Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Day 342: Ode to Austin (via Progress Pics), 3.5 miles, Goal Chat!

Today is Austin’s birthday – the 21-year-old boy I met in college is now my 29-year-old husband who I love just as much as I did when my 19-year-old sophomore self met him and began dating him. Happy Birthday to Austin – and a shout out on his AMAZING progress. This boy was just supporting me – sure I’ll join a gym if you do, sure I’ll eat whatever you make…and like it and help and not complain. He quickly lost weight and before we knew it he was down 35 pounds. He looks just like the boy I met - even grew out his frat boy hair! Hehe Anywho – here’s some before and afters from February 2008 to May 2009 (both in tuxes to help see the difference!). I’m SO proud of him – but of course I loved him with or without the 35 pounds and think he’s the cutest person I know. Duh.




Anywho – sorry for the lovefest here – on to my day! Yesterday was a great day! I got lots done at work, had productive meetings and it kind of flew by (sweet!). I did have a work lunch though so of course I overate. Why can’t I be trusted in restaurants? Grrrr. After lunch me and Stacy headed over to the gym for a quick 3.5 miles, then I headed to Brandsmart to buy Austin’s birthday gift! I wanted to get him a beverage chiller for his man room the upstairs den. I knew exactly what I was looking for – glass front, shelves not wine racks, European Bar Pull handle, stainless steel, cold enough for beer, etc. So of course, I couldn’t find it. After leaving Brandsmart I hit up a Lowe’s and then I found it at Home Depot… but the guy working there wasn’t helpful – another customer and his wife ended up helping out and I left happy with a 100-pound fridge (so much for taking it upstairs, filling it with beer and surprising him. Boo. I DID get it to the garage though – woo! And unpacked it – still need to put a bow on it!


Once the fridge was ready, it was time for Drop Dead Diva, Make it or Break it and Time Traveler’s Wife – woo! I ended up at 1,849 calories, 204 carbs, 55 fat grams and 102 carbs. Here’s what I ate. Still slightly disgusted that I ate SO MUCH at lunch…. Bread/butter… salmon/potatoes/asparagus… pie. Grrr. I wasn’t even kind of hungry until 8! Maybe one day I’ll be able to keep my ordering in check at restaurants. Boo.

So, as far as goals, let's start with a funny to help put things in perspecitve....

hehe Okay, for reals now.... I started setting goals in the beginning; I really just wanted to be accountable. I know myself and if it's not written down - if i can't "cross it off my list" and mark it as "done" it's just not as satisfactory. At first my goals were all about weight/nutrition/cardio - and they were ALL measureable. I personally can't work with goals that say "walk more" or "eat less." Mine have to be "walk 84 miles/month or 21 miles/week," "don't exceed 1,750 calories 20 days per month, etc.). I need numbers and I need a start and stop (the beginning of the month/the end of the month). I also need to see them - I post them on my blog - can't miss them and helps me stay on track. Later, after I started losing, i realized I didn't just want to be thinner. I wanted to do things I love to do - make reading a priority, make doing things around the house a priority, cooking, etc. So I began adding 'human interest' goals in addition to my weight loss/nutrition/cardio goals.

So I guess for me, goals need to be:

  1. Written down - so I can have a constant reminder of what I said I wanted to do!

  2. Measureable - numbers, numbers, numbers so I can benchmark and show progress.

  3. Timely - I have to have a start and stop time. I'd never say - i'm going to make 20 recipes. Um, when? By August 31. Done - now I have a "deadline" - and I can monitor as the month goes on.

  4. Well-rounded - not just about losing X many pounds or walking X many miles, also cooking X many recipes and reading X many books!

  5. Attainable - i'm all for goals I can achieve. I'd never say i'm going to read 5 books in one month. I won't! But.... if I see 2 books getting "easy," i'll try for 3! I'm also not afraid to break a goal down. If i want to lose 20 pounds, i broke it out over months. My goal is walk 1,000 miles this year, so it was broken over months, weeks even, this makes it more attainable.

