New Year, New Plan, Same Me

As much as I try not to get hyped on the "new year new me" I'm human and it gets me.  However, this year I'm trying to approach is slightly differently.  New Year, a new plan but the same me.  The idea being I'm trying to focus on the fact that it's not ME that there's something wrong with, it's my plan(s) of attack.  You know how "hope is not a strategy"?  For as much as that is true failure to plan is, in fact, a plan.  Honestly I think I was a bit burnt out.  I had done so well and then hit a road block that took literally months to get past and when I finally did, not only was in my WW one year anniversary but it was the holidays.  There are some things on the personal front that aren't so hot, and I found myself escaping to food which is not at all surprising.  But here's the thing.  I totally gave myself permission.  Whether or not I should have doesn't matter.  I had just had enough though.  I was tired, worn out and weary from life.  I didn't throw in the towel, but I most certainly threw it in the laundry to freshen it up.

The clock struck midnight and I (quite literally) ate myself sick.  I'm sure it won't be the last time in my life I do it, but as I lay there in bed in the wee small hours of January 1 pondering where my life was taking me I welcomed the atrocious indigestion as a sort of self inflicted punishment/reminder of where I'm at. 

At 41 I'm not the heaviest I've ever been (that was a year ago) but I'm damned close.  I've spent over $750 on WW which is a program I believe in, but one that I haven't been true to and have suffered the (lack of) consequences. My hip and back hurts, and sometimes my knees ache.  I don't necessarily FEEL fat and out of shape but I also know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if when I get this weight off I'll suddenly realize what I was missing. 

While vanity absolutely plays a reason (always has, always will) I've found that as of late I'm more concerned about words like "knee replacement".  Quite frankly, if I can prevent illness I suddenly want to since it's now more and more likely the older I get.  I will also admit that I heard myself on some instastories lately and I was very breathy.  There was not reason for me to be, except for the elephant in the room that is my weight.  I had become that person.  I see photos of me from right after Kate was born and I think "damn I wish I looked that good" and I was postpartum.  I mean, who says that?
Me, that's who.  Anyway aside from admitting that I haven't been following WW plan like, at all I decided up the ante and officially join Beachbody on demand.  I had liked it well enough when I did the 14 day trial, but the bigger help was the accountability groups.  I CRAVE affirmation.  I need it.  I need to be able to post progress even if I don't get any attaboys.  I had been a part of a good one last summer but by the second round everyone sort of dwindled off.  I have been following the best friend of an old friend and coworker of mine for a while.   She's a coach and honestly there was a combination of curiosity and voyeurism ha!   I wanted to see if she really stuck to it or if she was fly by night.  I followed her for over a year and then in the last 6 mos began to really dig in.  See, if I'm going to join a program and fall under someone at that someone is going to get "credit" I'm damn sure going to be certain they are the right person. 

Brooke, bless her, has answered my questions and patiently prodded me.  She's got this way about her that makes me answer my own questions--like when she asked me last night what my plan for my workout was.  I told her I was trying to figure out when and before I knew it was committing to doing it at 5:00am.  Which I did.  #shocker. 

This isn't an "I'm back" post.  I never went anywhere.  But it is a new approach post. One thing that I have always known is that planning is key, and writing it out helps me which is how I started this dang thing in the first place.  For now my first plan is the next 21 days.  I'm all in and then (God willing) we'll see some results and I'll figure out the next steps from there.  I know this is a lifetime thing--I'll always struggle-but I like the idea of a 21 day all in goal to see what changes I'll make.  Then I'll work on some longer term "keystone" changes but one thing at a time.

If you've found your way here, I thank you.

Admittedly not a great angle but almost on purpose.  Taken NYE this is how I FEEL.   A big lump.