STEPPIN' IT UP

I may have spoken too soon.

Over on LJ, our little community has a longstanding tradition of Boot Camp, our version being a (usually) short, intensive period of concentration on one or two issues needing special attention. This is frequently a weight loss effort, or an effort at home organization, or to learn some music for an upcoming gig, or something of the sort. One of the LJ’ers has announced a similar, but much longer-term effort, and I declined to participate because, well, my own personal fat relocation project is well underway and I don’t need a new initiative. Or so I thought.

But I’m feeling stuck again. Auntie Flo, as usual, brought some extra junk in her trunk and although she’s finally on the bus back to wherever it is she comes from, the junk is slower to depart. This makes me nervous because Death March 2008 (that would be my birthday celebration, for the uninitiated) is looming. It is now less than one month away, and my goal is to have reached the 100-pound mark by that time.

And this week, I find myself bored with sticking to my food plan, bored with going to the gym, and wanting treats. Yesterday I ended up running errands over my usual snack time, and I SO wanted a scone and coffee. I bought an apple and a handful of maple macademia nuts instead and felt very virtuous, but I still want that dumb scone.  I’m obsessing about what I’m going to eat on my birthday, which is NOT GOOD because I don’t want my birthday to be about food. I want to have a treat or two, but I emphatically do not want a pigout, free-for-all day. (Believe me, it was under consideration;  but it is honestly not what I want).

So I think I may need another Boot Camp; a very short one, with the intention of getting me back on track mentally. I’ve already stepped up the exercise a little bit, adding in a daily walk no matter what other exercise I’ve done. I’ve also decided to rework my lesson schedule for the summer, as having students scattered all over the day is one thing that makes it difficult to work out and do everything else I need to. I've been invited to attend a fitness boot camp class, and the trainer assures me I will be able to keep up so I’m going to give that a try; maybe it will be the shakeup I need.  I’m not a big fan of classes; I so do NOT want to be the Fat Girl huffing and puffing and feeling out of place in front of a bunch of hardbodies. But I’m willing to give it a try. I think I will also move my Buy a Bike plan up by several weeks. The weather is beautiful now, and I would love to be out enjoying it more.

I also think that I will work out a very detailed food plan for the whole week, and be very careful about the calorie count. It’s very easy to underestimate how much food you’re actually eating and I wonder if I’ve perhaps gotten sloppy with that.

Any successful Boot Camp requires some planning, so I’ll take the weekend to nail down the details and start on Monday. Anyone who would like to try Boot Camping along with me is welcome; just decide on your goals and what you will do to accomplish them, and post here. We can encourage each other!