  6. Realistic - like attainable, you want to set goals you're capable of achieving. Who can lose 20 pounds in a month? Not me. Who wants to have 15 goals and not meet any because the bar is unrealistically high? How discouraging! Look at where you are and start small - then build up from there!

  7. Detailed - This is hard for me. For instance, I had a goal as "Research CFW (crap free weeks." It was a bit too high level for me. Instead, I should have said read an article from 3 different sources about CFWs and by the end of the month determine if it's for me. This is specific enough to make it actionable. Another one I failed on because it wasn't detailed enough: "Work on Wedding Album." I should have said "Start and complete 5 pages in my wedding album by the end of the month." Seems less daunting and it's specific enough so i'll know when i've achieved it.

  8. Fun! This may sound rediciulous, but they need to be fun - things you WANT to do. They can't all be things you HAVE to do or 'chores.' I think you should honestly, on some level, look forward to achieving all of your goals, but some need to be fun and they ALL need to be for you - to better yourself, to try something you haven't before, etc.

I think the most important thing about goals i've learned in my last 11 months of setting/tracking/assessing goals is that you won't get it all done. You just won't. But you WILL form great habits, learn new things (that you may or may not like!), feel better about yourself and feel more focused. K - that's my goal chat! I hope you don't think i'm some weird goal-oriented freak now. hehe Happy Hump Day!!

27 comments:

Thinspired said...

Happy Birthday Austin! What an awesome gift. My hubby would kill for one of those!
I agree, I like goals that can be quantifed somehow!
And yay for SparkFriends :)

Unknown said...

whoa awesome goal settings!!! i wish i was brave enough to post everything on a blog but i havent had the courage to start!! as of now im just using spark people. im dying to get out of the 123s :( it seems like maybe its bc im barely breaking 1000 cals?? anyways! happy bday to austin!!! my hubby would kill for one of those!!

Big Pissy said...

Austin has done amazingly well! Good job! :) It has always impressed me: the way he eats whatever, helps cook, never complains....his Mama raised him right. ;-)

Love how you explained your goal-setting. Very easy to understand and you seem MUCH less like a goal-oriented freak now. hee hee!

Love you!

Hug?

~Mom

Erica said...

Happy Birthday to Austin! That is so awesome that he lost all that weight- looking fabulous!

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday to Austin. I was reading what you look for in your goals and it sounds very similar to what I teach in my goal setting course... make your goals SMART

S= specific (I think you used detailed)
M= measurable
A= attainable
R= realistic
T= time specific

So now you have a cute way to say it :-)

Anne said...

Happy Birthday Austin and great job with the weight loss!

Thanks for sharing the ideas behind your goals. I am just starting to set mine up and this helps a ton.

Anonymous said...

He looks great. I actually have a question about that.

I am trying to get Jason to eat better and get into better shape. He will, for the most part, eat what I eat for dinner, but during the day, he gets Moe's, Chinese Food, etc. I guess I'm just interested in what Austin did when you weren't around.

Mica said...

Happy birthday to Austin. He looks great!

And your gift is perfect--what a lucky guy!

mom2boys said...

Ran across your blog from another blog. I love that you keep yourself accountable. Thank you for being brave enough to do that. I also am 5'3" and 115 and enjoyed looking at your blog. Good luck and thanks for sharing! :-)

Taylor said...

Happy Birthday to your hubby!

Your goals are impressive! Those are great, and you have given me some great ideas for my own goals!

Therese said...

Isn't it crazy how much we change in those years?? My hubbie has been with me since I was 18! That's a great gift, but since the big TV is in our living room the hubbie spends most his time out there. I am NOT about to give him a fridge for next to the couch...he would never get up!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

Austin has done an awesome job! And you have done a great job by "making" him support you... Haha. I love the gift! I'm sure he loves it too! By the way, Happy Birthday, Austin!

I love all of your goal setting strategies. Great job!

She-Fit said...

Happy Birthday Austin!
Great goals by the way! Good luck. Looking forward to reading about your progress to thee goals

Julie said...

