What I Learned in Year One Part 5

I am not perfect.

This was the biggest shock of all! I was so determined last August, I was so dedicated to sticking to a budget and a diet and I wrote everything down and I worked out every day, but I stumbled, a lot.

I figured out this year that life gets in the way of our plans. I knew this, of course, but it is more apparent when you are so focused on those plans.

I try not to beat myself up about my imperfections, some of them are kind of charming, but I am also trying to not blow them off and learn from them. I have found patterns in my imperfections (my penchant for cheating on my diet on Wednesday night for example) and am trying to mitigate the damage (planning a healthier splurge for Wednesday).

I don't imagine I will get any more perfect in year 2, I just hope when my imperfections show themselves they are adorable and quirky.

What I Learned in Year One Part 4

I have to work out, no excuses.

As soon as I get busy the gym is the first thing that gets chopped from the schedule. I try to reason with myself that I will eat fewer calories to compensate, but I am certain my body does not work that way.

I know it is simple calories in vs. calories out and that we should be able to lose weight simply by cutting calories, but when I stop working out I stop losing weight.

Also, I find that when I work out I eat better overall. It is a truly symbiotic relationship for me. I am jealous of those who can just cut a few calories and drop a few pounds or who can work out and eat whatever they want. I am not one of those people.

It may be that I am getting old and my natural metabolism is stagnating, but I must find a way to get to the gym at least 4 times a week.

What I Learned in Year One Part 3

Retail therapy is not actually therapeutic.

I used to shop for pleasure, but I now realize it was the same kind of instantaneous pleasure I got from eating an entire bag on mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. It felt euphoric for a bit and I loved everything I bought, but then the guilt would settle in and I would start to worry about the debt I had added to my credit cards and wonder how I was going to pay the bills.

A whole year with no credit cards and I never once had that feeling (about shopping, the peanut butter cups are still an issue). Everything I bought over the year (and believe me I still shopped) I paid for with cash, either budgeted or gift money, and I did not once feel guilty about anything.

Also, shopping is now a real treat. I plan for my shopping outings and try to make the most out of them. They are no longer binge shopping trips.

It is hard to isolate the things that happened this past year that have lead to my overall better sense of contentment, but this is definitely one of them.

What I Learned in Year One Part 2

I cannot eliminate entire foods from my diet, no matter how bad they are for me.


I went over 5 months without eating anything deep-fried, and I was disappointed in myself for falling off the fried wagon, but it is truly unreasonable to imagine not eating certain things ever again.

I wish I could give up candy as there are many more delicious dessert delicacies I would rather waste my calories on, but I just cannot seem to do it.

I did succeed in finding a few dessert-type items that were less destructive than others (fat free pudding, York peppermint patties and ginger snaps) to satisfy an every day need.

Any successes in cutting out a bad diet staple out there?

What I Learned in Year One Part 1

I learned a lot about myself this past year, this week I will revisit a few of the big things in hopes of reviving my success.

I made some big changes in my life last year, but I learned in the past couple of months that all those changes are useless if I am not faithful in writing it all down.

Starting today I am back to a food and budget journal and will attempt to log all calories and spending. It will definitely be harder this time around as my life is so much busier than it was at this time last year.

Last year I used Fit Day online for my food journal and did all budget recording on an Excel spreadsheet. If anyone has any cool new user-friendly websites or apps please send them along!

Year 2: Electric Boogaloo

I know, I know, I promised to blog more often back in June and it is now nearly September, I am terrible. For years I have wanted a new job, those of you that know me are well aware of that.

I got an incredibly challenging new job in May and while I love it, it has completely taken over my life and messed with my diet and my budget.

I am working 16 hour days and traveling a ton, so I eat whatever I want and have $800 in expenses due in reimbursement which is messing with my carefully balanced budget.

I do not see this schedule slowing down, so now the challenge is how to find time to work out and how best to plan for healthy eating options instead of constant take out and frozen meals. I also have to cut back so I can save a little extra to make these business expenses less of a burden.

It has been just over a year since I started this blog, time really does fly. Year 2 will be a re-visioning of the plan, fitting it to my new life and trying not to run myself into the ground at every level. Hang on, it is going to be a bumpy ride!

I'm Alive and So Sorry

I cannot believe how negligent I have been to my blog and my diet and my budget for the past 3 or 4 weeks. Life gets in the way some times and I am currently enthralled in a new job. It is the busiest I have ever been in any job I have ever had, but I am incredibly happy with it.

What is interesting is that being happy leads me to overeat just as much as being sad does, clearly I am an emotional eater and not a stress eater, any emotion produces a desire to eat in me.

I have managed not to gain any weight by working my butt (literally) off at the gym and an upcoming high school reunion has spurred me into high gear in hopes of shedding a pound or two in the next 3 weeks.

When I started this blog, nearly a year ago (yikes), it was all about focus and that is my priority right now. I need to find focus amidst the madness, get back on track and take the time I need to keep my blog and my budget and my diet a priority.

I will be back on a regular basis very soon!