Happy New Year!!!!

I hope you all enjoyed your New Year's Eve however you wanted. Mine was low key but my friend K and I made an awesome dinner, watched movies and played a board game. It was great. This morning she made an amazing omelette and smoothie then we watched a little tv and it was time for me to head home.

As I mentioned yesterday I will post some goals for 2011 today. Yesterday I got the new Yoga Journal and there was an interesting article in how me approach goals and then how we deal with set backs. The article spoke about coming from a place of self-compassion as opposed to feeling defeated or negative. They mean self-compassion as a positive motivation behind making a change and making it an act of self- care instead of anger and rejection.

Which made me think of something I said to one of my friends earlier this week. I said I felt like I was in a cocoon and I want to focus on being a butterfly. After reading the article I thought about how I posted that I was a wee disappointed with my weight loss for the year. I then thought back to 2009 when I previously hit my lowest weight so far of 168 and then life happened and I stopped doing the program and then decided to try WW online. When I rejoined the meetings on Jan 2, 2010 I was 8lbs away from the very first day I joined WW at 204lbs. You know what 21.4lbs down for 2010 is pretty darn good for me.

I can't say that 2010 was terrible in any way. I got the promotion I wanted and I made some awesome new friends. It did feel a bit odd having not done any classes or courses and now being at site 4 days a week would make that a bit of a challenge. Of course there were goals that were not met but that brings me to this year's goals.

1. Get to goal weight - entirely doable 34.8lbs can be lost in 2011, I kind of have a goal of by birthday in June but that's not in stone, somewhere in 2011 will suffice as a measurement of the goal. I got a little wigged out after watching a Dr. Oz show about turning 40. I turn 39 on my next birthday.

2. Read one book a month that teaches me something new and it can be weight loss related, business related or just expand one's mind related - entirely doable as I'm often waiting for planes and quite often by the time I get back to my camp room sometimes it's just nice to pick up a book. Right now I'm reading "How to see yourself as you really are" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I've got plenty of books to revisit or that have been collecting dust on my bookshelves.

3. Intentional exercise for a minimum of 30min 5 days a week - entirely doable as I've really enjoyed doing a regular yoga practice this week and want to continue. I've also been to the gym consistently this week and enjoyed that as well. Today it will be yoga

4. Follow the basics of the WW plan - entirely doable - I tracked every day this week, now I just need to be better at the water.

I've also thought of a few things to stay away from like group challenges. I quite frankly suck at those and then wind up feeling like a failure. I go in to them with good intentions and certainly recognize that others find them incredibly useful. They don't motivate me, my motivation has to be internal not external. While I enjoy The Biggest Loser I can't treat my weight loss like a contest and it's not good for me to compare myself to others. Instead I will keep it simple with stickers on a calendar to measure completion of exercise, tracking and water (2L a day). I got a few packs of stickers at the dollar store yesterday and I have a calendar for work and for home. I've never stopped using the chain of coloured paper clips to visually see my progress (one paperclip per pound). I have one on my fridge, one hanging on my clip board at the office and I'm adding one to my camp room (pretty much in all locations that I could have food or think about skipping exercise). They will act as my anchor in the WW tools for living.

I will reward myself for smaller victories by breaking down the 34.8lbs. My first goal is 168lbs, I almost made it last year and got to 168.2. I think my reward for that will be a manicure and pedicure.

I do have a bit of oomph to my motivation as I'm heading to Vegas in 10 weeks or so. This would be an excellent shopping opportunity so to lose enough that I need new clothes = bonus.

Most importantly any set backs will be noted and then move on. No dwelling, no feelings of defeat or failure.

I'm working on my internal butterfly or maybe as Katy Perry sings my firework.

Hope you enjoy your first day of 2011.

Hugs!!!