That beer cooler looks fun! It is great that your husband embraced your journey as well! How did you get those side-bars with your goals on your blog? I am sure it is pretty simple but I can't seem to figure it out! I had written some goals of my own in an early blog and would like to be able to see them everyday.

Anonymous said...

You and your husband look GREAT! Yeah you need to try the Green Monsters, you will be hooked! I was surprised at how filling they are. I tried to make my little 6 year old sister a "Green Milkshake" but she didn't really go for it..lol

Paige@ Running Around Normal said...

Aww Austin looks so handsome! :) Nice goals, too, chica.

angieinatlanta said...

Great gift idea!

You win the cool wife award!

Anonymous said...

Jared wants a man room, too! I bought him an electric guitar for his birthday, so between that and his xBox, he should be happy!

Anonymous said...

I just found your blog. I love it! Congrats on making such great progress to lose that weight and keep it off. You really give some great pointers about setting goals and keeping them very visible. I need to do the same thing. Thanks for the inspiration! And happy b-day to your darling husband (DH)!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday to Austin! I'm jealous of his gift. It's so useful!

And the very best luck to you and your goal!

fittingbackin said...

Thinspired: Thanks!! He really liked it - woo!! Yes, quantified goals work for me!! Yay!!

Jennifer: Thanks so much! haha I know what you mean, guess i'm just okay with not getting them all!! whoa!! That's not a lot of cals (for me) - i'd be such a meanie!! Thanks, girl!

Pissy: He has! Yes- he's a sweet boy! haha oh good! LOL Hug!

Erica: Thanks, girl!!

SLJ: Thanks so much! SMART goals - that definitely covers 5 of mine for sure!! Thanks!

Anne: Thank you - oh np, i never really thought about it before so i'm glad a few bloggies asked me!

Inmytummy: Thanks! Well we cook breakfast, lunch and dinner, and get out all snacks, so even when i'm not there he's eating like me if you will. Our serving sizes are equal when we cook, so he always gets an extra banana and an extra PB&J. He, like me, only goes out to lunch at most once/week, usually once every 2 weeks. Hope this helps explain!

Mica: THanks, girl! He loved it - yay!

Mom2Boys: Thanks for stopping by - we're total size twins! (that sounded less lame in my head!)

Taylor: Thanks, girl! Can't wait to see what you come up with. :)

Therese: I know!! Love it - it's been fun growing up with him during college and the crazy early 20's, getting our first jobs, first cars, home, etc. Kinda crazy!! haha I know what you mean - well right now the biggest TV is in that den so... i'm like whateva. haha It's supposed to be the one that's getting mounted above the mantle by the pool table this fall - we'll see!

Andrea: Thanks haha! It did kind of work out like that. He's (clearly) the laidback one in our twosome. He balances me out!! Thanks!

She-fit: Thank you!! I'm working on it!

Julie: He did and not to be a ginormous cheezeball but it made all of the difference in the world having him on my page (i would have gotten jealous if he was going to PF Chang and out for pizza!!) haha To add the bars: I just chose a template that had a column and then i went to layout>edit>add gadget>text box> and copied/pasted them in. If you want 3 columns let me know and i'll send you the code I used!

Carrie: Thanks, girly! I think i'm going to give in this weekend... maybe today... eek! I've got everything on hand. I'm just a big scaredy cat. haha a green milkshake?! how cute!

Paige: Thanks, chica! :)

Angie: Aw - i'm so telling him you said that!! hehe

IrunIsweat: ooooh those sound like musts. Austin is quite a fan of his 360. The man room was recent - he was fine in the den for YEARS. :)

Jacey: Welcome! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a note. I know it seems silly but if I didn't have goals I just know I wouldn't feel like i'd accomplished as much- i'm just big on putting them out there, giving me something to stack up against, and then trying harder the next month (or not... sometimes life gets in the way!). Thanks! DH had a great b-day!

