
In 2010, I want to lose the five excess pounds that have been with me for several years thanks to too much travel, too many business meals, late-night pizza at the office, not enough sleep, and, of course, stress.
“Well that sounds vain and self-centered,” you might be thinking to yourself. Well, yes, it would if my motivation was simply to look better in a bikini. A flat tummy would be nice, but I actually have some good reasons for wanting to get back to my normal weight once and for all.
Reasons to Lose Weight
- I bought most of my clothes when I was one size smaller than I am now. I can still squeeze into most of them, but it doesn’t feel good. And I definitely do not want to go out and buy a new wardrobe. The responsible thing to do is to eat less and use the clothes I have.
- Because my clothes don’t fit just right, I am constantly reminded about the fact that I need to lose weight. It takes up a lot of brainpower that I’d rather free up to think about more important things.
- Eating less is more sustainable and gets me closer to taking only my share.
The Plan
Here is my simple plan for how to reach this goal:
- I’m not waiting until the New Year. Rather, I’m taking advantage of staycation and doing 90 minute workout sessions instead of the typical 60 minutes to boost calorie burning.
- I have a new plan for how to handle sweets (my weakness). I will eat sweets only on designated special occasions. The next special occasion is New Year’s Eve. After that, I will look forward to my birthday in mid-January. This way, I can enjoy an occasional treat without the guilt.
- I am going to cut out processed food (more on this on New Year’s Day).
- I am going to be mindful when I eat, chew slowly, and savor the moment.
- I am going to eat enough. No more, no less.
“In eating, a third of the stomach should be filled with food, a third with drink, and the rest left empty.” ~The Talmud
I’m with you on the losing-a-few-pounds-to-prevent-shopping idea. I have added two goals to my eating habits: 1) eating only when hungry (not because it’s “lunch time” or “dinner time”) and 2) to stop eating when sated (not “blotated” – Joe’s coined word).
May 2010 be your best year ever.
Those are awesome eating habits! I would add: chew slowly and put your fork/spoon down between each bite.
And as it relates to 2010, I wish you the same.