great place to shop for bikes. there are enough hippies there that we could actually find a non-pretentious shop. and we did! Cheri (or Sherry or Shari, who knows) at Freewheeler Bikes hooked us up! she had each of us try out a few different styles, swapped out seats for us, adjusted parts and stuff and fit me for a bike i LOVE. and i hate bikes!

no really, i hate bike riding. i didn’t learn until i was like 10 or something, i was so scared. i don’t like going fast ’cause if you fall it hurts more. and i like keeping my skin attached to my body. plus there’s the whole sore crotch thing.

but! i found a cool bike where i can actually reach the ground when i sit on my seat! which helps my fears a lot. i can also sit upright, instead of that stupid hunched aerodynamic position lance armstrong uses. because again, going fast is not my goal. my goal is to enjoy the only physical activity my husband enjoys! so he got a trek hybrid and i got this beaut:

a trek pure deluxe lowstep! description from the website:

Biking doesn’t get any easier than this. Pure’s low stance and stable ride inspire confidence—and you can plant both feet on the ground while sitting on the saddle.

sweet, huh? it’s a bike for chickens like me! i can at least say my bike has gears! and cute retro stylin’, yo!

every review i read seems to be from couples in their 60s, saying how much they love how easy and comfortable it is to ride this bike. of course, i’d pick the AARP approved bike!

i got no shame though. i am super excited about picking up my bike this weekend. and i have never, ever, been excited about riding a bike ever. let’s just hope the hubby can keep up with me!

oh, the woes of a chubby-thighed girl. i have 2 embarrassing pants stories and 1 success story. i’ll start with the bad news.

embarrassing story #1: i normally buy the cheapie leggings at target, but i’ve gone through like half a dozen of them. they just don’t last very long. so i decided to buy a 2-pack of DKNY leggings at costco. they were very affordable – something like $15 for the two. they promised to be all slimming and stuff. and well, they are DKNY so they’ve got to be good, right? i’d recently also bought a fun colorful tunic and paired the two new purchases for a work outfit. everything was kosher and totally awesome. unless i wanted to bend down or over. or a stuff wind blew up my tunic. my new designer leggings were totally opaque up until a crucial point – my bum. by the afternoon, i had tied my cardigan around my waist. stupid donna karan.

pants hate me story #2: because of the size of my thighs, they rub together and wear out the seams of my pants. i’ve gone through at least half a dozen pairs of jeans from various designers because of this phenomenon. i purchased 2 pairs of jeans about 7 months ago – a nice, dark trouser denim pant (which makes my bum looks amazing btw) and a calvin klein pair that fit without even having to hem them. i bought them in a size i despise. but lo and behold, my booty trousers have worn thin and i am still about 10 pounds from a smaller size. so now it’s a race between the integrity of my amateur patch job and my weight loss. obviously, i’d prefer to buy new pants in a smaller size. in fact, at this point i am vowing that that is the only option.

the good news: everyone i know raves about lululemon so one day i sauntered in to see what the big deal was. i was too blinded by their price tags though. you want me to pay $100 for a pair of yoga pants?!?! i get that they’re well made, but really?! so i went in search of more affordable workout pants, which is a challenge because i am 1. cheap and 2. short. capri length sometimes works, or makes me look like a stumpy elf. but i found an awesome pair in the least likely of places – old navy. i say least likely because their quality control there is questionable. i feel like their sizing isn’t consistent and their pants normally do not fit my proportions. but their cropped compression pants fit like a dream! and they felt great during my U-Jam class – very minimal jiggling when i was shakin’ my ass. and only $29! they’re on sale now for $17.99!

so it appears that pants gods have thrown me a bone. by working out in the awesome workout pants, i can whittle my ass and thighs down to a more friction-friendly size.