Golly!

It seems like it's been forever since I've blogged! Did you miss me?

What's been going on? Well, things are slowing down. Instead of working more like I had been mentally preparing myself for in the last few weeks, I'm working less. Well, in June I will be working less. I was originally going to be working more starting in mid May, but decided I didn't really want to be spending half the day standing around. So I told my boss and he hired someone to pick up the extra hours. At first I felt guilty, because I easily could have done it. And it's pretty easy money. But I got over it. When the sun is shining and the day is beautiful (like today) the last thing I care about is making a few extra bucks. All I want is to be out enjoying it.

So that's the 411 on the work front.

I've set a goal for myself. A big scary one (not really). But the goal is to lose a pound a week. I set an end date for July 29th. If When I accomplish this goal, I should be 12 pounds lighter. That seems like a lot of weight for me to lose, but I've aimed a bit higher than necessary so I have some "wiggle" room. My first week (last week) went extremely well, as I was right on target, losing exactly ONE pound. Well 1.2 to be precise.

My weight gain over the past 6 months has been no mystery to me. I've added some muscle but also fat. And something I'm not very familiar with at all - belly fat! For the first time in, well, ever, I've got extra belly fat. Sure I've had a bit in the past, but over the course of my fitness loving years, my abs have always been the star. I have always loved my midsection. But due to the stress I've gone through, it's no wonder my belly is bigger. Stress tends to show itself on our bellies. So, I'm working to rid myself of it, not just for vanity, but for health. Belly fat is the most dangerous, and it has NO PLACE on my body!

I am able to attend Dance Fit 6 days a week now! They've added a Thursday evening at Courts since certifying new instructors recently. I'm thinking that if my passion for this class persists, I might have to get certified and teach myself *wink*. How fun would that be?!?! Also, Ripped 3 times a week gets me my fix of strength training. So if working out 9 hours a week doesn't get my pudge off, I guess I'll have to welcome my new belly flab as part of the aging process. Haha...NOT!

That's about all my news for now. My nutrition hasn't been clean for what seems like eons now, but I'm pretty much over beating myself up for not being "perfect" with it. Life happens and I'll just never be able to hold a perfectly clean eating style. It doesn't fit the other sides to my life. As long as I can keep myself from over indulging too often, I'm satisfied. Salad has been slowing working it's mojo on me and I like it more and more each week. I do have my little stash of dark chocolate that saves me from going crazy when I need a little treat. I find that it helps a LOT to just give in to the urge to have a chocolate (usually right after dinner is when it hits me the worst) instead of completely deprive myself. I keep a bag of individually wrapped chocolates on hand so if I need a sweet treat, it doesn't completely undo an entire day of good eating to have one or two.

I'm going to stay away from ice cream because it's got TONS of calories in just a tiny cup and is way too addicting. Even though it's summer and we tend to eat more in the warmer months, that is going to be my "no-no". With the exception of Tutti Frutti today. Thanks to my friend who informed me that today only, we can get a small size cup and fill it with as much as we want, load it with toppings, and it's only $4. BOOM! We are SO there!