September Girl

I named this post September Girl after the Bangles song "September Girls." The reason why follows after a video:

The simple reason is that I want to rock it out in September with weight loss, exercise, and eating right. I would like September to be the month that I make goals and stick to them for a change. Really go back to the good habits I formed when I first started losing weight. I've strayed quite far from some of those good habits over the summer and it is time to get back on the wagon. On my weigh-ins page I've highlighted the weeks that I gained weight in red. There weren't very many reds if you go back to the early days and there are a ton of reds now. I used to lose 5 pounds in 4-6 weeks, not months. I'm still in the obese category, so the weight should still be coming off like that. The problem is that my motivation and willpower have faded. They aren't gone, but I feel like they are a little candle with a small flame blowing around in the wind instead of a roaring fire. I've been trying to find some new blogs to read, because some of my favorite bloggers aren't writing as often or taking a break. Reading blogs is what sparked my fire the first time. I've also been on the hunt for some motivational quotes and found a page with a ton of them. Here is one that has resonated with me:

"Anything is possible, It's your choice whether or not you choose to make IT happen."

I'm working hard on choosing to do great things this month in weight loss land. It isn't something I have to do, it is something I'm choosing to do to make myself a better person. So here are the choices that I would like to work on in September:

• Lose at least 30 pounds (again!) and get down to at least 190 by the end of September.
• Focus on following my eating plan again with cooking more of my own meals at home.
• Finish C25K (only two more 30 minute jogs) and decide on whether to continue jogging.
• Work out five days a week. Working out could be jogging, walking, biking, walking the dogs, cleaning around the house, or playing Wii Fit or xBox Kinect.
• Keep blogging as I have time about my September choices. I might not be on every day, but I will try to keep up to date.

If I choose to do these things, the weight loss will follow and my habits will be good ones again.

I've also given myself a non-scale victory to work towards. I would like to fit into this dress sometime this fall/winter. It would be super cute with some black leggings, my mid-calf black swede boots, and these peace sign earrings.

Thank goodness this picture is blurry and a front view. Yes the dress is on my body, but believe me, it ain't pretty from the side view.

I also haven't been giving myself some the rewards that I have for meeting goals. I should've given myself a CD for getting to 195, and I never did. When I lose 0.8 pounds and get to 195 again, I choose to give it to myself and feel good about a step in the right direction.

And maybe I should choose to do things to make me sweat as much as Chuck Berry is in this picture. Johnny B. Goode!

I also bought a CD with five songs from Phillip Phillips (winner of American Idol last year). I wanted to give myself a song for every pound lost between 195 and 190 as a small reward which I never did as well. It sucks to be losing the same weight again, but I do think I deserve a little bit of reward for putting the effort in again.

If I find myself struggling (which I'm sure that I will) I will have to remember this whole choices thing and push myself to make better choices until they become second nature. If I'm hungry while driving home from work, I could choose to stop and get a doughnut like this week or I could choose to get a protein bar, veggies, or a piece of fruit. If I'm tired after work, I could choose to watch TV or sit on the computer or I could choose just do to a little bit like a short walk or some laundry.

Now that I'm feeling some motivation, I'm going to choose to make the most of this day off of work. I'm going to cook a healthy dinner and snack. I'm going to get up and move by mowing the yard, doing laundry, and mopping the kitchen floor. I'm going to work on my grad school application. Maybe I'll even be writing a post again later today to let you know how all this goes.