Graduation Challenge

Ok folks, here it is.... I'm about to join the millions of other people who are attempting to lose weight. 

I have always struggled with my weight.  There are actually very few times in my life I don't remember it being an issue.  There have been times that I've hated my body, times I loved it, and times that I just lived with it.  Well, I decided I'm tired of living with it and am going to do something about it!  You see, I've never really put in a whole lot of effort into trying to lose weight.  It's one of those things I accepted as part of me and didn't really think I had a choice. I learned to live with being overweight and to accept my body as is. I've gotten used to shopping for larger sizes or standing to the side while my friends shopped in stores I couldn't shop at.  I've gotten used to disguising my size with clothing (thank you Spanx and layering!) and only shopping with people I trust to not judge me.  It's been an uphill battle with myself and quite frankly, I'm tired of fighting it.  So I've decided I'm going to do something about it.

I've tried diets before and failed because they forced me to give up all of my favorite foods.  This time instead of eliminating all of my favorite items (like macaroni and cheese and chocolate), I am going to limit them.  I think my biggest issues come from portion control and lack of exercise, so that's where I plan to start.  I know what I eat is important, and I am trying to eat better (like more fruits and vegetables and less junk food snacking) but getting rid of my favorite items is simply asking for failure.  I mean come on, anyone who knows me knows I can't live with out macaroni and cheese!  I can however limit my intake of it.  It may be baby steps at first, but I have to start somewhere.  I'm not really sure what motivated me this time, but I plan to stick to it.  I've done really well working out for an hour every day this week (I give myself Mondays off). I've been doing weights, running on the elliptical, and swimming laps.  I'm actually really enjoying it!  I've never really liked exercising before but it has helped relieve stress and I feel better already.

So here goes, my graduation challenge:   My goal is to lose at least 20 pounds by graduation (May 5, 2012).  There are 12 weeks until graduation, so that would average about 2 pounds a week.  I've heard that's a healthy rate to lose weight so that's my goal.  It would be incredible if I lost more than that, but 20 is my goal. I know there will come days that I want to give up and lose my motivation, and  I know there will be days where I cave and give into my food temptations.  However, I'm really hoping I can stay motivated. Plus, I heard once that it takes 12 weeks to break or start a new habit, so I'm hoping exercising and eating right will become habit by the end of this! Your accountability and encouragement however would be greatly appreciated (especially come like week 5)!  So here goes.. my graduation challenge has begun!