My (Slightly Belated) June Goals

One of my reoccuring downfalls on my weight loss journey has been setting all my final, big picture goals up front and then rarely setting smaller, more bite-sized goals along the way. As a result, every time I stumbled on my diet or gain a few pounds here or there, I saw my progress through the lens of the larger goal and found myself getting discouraged because I had "such a long way to go", and would forget that one, bad day doesn't ruin everything and that I just needed to forget yesterday's failure and focus on winning today. I've never been good at that...

So in an attempt to combat this cycle from rearing its ugly head anymore, I'm going to take some time at the beginning of each month to set some goals for myself for the upcoming 30 days. I think I'll give a few, different kinds of goals: weight, nutrition, activity and maybe something unrelated to weight loss.

Before I get into my June goals, let me backtrack a little and talk about May. My efforts - on a scale of 1 to 10 - probably registered only about a 4.5 last month. I had a couple weeks where I ate well and got to the gym 4-6 times a week, but the other half of the month I avoided the gym, at donuts for breakfast and enjoyed way too much soda. However, I still managed to lose 8-10 pounds last month despite my efforts not to, haha.

For June, I've found a new source of motivation to help me through the summer. Some of the women at work started a Biggest Loser type of contest and asked me to join! The prize is yet to be determined, but I'm still really excited about it. I'll get more into that at a later date. On to the goals!

By July 1st, here are some things I want to say I've accomplished:

- Lose 15-20 pounds so I can get myself back into the 250s
- Avoid all non-diet soda
- Be able to run 5 miles without stopping
- Gain 50 combined Twitter followers/YouTube subscribers/Facebook page 'Likes'
- Blog at least once a week
- Read one Runner's World and one Men's Health

I like the list I've put together here! They encompass a lot of the different areas I want to work on and allow me to make smaller steps forward in all of them! I'll lose weight, develop healthier habits by dropping soda, work towards my goal of 'being a runner,' improve my online presence and gain knowledge my reading! Man, I love these!

So there ya go! Let me know your thoughts on my goals, and I want to know what YOU want to accomplish in June! I'm real pumped about this, can't you tell? :)

90-Day Challenge - Days 4-6

So apparently I'm taking weekends off in documenting the 90-Day challenge. If you're new to the program, check out the Day 1 post to see where I'm coming from. Anywho, over the weekend I didn't really read the Days 4 & 5 challenges, so I'm taking them all on today! Let's join the action.

Day #4: "Dreams & Visions" - Take time to devise a plan for reaching your goal. What things do you plan to do daily to make that dream a reality? Write down five mini-goals you will achieve on your way to your overall goal.

1) I always found it intimidating to look at my goal as "losing 80 pounds." This time around, I plan to take it in 10 pound increments and climb this mountain with smaller steps. 2) I also plan to make changes in my diet - no more soda or fast food! Those were two of the culprits in my weight gain. 3) In order to achieve these goals I can't be idle - I need to be active everyday! 4) I want to learn about what I'm trying to achieve. Whether that means watching documentaries or reading magazines, I want to expand my knowledge in the realm of health and fitness. 5) I feel that documenting and keeping track of my accomplishments will keep my morale and motivation up. So I'm logging my weight every week so I can see my progress.

Day #5: "Faith Matters" - You may not know what your body will look like after dropping 30 or 50 pounds, but let faith fuel you to picture yourself a skinnier person or fitting into your old clothes. "Faith works by love, so if you have unforgiveness in your heart toward anyone, release that burden so God can work in your life.... Whether it's writing a letter/email or calling someone on the phone, the less emotional baggage you have, the easier it will be to focus on losing the physical weight."


Off the top of my head, I don't think I have anyone that I really need to forgive - I'm pretty solid in that department. My faith in myself, on the other hand, is what needs to be strengthened. After coming up short so many times, my confidence in my ability to finish this journey grows less and less...
Day #6: "New Thrills" - Write down on activity you have avoided because of your weight or other insecurities. Describe why you avoided it and how it made you feel. Now imagine how you would feel doing that activity as the new, thinner you - full of energy!

Despite LOVING sports, I've felt quite insecure and self-conscious participating in sports with friends. Whether it's a pick-up game of football or just going for a run, I think too much about how big I might look and sometimes shy away from joining in the fun. When I lose the weight, I can't WAIT to run circles around people and not have to worry about what's jiggling around! :)


Alright, I think we're all caught up! These are some pretty important things to think about while trying to lose weight. Forget about what other people may think of you - this is YOUR time to make these changes and get healthy! What are some of your responses to these challenges?