Burpandslurp: Thanks!! Oh yes- I hope he recognizes that there will be some Propels and Figis in there for me! (i usually buy these as one-offs but now that we have an upstairs fridge i want them around) i'm so weird. Thanks - i'm going to need it!!

fittingbackin said...

Thinspired: Thanks!! He really liked it - woo!! Yes, quantified goals work for me!! Yay!!

Jennifer: Thanks so much! haha I know what you mean, guess i'm just okay with not getting them all!! whoa!! That's not a lot of cals (for me) - i'd be such a meanie!! Thanks, girl!

Pissy: He has! Yes- he's a sweet boy! haha oh good! LOL Hug!

Erica: Thanks, girl!!

SLJ: Thanks so much! SMART goals - that definitely covers 5 of mine for sure!! Thanks!

Anne: Thank you - oh np, i never really thought about it before so i'm glad a few bloggies asked me!

Inmytummy: Thanks! Well we cook breakfast, lunch and dinner, and get out all snacks, so even when i'm not there he's eating like me if you will. Our serving sizes are equal when we cook, so he always gets an extra banana and an extra PB&J. He, like me, only goes out to lunch at most once/week, usually once every 2 weeks. Hope this helps explain!

Mica: THanks, girl! He loved it - yay!

Mom2Boys: Thanks for stopping by - we're total size twins! (that sounded less lame in my head!)

Taylor: Thanks, girl! Can't wait to see what you come up with. :)

Therese: I know!! Love it - it's been fun growing up with him during college and the crazy early 20's, getting our first jobs, first cars, home, etc. Kinda crazy!! haha I know what you mean - well right now the biggest TV is in that den so... i'm like whateva. haha It's supposed to be the one that's getting mounted above the mantle by the pool table this fall - we'll see!

Andrea: Thanks haha! It did kind of work out like that. He's (clearly) the laidback one in our twosome. He balances me out!! Thanks!

She-fit: Thank you!! I'm working on it!

Julie: He did and not to be a ginormous cheezeball but it made all of the difference in the world having him on my page (i would have gotten jealous if he was going to PF Chang and out for pizza!!) haha To add the bars: I just chose a template that had a column and then i went to layout>edit>add gadget>text box> and copied/pasted them in. If you want 3 columns let me know and i'll send you the code I used!

Carrie: Thanks, girly! I think i'm going to give in this weekend... maybe today... eek! I've got everything on hand. I'm just a big scaredy cat. haha a green milkshake?! how cute!

Paige: Thanks, chica! :)

Angie: Aw - i'm so telling him you said that!! hehe

IrunIsweat: ooooh those sound like musts. Austin is quite a fan of his 360. The man room was recent - he was fine in the den for YEARS. :)

Jacey: Welcome! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a note. I know it seems silly but if I didn't have goals I just know I wouldn't feel like i'd accomplished as much- i'm just big on putting them out there, giving me something to stack up against, and then trying harder the next month (or not... sometimes life gets in the way!). Thanks! DH had a great b-day!

Burpandslurp: Thanks!! Oh yes- I hope he recognizes that there will be some Propels and Figis in there for me! (i usually buy these as one-offs but now that we have an upstairs fridge i want them around) i'm so weird. Thanks - i'm going to need it!!

angieinatlanta said...

Great gift idea!

You win the cool wife award!

Paige@ Running Around Normal said...

Aww Austin looks so handsome! :) Nice goals, too, chica.

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

Austin has done an awesome job! And you have done a great job by "making" him support you... Haha. I love the gift! I'm sure he loves it too! By the way, Happy Birthday, Austin!

I love all of your goal setting strategies. Great job!

mom2boys said...

Ran across your blog from another blog. I love that you keep yourself accountable. Thank you for being brave enough to do that. I also am 5'3" and 115 and enjoyed looking at your blog. Good luck and thanks for sharing! :-)

inmytummy said...

He looks great. I actually have a question about that.

I am trying to get Jason to eat better and get into better shape. He will, for the most part, eat what I eat for dinner, but during the day, he gets Moe's, Chinese Food, etc. I guess I'm just interested in what Austin did when you weren't around.