I did have a weak moment Monday night, when I met friends for drinks at TGI Friday’s and had a few beers. I can’t say how many because someone else paid for all but two of them, so it’s safe to say it was more than I should have had. However, I did manage to get to the walking trail with another friend just before heading out though… and I didn’t snack on junk while there, although it would have been quite easy to do so.

As I mentioned, I am not on a very strict diet other than my decreased Coke intake, which is hard enough. I had french toast this morning, a grilled burger with ketchup only for lunch, and pasta salad for dinner. No snacks in between, and today is a NO Coke day. That’s right, nothing but water ALL day.

In other news, I did my first Zumba DVD tonight and WOW, I’m hooked already. I did 30 minutes of the Zumba Basic Moves, and just got done about 15 minutes ago and I’m still a little winded. Makes me realize that I’m definitely not in as good of shape as I thought I was. I’m going to do the Zumba 20-Minute Express workout tomorrow morning. I really thought I’d get to that right after the Basics, but there’s no way since I didn’t even finish the basics. I’ve got a baby shower to host tomorrow and don’t want to be stiff from pain, even though I know I’m going to feel it with just the 30 minutes I did do. Furthermore, the 30 minutes I did, felt like only 15… not because the workout wasn’t hard enough obviously, but because it kept me intrigued with the new moves and it was fun. I strongly recommend this, and will be making a few of my friends get in on this.

Now, I’m off to relax in a hot bath in hopes that I’ll be able to do more Zumba in the morning!

Oh, and I haven’t forgotten about taking a “Before” picture, I’ve just been busy. I promise to get one posted this weekend.

My entire life, I never got above about 120 lbs… until recently. I’m now sitting somewhere between 140 and 145, and while that’s not so bad since I’m about 5’6″, it’s more than what looks great on me. This weight gain has happened over the past 2 years, probably likely due to a massive increase in alcohol intake and moving back near my chicken-frying grandmother.

The Goal

Just an idea of what I used to look like, here’s  a shot of me wearing an actual bandana as a shirt and in size 3 jeans back when I was 20. I was approximately 118 in this photo, with great muscle definition in my legs, and a flat stomach.

So now that you have an idea of what my goal is, you can better understand my journey. I’ll be posting a picture of where I’m at now later today when I take my “Before” pictures.

Current Lifestyle

Now that we’ve got the goals stated, I need to give you a clear idea of the lifestyle that has lead me to no longer look like the bikini model in the photo above.

I currently don’t really exercise. I have a moderate metabolism and never really had to actively think about exercising before. Now that I’m 24, that metabolism has slowed down and my calorie intake has increased, leaving me rockin’ the beer gut.

Now my diet is not really something I’m proud of. I’m single and live alone, and I’m usually pretty broke, so my eating habits aren’t exactly stable. I drink probably a minimum of 3 nights a week, on average 8 Bud Lights a night. Sometimes more. I eat what’s available, whether it’s Ramen noodles or Cap’n Crunch. I’ve never been a really great grocery shopper, and our small town grocery store doesn’t exactly have a lot of healthy options. Lastly, I have an extreme Coke addition… not the drug, the soda. I go through a 12-pack about every two days. It’s pretty much all I drink throughout the day, from the moment I wake up until when I go to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, my sleeping habits aren’t fabulous either. I don’t have a dedicated time to go to sleep, or length of time to be asleep. I’ve probably got insomnia as I’ll sometimes be up for two days or more without being able to fall asleep, but when I do sleep, it’s far longer than 8 hours at a time. I usually fall asleep somewhere in the middle of the day and wake up in the middle of the night, or right before sunset. It’s a rather annoying habit, which I’m hoping will be helped by my new lifestyle change.

The Plan

Now here’s where the changes will come into effect, and as you can tell, there’s quite a few that need to be made.

As far as exercise, I’ve got a few plans I’m going to try. One is Zumba, I’ve got the DVDs, and all I’m waiting for is the motivation to put them in, which I hope to do later today. The second is Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. I’ve heard good things about this program and I’m planning on at least watching the DVD today to see if it will be good for me. The third is the Insanity Fitness DVDs, which will obviously come in once I’ve gotten in better shape using the other programs. I’m also going to try and get more motivation to go to the gym and lift free weights, though that’s not going to happen today since my gym is closed, and if my funds get any tighter, I’m going to have to cancel the account anyway, so that’s up in the air right now. My dog will also likely appreciate being taken for walks around the neighborhood on a regular basis, either in the morning or afternoon.

Now diet is going to be the hardest of all to change. I’ve never had to watch what I eat until now, and the Coke habit has been around as long as I can remember, so I’m not going to try and kill it completely. But I’m going to allow myself a Coke in the morning (just like most people’s morning coffee), and perhaps with meals. The beer, I’m going to try and change over to rum and Diet Coke, and have far fewer, because being intoxicated 3 nights a week never benefited anyone. I’m also going to try and start cooking more often, items like grilled chicken and other recipes which I hope I will find along the way.

As far as the sleep schedule, I’m hoping that by giving myself a regular exercise routine in the morning and afternoon, and eating better, that my sleep will eventually even out.

Keep an eye out… I’ll be posting the first of many photos to come later today so that I will really have the motivation to keep going. Who wants a horrible, flabby photo of themselves posted on the internet without being able to post a better one in a few weeks? Not me, I’ll tell you that much.