Dear buddyslimers!
As the year comes to a close, we must take a look back and see where we have been, take pride in taking positive steps to improve our health and overall well-being. Most importantly we must look to the future, and set our goals for the upcoming year.
Those of you who are on my buddylist and those of you who have read my blog know about the wonderful idea Keri had...to write out our goals for 2007, and more importantly, to design a plan (a roadmap if you will) to guide us to our final destination. You would never go on a cross-country trip without a map, now would you?
It is equally important that we describe WHY we want to achieve said goal(s) and also what our REWARD will be.
Now...I have offered to be your accountability buddy, but if you have someone you are especially comfortable with, then buddy-up and check-in with one another on either a monthly, weekly or daily basis. So far, I have printed Keri's 2007 "to do" list and I will be checking in on her from time to time.
So without further ado, I will now post my goals for 2007, the roadmap I will follow, the reasons why I am seeking my goal and the icing on the cake--the reward. I invite you all to do the same.
Cheers to a successful 2007!

My goals for 2007 are as follows:
1. Weight-loss. I will break my weight-loss into 10% increments. My first 10% goal is a 23 lbs. loss. In order to achieve my goal, I will track my food everyday (good or bad), I will drink at least 6 glasses of water per day, I will eat my minimum servings of fruits, vegestables & dairy, I will also exercise at least 3 days per week and take my daily multi-vitamin. In addition to the aforementioned steps, I will also blog on a regular basis here at buddyslim. I will monitor my progress by weighing-in at least once per week. On the 22nd of every month, I will take my measurements and take a picture to see my progress, which I will then report to you, my faithful buddies. There are many reasons why I want to lose weight, besides the obvious--health, I want to feel good about myself. I want to live my life without feeling a prisoner in my own body. Once I reach my first 10% goal, I will reward myself with a new wardrobe! Yeah me!!
2. Money. I want to save 3 months\' worth of salary. In order to do this, DH & I will transfer $312.50 from each of our paychecks on the 15th & 30th of every month. The reason I want to do this, is because I want financial stability, I want to avoid the stress that financial worries brings into our lives and oftentimes, spill over into our marriage. Having a savings of 3 months\' worth of our salaries, and the peace of mind this will bring, will be a reward in and of itself! Sigh! I can\'t wait!
3. Marathons/Charity. This year, I will run at least 3 marathons, Los Angeles, San Diego and a a third and very important one---an AIDS Marathon (not sure where though). I want to raise $1,500 before I sign up, so that I don\'t feel overwhelmed when the training programs starts in June. I don\'t have a road plan for this yet, but I know that my buddies and I will put our heads together and find a way to raise money. The reason I want to run an AIDS Marathon is because I feel very strong about the cause. Unlike a lot of other diseases out there, AIDS still carries a stigma among our world\'s population. There are people out there, who still believe that people afflicted with this disease have asked for it, by being irresponsible and that is just not so. My reward for achieving this goal is knowing that by raising money for AIDS research and for AIDS organizations, I have helped a little, my life would\'ve served a purpose. My reward will be raising the money and crossing that finish line. Oh yeah and another shiny medal to add to my collection! :-)
And last but not least...
4. Decluttering. Cleaning house. Through the years, I have collected useless things, and they often wear me down, emotionally and physically. I have also collected draining relationships, high-maintance ones...people who drain my spirit and my well-being. My roadmap to cleaning house is to pick project per week and work on it a little at a time. I will start with my bedroom, ridding myself of shoes I no longer use, clothes that no longer fit....I will do the same with the bathroom, my DS\'s room and so on and so forth. Every other week, I will either go to a thrift shop to drop off the things I no longer want/need until I am done with the material clutter in my life. The other clutter, the emotional, personal, social one, will be a little more difficult, but for starters I will put my foot down when it comes to extended-family matters. I will rid myself of the sense of obligation that makes me miserable. The reason for cleaning house, is again, so I can reduce the stress in my life and lead a healthier, happier life. My reward will be a less messy house and a healthier emotional life.
Now buddies....HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE!!

Ok, I\'ll give this a shot!
1. My first goal is get down to 300 lbs by Memorial Day. To some people, that may not seem like a lot (only about 6 lbs a month) but to me it is. With my physical limitations, I have to do it mostly by controlling what I eat. But hopefully, by the time I get to 300, I\'ll be able to be more physically active. To do this, I will watch what I eat. I will eat only when I\'m hungry, and then only til I feel satisfied. I will drink all my water and try to get in all my fruits and veggies, plus take my vitamin every day.
Once I reach that goal, I will have to go shopping cuz all my clothes will be falling off of me!
And, after Memorial Day, I will work on the next 30 lbs. So, I\'m shooting for a total of 60 lbs for the year.
2. I will continue to walk as much as possible, whenever possible. If I\'m able to increase without causing me a lot of pain, I will.
3. I will continue to try to give everybody as much support and encouragement as I possibly can. I may not have the best advice, and if I\'m hurting or feeling bad, my words may not sound as sincere, but believe me, they will be, so read my words and think about the way the real me would say them.
4. Micheal and I have decided that at least once every month, we will buy a toy to give to Toys for Tots. We\'ll make a trip to the fire department once every month or two to leave the toys there. We\'re also going to buy extra groceries at least once a month to drop of at the food pantry. We can easily afford to do this. We thought about just giving the money to our kids, but we gave them money for Christmas this year and never got so much as a \'thank you\' from a single one of them, so we figure this way would be much more appreciated. Now mind you, we\'re not doing it for the \'thank yous\'. We\'re doing it because we want to. But we\'re going to give it where it will really be appreciated.
So right now, those are my goals for 2007. Anybody want to hold me accountable?

