Focus.

I am a bit embarrassed (and scared) to do this, but I feel like it’s the only thing I haven’t tried. I’m going to use this blog for accountability purposes. I have GOT to lose weight. I also have GOT to focus on our strategy to get out of debt. Both of these tasks are going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of focus, and I feel like using this to keep me accountable will help. Maybe I'm taking on too much at once, money stuff and losing weight…but I figure if I am really focusing on something, might as well let that energy spill over into something else too.

Last night, Taylor and I sat down and created our “debt snowball” worksheet, which is an action plan to tackle debts - smallest to largest. We also worked out a budget for this pay period and the next. I found that the control I felt over where our money is going made me feel like I can control my behavior with eating and exercising too, so that’s another reason I think I can do both at once. I am HORRIBLE at “control”. I’m really, really good at having no control over my weight, my finances, my schedule, my dogs, anything. I need to take charge of my life and change the things that are making me miserable. I hate the way I look and I hate feeling like we’re never making any head way in terms of our finances. It affects my social life because I never want to go out and be social because I don’t fit into any clothes, I can’t afford and refuse to buy bigger sizes, and even if I’m wearing clothes that do fit, I just don’t like being out and feeling so awful about my appearance. And it usually costs money. L

So here are my goals.

1. Update the blog every two weeks (each pay period) regarding our first try at really  following a budget. We both get paid tomorrow, and from that point on, we are not using our debit cards and only using cash that has been categorically allotted for spending.
2. Actively begin the debt snowball after saving up the "emergency fund", which should be complete by the end of June.
3. Update the blog every week on weight loss. Format: weigh in, highs/lows, exercise update, and goals for the following week.
4. Look at the weight loss thing as a DAILY challenge, not a weekly thing. It hasn’t worked in the past, it’s not going to work now. The “week” mentality lets me get away with too much, I do bad one day and say, “well I have a whole week, I’ll just do better tomorrow and the day after that”. But then I do bad every day.
5. Record everything I eat on myfitnesspal. This shouldn’t be too hard because I already do it, but I normally do it until 4:00 pm and then just “guess” at night, so I’m positive I go over my cal count every day. So all nightly wine, tiny squares of chocolate, and little snacks have to be recorded.
6. Exercise 4 times a week starting today. Walking the dogs counts. (trust me, I am so out of shape that 30 minute walk is huge for me). Move up to five times eventually. Strength/weights at least 2-3 times per week.
7. DON’T QUIT!! I usually quit at 10-15 pounds gone because I feel so great about the loss and think I’m a total super babe. But I’m not, I’m still overweight and I gain it all back immediately.

There are a million other things I want to do, but I think I’ll stop there. The goal is 15-20 pounds down in ten weeks. (how convenient, that’s when I go to Vegas for Laura’s Bachelorette Party!!! J) 30-35 pounds is the ultimate goal, and I don’t care how long it takes, but I’m hoping by September. Baby steps though J