Project: Get It Together

I am the second part of this dynamic Starfish duo - aka, the Spunky Starfish. My super fantastic partner in crime, the Restless Starfish, came up with the great idea to start a blog together so we could keep each other focused and driven on one of our main goals -- drop the extra poundage. Plus, we thought it would be fun to inspire a bit of healthy competition between us gals -- though in this game, everyone's a winner and the only thing lost is unwanted weight.

I feel as though I have fallen into this "treading water" phase of my life. I recently (well, if you consider 10 months ago recent) moved from Spokane to embark on a new chapter in my life. I left my job as the manager of a hoppin' restaurant and lakeside resort to have a more grown up job. While I adore my new job and it keeps me on my toes mentally and figuratively, it doesn't keep me on my toes literally. I try to walk my marina at least once a day to check things out, but my phone rings constantly, and between meetings and planning our events, I sometimes don't leave my desk chair all day. This is a huge difference from the restaurant, where I was on my feet twelve to fifteen hours a day. I wore a pedometer one busy Friday night and had walked almost 9 miles in a 4 hour dinner shift. Needless to say, my body is feeling this change - please see the pictures below for proof of this. I would also like to note that I was hardpressed to find a photo of myself when I was not drinking, which made me realize that perhaps its more than the lack of activity that is contributing to the excess around my middle. More on that after the photos....

Yeesh. No comments are really needed. I had to lead off with my starfish photo, only as it is so fitting. This was in March of April of this year. Hello spare tire!

This is my most un-awesome photo of myself. I feel like I look "thick," which is terrible. The second chin, hefty arms and just the general width of my body. But hey, I look happy!

I cropped everyone else out this next photo... only because a booty shot was needed... BAM! BOOTY!

Oh... and arm fat. Yuck.

So here's the dealio yo. The outline. The plan. Drumroll please....

MY GOAL...

One of my main goals for this blog is to inspire and be inspired to get healthy. I also think that support and encouragement from people will help keep me on the right track. In a nutshell, I just want to get back on a healthy track. I am so rushed these days that I never stop to eat breakfast, and constantly make excuses about why I cannot work out. I want to start eating healthier, and fitting some exercise in everyday. I am already pretty active on the weekends, but I am going to start devoting an hour to walking my dog in the morning before I head to work, and also get him outside for a run a few days after work. I started a running plan in February and was up to 8 miles a day when I stoppped at the end of April. I am going to start running three evenings a week; starting slow, and working my way back to the 8 mile a day habit. I have debated joining a gym, but due to lack of funding, and a perfectly good four-legged running partner, this Starfish thinks her time is better suited outside and with the pup.
He's just so darned cute, he needs more of my time!

I also want to focus on menu planning, healthy foods and being a more organized, educated consumer. I find that I waste a lot of money on food that just gets thrown away because it goes bad before I eat it. The more organized I am, the better I will eat. This week, I grilled up some chicken and halibut, put together 4 salads in containers, and have had lunch ready to go in the fridge all week. I'd like to keep this up - its been great these last three days! I am hoping that embarking on this healthier lifestyle will lead me to my end goal of dropping 70 pounds. From 230 pounds to 160 pounds. Yowza. For a short term goal, I would like to lose 15 pounds before I venture to Southern California at the end of September to visit my little sista in the land of silicone and sunshine - Los Angeles. I figure that is almost 2 months from now, so 2 pounds/week is realistic if I stick to my plan.

A FEW CHALLENGES I KNOW I WILL FACE...

• Bad snacky food at work. This is my biggest pitfall. Not only do I sit on my ass, but I sit on my ass with junk food. Ugh. My office keeps Peanut M & M's and choco chip cookies on hand! Can you believe that?! It is so wrong, I have no will power. I need to start bringing carrots or snpa peas to work with me so have a healthy alternative for when the munchies hit.
• The drinks. I will be the first to day it, I love alcohol. Wine, beer, martinis... the whole bar is my friend. And yet, not so much. After a drink or two, I lose all resolve to eat healthy, and suddenly pizza and hot wings sound like a great idea. In reality, bad news bears. Bad. So, in an effort to not only save calories, but a little moola as well, there will be no alcoholic beverages consumed Sunday through Thursday. I am not going to give up a Friday martini, but I can definitely cut back. I hope.
• Money. I am living on a budget, and healthy food is not cheap. This is where the menu planning will come in handy.
• Friends. I know this seems weird, but I love my friends, and as such, I will drop almost everything to hang out with them. I will cancel workouts, stay out too late, and get myself off the right track. So (this will save $$ too I hope!), I am putting myself first from here on out. I need to not go out as much, in order to get to bed at a decent hour, and be able to get up and work out in the morning. Lame, I know, but sacrifices need to be made. And, similar to drinking, weekends are still game.
• Time. I love me my sleep. Getting up at 5:00 am to walk/run with Rodeo before work is going to be the hardest part. I can always justify more sleep. Really, I just need to manage my time better, so that when 10:00 pm rolls around, I have my stuff done so I can hit the hay.
• My Mind. Similar to Ally, I am my own worst enemy. I make excuses for myself. This needs to stop. There is no excuse as to why I cannot take Rodeo for an hour walk every morning and every evening. This needs to be my new mantra. I know I will love getting outside more myself.

Well, that's it for my first update. I am just getting ready to head home from work. I have some Sea Bass marinating in a blackberry, chipotle, lime sauce that I will grill and have on a salad tonight, and then I am going to take Rodeo for a hike up the hill behind our apartment. Should be a pleasant evening.

Also, I love to cook, and love to create new, tasty dishes, so I plan on sharing healthy, easy recipes that can be made in advance and make great lunches, along with tips I have found that work for me, and may work for you as well. Please feel free to offer advice, I love hearing about other people's experiences.

How do you think us Starfishes will fare on our plan?

p.s. Ally, I brought it! Sorry it took so long to get the blog up. I couldn't get a block of time to work on it. Argh!