Update on the Resolutions

These first two weeks of 2011 have had a few ups and downs, for sure!

I've implemented a lot of the resolutions I set out to achieve and I have been seeing big differences already.

With Matthew, we definitely don't have as many negative interaction. I go out of my way frequently to do nice things for him and I head off arguments by taking care of the things that trigger mean words.

Like keeping our place clean. It's not hard, but it goes undone sometimes and then we both get frustrated, because we both feel the other person is not doing their part. At the moment, I'm a tad behind on the cleaning because I had a lot going on yesterday and our schedule was a bit wayward. Today is the same, but I plan to do pick up once I get home from the studio tonight.

One awesome thing that happened over the weekend is that the Tiger Lilies (my mother's dance troupe) participated in a call-in to secure a spot at one of the biggest belly dance festivals on the west coast and it only took us 20 minutes to get through! We officially have a dance spot and we are going to California on March 11.

That gives me two months to lose a couple pounds. My goal is to be at 165 by that time, which I know is pretty steep but I've made up my mind to do as much as I can to get as close as I can.

Since Jan 1, I've written down everything I've put in my mouth, at what time, and I wrote how I felt after eating. I haven't started to count the calories because I wanted to start listening to my body and eat only when I'm truly hungry, and stop eating when I'm full. I've cut out extraneous snacking, I've scaled back portions, and I allow myself a couple extra bites only occasionally.

Also, I've been following the 10 Pound Slimdown program and the videos are getting easier, I'm almost able to do all the high-impact cardio and strength moves and I only sometimes modify or go slower than tempo.

Together, these changes have made a big difference. For the first time, the bathroom scale I use at my mom's studio has finally budged.

I've lost nearly five pounds! I almost couldn't believe it, considering I had eaten almost a whole burrito from Chipotle not two hours prior to weighing myself - but it's true! According to that scale I'm at 185.5. Considering I had been holding steady at 190 between Halloween and New Years Eve last year, that's pretty damn impressive to me!

I wish I had before and after pictures of my arms, because they are looking more and more toned each week, and I can finally feel my calf muscles again!

All this makes me believe that, if I keep it up, I could possibly lose 15 more pounds. But I'll have to really watch calorie intake/output, eliminate liquid calories, up my cardio, and eat more vegetables.

Totally doable, I think. It'll take willpower, definitely, but if I want this I should just DO it. No excuses. Because the scale and the clothes don't lie, so if I want results I'm going to put in the effort.