Temptation #1

Ok. If you have never watched The Biggest Loser, here's how it used to work. (I don't think they do Temptations any more.) They put their morbidly obese contestants in a room with some kind of junk food they really love and make them deal with the temptation for a prize. For example, one week there was a token for $5000 hidden in mounds of jelly doughnuts. For each 30 seconds of time looking to find the token, the contestants each had to eat one doughnut. Another time they played poker with chocolate covered oreos and cookies and Ritz crackers as chips, players had to eat their ante, and the prize was rearranging the teams however the winner chose.

So... welcome to my temptation. My temptation is Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nut Clusters from Costco. They sit there in the cupboard calling my name 24 hours a day. (I am a total sucker for a combination of chocolate, caramel and nuts.) They are like a new version of the Turtle. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Problem number one is that my temptation doesn't go away. If I eat them, they are refilled as soon as they are gone. (Everyone in the house loves them, and I am not the one buying the groceries.) Problem number two is that you can never be satisfied with just one. So then you eat one, and another one because it's just 100 more calories... and then do the same thing later that day. Problem number three is that I have no will power with junk foods. It's like alcoholism with sugars and fats.

I have yet to think of a suitable prize incentive for myself to overcome this particular temptation. I'd be very happy with suggestions. Especially since these little nuggets are not the only Temptation around the house.

I made it through the Bunny Hop!

Every year for as long as I can remember, my family has had a family Valentine's dance in commemoration of my parents' first date (Feb. 11 to a BYU stake dance) and my parents' wedding anniversary (Feb. 14, two years later). We always dance to the same music, a tape of different ballroom / social dance mixers that my father has had since taking social dance in college. This tape includes things like the Hokey Pokey and the Bunny Hop.

If you are unfamiliar with the Bunny Hop, it works like this: kick with right leg twice with right arm in the air, kick with left leg twice with left leg in the air, hop forward, then backward, then forward three times in a row. It's quite an aerobic workout. And this particular song always seems to last forever! No matter what, my father has always led the bunny hop line. And he always makes it to the very end of the song... and I always die about one minute in.

This year, however, I have been working out and I did not think it would make that much difference. BUT IT DID! This year, I made it all the way to the end of the song with everyone else! And that is quite an accomplishment.

The Biggest Loser - The Goal

This year one of my goals is to finally become the person on the outside that I feel like on the inside. I have always wanted to be slim and stylish and athletic, but a few things hold me back. My addiction to sweets, fats, and breads stunts my dietary progress while my over-studious, sedentary lifestyle hurts my exercise routine, or lack thereof. Over the years, I have successfully lost the same 40 pounds over and over again. This year I want to change that.

Thus, I have determined that I need to eat more healthily and to exercise regularly. Of course, currently this goal is tempered by the fact that I am breastfeeding and need to keep my milk supply going up. I just need to cut out "junk food" and engage in moderately vigorous exercise for an hour a day.

In order to accomplish this goal, I need to be accountable to someone besides myself. Being accountable to myself has so far gotten me to bend the rules "just this once" about every other day. (Chocolate is my arch-nemesis!) So I have decided to make myself accountable to my readers. This is a picture of me currently (as a "before" shot).

My goal is that by 2010, I will have achieved a healthy weight for my height and body type AND that I will have good eating habits and exercise regularly. My weight loss goal is a daunting 80 pounds, but if I can lose just 2 pounds a week that is realistic in a year. We'll see.

I will report my progress every month in an e-mail with "The Biggest Loser" in the title. (My brothers can feel free to skip these posts).

If I accomplish my goal this year, I am saving up to reward myself with a new wardrobe (although I won't be able to afford much, I will need to wear clothes that fit). Every month that I lose at least 5 pounds, I will put away a certain amount toward my wardrobe savings. Months in which I lose 10 pounds will be rewarded with double the amount.

Scroll down - Part 2

You know the drill. I have finally been updating posts, but the blogger files them by the first date saved, not the date posted. I'm not sure how to fix that. The earliest new post is Dec. 27. You'll easily spot the new material since I have such a dismal number of posts in the past two months.

The Cart Before the Horse

Much of the time I feel like the horse whose cart is pulling him. I have so many demands on my time that it seems nothing is actually moving forward. This makes me STRESSED. In high school my friends referred to me as their favorite over-achiever. I always managed to fit everything that needed doing into my day. Since graduation from college, this desire to be super organized and scheduled has waned in me. But it did not die! This year I decided that I am tired of feeling like my life is running me. I want to retake control through making specific monthly goals and adhering to a well-planned schedule.

So far I have successfully made a bunch of goals, even breaking them down into manageable chunks. I have set up a few scheduled things, like exercise and getting enough sleep through going to bed with Hannah (or at least by 9pm). Although these things are now on the books, they are still not happening. If I were to give myself a grade for my January goals, I would get almost straight F's. I am going to recommit today to regaining control over my life. My goal for this week is to make my excellent planning take the leap into action.

Failing at my blogging goal

I apologize to my readers. It is all feast or famine on this blog. I either have too many posts to write all at once or I write nothing for a long while. I have quite a few pictures I would like to post and not quite enough time to get everything done while still maintaining my sanity. I hope to rectify this situation soon. Until then, I know that some of you will check back sporadically to see how I am doing. I appreciate knowing there are friends who check my blog even when nothing new happens for a month or more at a time.