Bally says I'm going about this all wrong...

I got one of my favorite weight loss e-mails from Bally Total Fitness today. It says by saying "I want to lose 20 lbs by Feb. 1," I'm not saying anything but that I wanna do it. The best way to do it is to specifically say what I'll be doing to lose those 20 lbs.

Here goes:
I will work out 4X per week and limit myself to 2,000 calories per day - eliminating sweets altogether) until Feb. 1. This, of course, starts on Jan 1, 2005. That doesn't mean I'm not working out or anything, but my mom gets here today. You think I'm not gonna indulge on no banana pudding or Dory's Peach Cobbler?

Walking away, trailing off: "You must be out yo damn mind..."

I wanna lose 20 lbs by Feb. 1

Tomorrow, I'm starting back in the gym. It's been hard to keep everything going because I'm trying to get a job as a reporter for the paper I work for, which means playing Kunta Kinte and going above and beyond the call of duty. I'm writing stories (for free) and still doing my editing work.

Anyway, I'm going to do the gym 4X a week, including the whole "eat right" thing I've been on since September. I have my times when I'm weak, but I wanna do this to prove to myself that I can.

Everybody keeps telling me "Nothing's wrong with the way you look now. What are you doing?" I'm doing what I wanna do. Anybody who knows me knows I'm about what I wanna do - and nobody else.

Back to the grind.

Eating while out of town.

So I've been trying to cook for my host while I've been here. It's sort of nice, since he's putting me up for free, and I get to control what I eat (and how much money I spend, yeah!).

I always eat a big breakfast and then snack or whatever for the rest of the day. This weekend has been a little different. When I went to play spades with a few of the bloggers (Man, I got my ass kicked!), we ended up having something I don't think I've eaten all year -- Popeye's Chicken. And it was sho nuff good!

But I digress. I was cooking dinner last night and ended up eating a handful of these little oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies.

I ain't right, but I know it's been my only slip-up of the trip.

Not quite there yet...

I went to the gym Dec. 1 with the intentions of getting back into a normal routine.

I haven't made it back since.

I've been busy as I dunno what - not to mention I've been trying to get these articles done - and I'm getting ready for Xmas, which means I'm working more shifts at work.

Being a newbie with low pay sucks!

Welcome back...

I had a sandwich last night.

That bread. That bread. That bread.

I'm in love with bread. Moreso for the fact that it fills me up fast. I know, it was only three weeks, but I felt the difference.

I tried to go swimming Tuesday (yeah, down here, we can still do that) and my stomach didn't feel right. It's because eggs and sausage, with no bread to sop it up, is not a good thing to swim on. My stomach was probably doing flip flops.

I'm going to the gym tomorrow in the a.m. before work at 9. Then I'm hanging out with Camille. Trying to keep active.

"See, if you can hang..."

I feel like I'm getting no where, but slowly, getting closer to realizing what I need to do.

It's like sitting in front of the double dutch ropes as they look like they're getting closer and closer.


Flip, flip.

I tried going to the gym every other day, but I lost my motivation (my sister, who now only goes when she can fit it in).

Flip.

I tried going when I could and eating better. That didn't work because of this damn sked which requires me to be at work until the late hours of the evening.

Flip, flip, flip, flip...

The trainer told me to do lots of cardio. The manager of the other Bally I go to told me to increase my heart rate by 20 more.

I nearly had a heart attack the other day.

Instead of slapping the shit out of old dude, I went home.

I'm for sure that I need to lose a few lbs before mom gets down here for the holiday.

I've devised a plan that'll hopefully keep me in the gym - and eating healthy(like).

Hopefully it works.

And I don't end up getting choked when I try to enter the ropes.