Best Laid Plans

My plans for my Alaska Fat March weren't so well laid out after all. As of today, I've walked zero, yes zero, purposeful steps towards reaching my 579.54 mile aspiration by October 24. I watched Fat March on television last night and couldn't help but think that if ALL I had to do was walk every day, no work, no family obligations, no "life" getting in the way, that it would be so easy to walk the 579.54 miles. Well, maybe not EASY, but it would definitely be the only activity I'd have to focus on. Choosing my own food is definitely a downfall too. I'd love to have someone else just tell me what to eat and what to do for 10 weeks and not really have to think about it much. Oh, wait, I already did that. It was called "BOOT CAMP," and I did that for the US Navy in 1990. I lost weight and got in shape then though.

Well, through my postings, I've found a new "partner" in walking the equivalent distance from Homer to Fairbanks, AK. She lives in Soldotna. She doesn't have as much weight to lose as I do, but it'll be nice to have someone that I'm being held responsible to.

In all reality, I could lose a significant amount of weight. If I lost 60 pounds, I'd be about where I'd like to be. If I lost 70, I'd be at my lowest weight since December of 1992, 15 years ago. If I lost 80, I'd be at my original exit weight when I got out of boot camp the summer of 1990, before I had my daughter. If I lost 90, I'd be at my lowest weight since high school. If I lost 100, I'd be at my lowest weight since middle school. That goal to me is unrealistic, so I'm going to shoot for 70. I felt and looked good at that weight. I know I'm not going to make it in 10, make that 9, weeks till my birthday. Attempting to walk the almost 10 miles a day, 7 days a week, that it would take to get me to that point is insane. It doesn't mean I won't TRY, but I'm not going to put myself under that kind of pressure with the rest of what is going on in my life. I'll shoot for 5 miles a day, and if I make that, it's still 5 more than I would have gone, right? RIGHT. It's about 19 weeks till the end of the year. The 279.54 miles is definitely doable in that time frame, and it would be a true challenge for me, living my life OUTSIDE of my Alaska Fat March, to complete the mileage in under 19 weeks.

My downfall, as I said, is my eating. It's just so easy to grab something when it's been pre-packaged, smells good, tastes good, but is full of empty calories. My downfalls just for today have been the evil Tootsie Midgets (yes, again), my chai tea, the trail mix that's so easy to eat, and the biscotti that went oh-so-well with my tea. I pay for a monthly Weight Watcher's membership, but I haven't gone in weeks. I'm now too embarrassed to get on the scale because I KNOW I haven't lost weight in the 3 weeks since I've gone. I keep thinking that if I just get back on track that I'll go in and have a great weight loss, get my sticker for 5 pounds lost (I love stickers, instant gratification), and not feel like a complete idiot. So, I'm not going tonight either.

Time to get serious. No one is going to hold my hand through this, it's all up to me. I made a promise to Alex that I'd lose 60 pounds, and the WORST thing to EVER do is tell your boyfriend you are going to lose weight and then continue to do exactly what you are doing that made you gain weight in the first place. I don't want to disappoint myself, and now I don't want to disappoint him either.

Grocery store, here I come. The salmon is getting cooked, the Tootsie Midgets are getting moved, the walking is starting tonight, rain or shine. No more excuses. I may not be able to do it all in 9 weeks, but I can do something, and that'll be a drastic improvement over what I'm doing now.