Cheers to 2014!

It seems like at the start of every year I vow to make changes.  I vow to lose weight, be more active, be more positive, or be nicer to others. Sure enough, come midnight on New Year's Eve, I was swearing up and down that this year was going to be different.  I am going to lose weight, become healthy, eat better, manage stress well, and be more positive. Can I do it? Time will tell. As part of my journey, I decided that I would blog about my progress, set backs, frustrations, and celebrations. 

New Years, 2010 (happy and healthy)

As a first step, I made the decision to (re)join Weight Watchers, because I know many people who have had a lot of success.  WW isnt just about a diet, it is about a lifestyle change, which is what I need.  I need a complete lifestyle overhaul, really.  I am hoping that I can stick to it.  I am also hoping that I can be kind to myself throughout this process.   

Today is day one.  Ironically, (and I mention this so that I can provide insight into my thought process), I decided that I deserved binge before I started WW.  This means pizza, wings, beer, mac and cheese bites, and a chicken caesar salad.  All of this was yesterday.  I was up all night with stomach aches and bathroom breaks and it sucked.  The more cynical side of me says, "you deserve to feel like shit because you ate so much shit" while the more positive side says, "this is all the more reason to begin to eat better and become healthy."  

I am going to have to make some tough changes.  I am going to have to cut (way) down on my drinking, because I cant make good food choices when I am drinking, not to mention all the wasted calories.  I am going to have to be careful and conscious about my food choices--which for me, has always been the hardest part because I am such an emotional eater. I am going to have to stop making excuses; excuses about my lack of time to work out or make dinner or my stress level, etc. I can make an excuse about anything! 

I am excited, but also nervous and scared, about my journey.  I am excited because I am know I am going to feel so much better in so many ways when I reach my goals.  I am nervous and scared because it is going to be hard.  I have a long long way to go before I reach my goals and that is very daunting. I feel like I am standing at the bottom of the mountain looking up, but I am looking forward to being at the top and looking down! 

Summit of Mt Bierstadt, 2012