All it Takes is One Year.

One year. Just one. That's all it's going to take. 


It's April 26th and in just 5 days, I'm starting a journey. A journey that I've started so many times and have never fully committed to finishing. But that stops in 5 days. I have a plan this time.


I'm 21 years old, am 5'1 and weigh 200lbs. Thankfully I don't look like I weigh as much as I do, but I definitely feel it. Especially lately. And I'm tired of feeling so heavy. So unattractive. So... fat. It hurts me that I've let myself get to this point. I used to be so good about my weight and staying at a relatively healthy weight and I'm not sure what happened. Life happened, I guess. I unfortunately have the bad luck of gaining weight when I'm stressed which.. for a university student, is more often than not. But I'm ready to change, and in 6 days, it's going to change. And I plan to change it in one year.


My goal? To weigh 130lbs. Even less would be great, but I'd be so happy at 130. That's only 70lbs. By following a 1300 calorie diet (at least for now) coupled with working out at least 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes a day, I know I can do it.


From May until the end of August, I plan to lose 30-35lbs. That's less than 10lbs a month, but I'm trying to be reasonable here and leave some room for a few days when I'll stray from my diet, ie. my birthday. But with a 1300 calorie diet, maybe even 1250, I can see this being done easily. So the goal by the end of August will be 165-170lbs. 


From September until the end of the year, I plan to lose an additional 20lbs. This is only 5lbs a month, but I know that the closer you get to your goal the harder it is to lose, and I need to account for plateaus I know I will encounter. The Christmas season will definitely factor into this, but I plan to at least maintain my weight. The goal by the end of the year is 145-150lbs.


From January until the end of April, I will lose the rest of the 15-20lbs. This will probably be the hardest stretch which is why I'm giving myself 4 months to do it. The home stretch... I almost can't wait!


I know there's the possibility that I could lose more and be well on my way to my goal, but I need to plan for plateaus and any slips that I have. I'm going to try my best to stay pretty true to this diet - it'll start at 1200-1300 calories a day and as I lose I'll adjust accordingly. I'm going to start by getting back into running - starting with one mile and then slowly increasing the distance. I also plan on walking or riding a bike to work most of the summer (also because gas is so expensive!) I'll update this blog once I start, and then hopefully once or twice a week on my progress, as well as recording my calorie intake & exercising routines, just to keep me on track. I find it so much easier to record things down - maybe seeing the progress right in front of my eyes will motivate me. And I'll post pictures hopefully when I see a little progress!


I will learn to love vegetables and fish and fruit. I will learn to love working out. And most of all, I will learn to love my body.


1 year. 365 days. Here we go.