Just as an addendum...I\'ve never stuck my neck out and made goals for myself like this before, so this is a big step for me.

² I will reach my weight loss goal this year.

At some point…When is not HUGELY important to me, only that I do…But my target is May 13^th. My goal weight is kind of up in the air, and I am kind of playing that by ear…The charts say 131 for me…I haven’t been 131 since I was 12…I don’t really want to be…I am leaning towards 145-150, and will see how I feel when I get there…I don’t care what the so called experts say, I only care how I feel…This is roughly 35 pounds in 4 ½ months. This is a reasonable goal.
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² I will find a job that interests me and provides a passion for me.

Now…Here is a little known fact…I switched jobs twice in 2006…Which was rather odd, seeing how I had been at my last job for over 7 years…But I took one giant leap of faith that didn’t quite work out for me…And landed right in the unemployment line in June…After 7 weeks and 23 interviews, I landed my current job…Its not horrible, by any means, its just not what I want to do for the rest of my life…
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² I will first and foremost, take care of myself this year and make myself “right”.

Okay…This is a hard one to break down…You see, for the better part of the last three years I have been the one to “take care of things”…WHY? First, it’s in my nature. I am a take charge, decision making person…Second, I do have a very hard shell with a very soft core, and if there is a sad story around, I will fall for it…See,I am one of those folks who believes everyone is WONDERFUL until you prove me wrong…The other reason, in the case of my parents, I was the only daughter around to do so…>>
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>>So for the better part of the last three years I have taken care of my father, my mother, and I volunteered weekly at the Humane Society and took care of the abandon animals…Adopted a couple of pets that I really didn’t have room or money for…I helped my friends when needed, helped extended family members when needed…Yep. I did my best for many years to be that person…>>
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But I need a break…I think I have kind of earned one…I no longer feel that need to be all to everyone…I feel the burning desire deep in my soul to take care of ME…To nurture myself, my thoughts, my feelings, my passion…I will be 35 years old this year, and due in large part to my weight loss, I want to live the life I have missed for over 15 years…Because I was trapped in a body that didn’t fit me…>>
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Now that my body fits better, I want my life to fit better too…>>

[FONT=\"Arial,]\"Now that my body fits better, I want my life to fit better too…\"[/font]
[FONT=\"Arial,]Dawn, that comment really made me think - going on this journey really does instill a great deal of confidence, and that can help us take risks and make changes in other areas of our lives that might need work too. Cheers to you and an awesome 2007![/font][FONT=\"Arial,]
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Wonderful inspiration from all of you - thank you for sharing. Like Mary, I have never been part of anything like a challenge, so this is unchartered territory for me. I am nervous about failing, but I know you guys would give a lot of support, so here are my \'07 goals:
-Balance my checkbook at least once a week
Doing that holds me accountable for impulse shopping and I can see whether or not I can splurge on something. I would really love to be more responsible and save a little money so I can afford weekend driving trips around the midwest.
-Lose 30 pounds by Memorial Day
I need to be more strict with my diet and make my work-out efforts really really count for something in the pounds area (as opposed to inches lost, and improved health and mental well-being). I will do this by journaling my food every day and being as honest as possible, and holding off on pastries and all things chocolate. Also, no more fastfood, and that includes Popeyes. Ugh - don\'t even get me started on how utterly gross I felt after finding out I had consumed over 50g of fat in one McD\'s lunch this past weekend...no mas!
-I need to be more confident and be more social
I am a shut-in, I am in my apartment every weekend and do not socialize and meet new people. From now on, when I get invited to an event, I will not fear making a fool of myself for first impression, I will simply go. No more fake excuses, I need to enjoy my 20s before they are gone. I am great once I am at a place with or without one drink, but it is getting there, and the initial entrance that terrifies me somehow. Twice I have gone out with the intention of going to a lounge (that I have been to before!), but kept walking by because it was so busy and I was intimidated. The next time I head out to make it to this place, I will force myself to walk in and get a drink.
So - here\'s to us stepping up to the plate and going for our goals!

Jessica - Just as long as that plate we\'re stepping up to isn\'t full of cookies!!!!!

Are you guys gonna post your updates on these goals once in a while? Ok, me first. I have been logging in (truthfully) all of my food since Jan. 2nd. So far, so good about that (but I caved in and ate three tacos yesterday - I have to say that veggie tacos are pretty damn good though!). And I am currently having coffee sans donut! I get it at a student cafe, so it is cheap, and I always use to get a donut, but not today! I am also going to try to set up a meeting with a personal banker next week to go over my finances and come up with a plan to pay debt. The other day, I took my box full of 3 yr old receipts, bank statements, bills, etc. and organized EVERYTHING into folders. I now have over 5 folders that correspond to tax information, student loans, credit cards, etc. in chronological order so I can be more organized for my finances. Also, next week, I plan on attending a get-together so I can be more social.

Wow Jessica, you are being true to your word--what an inspiration and yes, I will come back on here and report my progress as well as check-in on everyone else\'s!! Woo hoo!! You are on a roll....don\'t lose momentum girl!! You\'re doing great!!