So I said I was ready to get back committed to losing weight, but obviously I wasn’t. For the next few months I ate what I wanted, when I wanted, and gained a few more pounds. We did join a gym, and went several times a weeks for about a month. Then I started a new job and that stopped. Several weeks ago my husband and I both decided that we needed to make a change, not just because our clothes weren’t fitting well and we felt ‘blah’, but because we want to be healthy. We’re planning on having kids in a couple of years and I want to be as healthy as I can before I become pregnant. We want to be good influences on our kids and teach them how to make the right choices, which will be a lot easier if we start and maintain a healthier lifestyle now.

We decided to wait until after our anniversary trip (to Disney World) to start and the day we got back, we began a healthy meal plan. I found a company that delivers healthy, portioned, gourmet meals to your house. I got the 1200 calorie a day one and my husband got 1700 calories a day. We supplemented that with healthy snacks and began our new lifestyle. The food was good and the best part was that we didn’t have to think about it. It was delivered twice a week, we put it in the refrigerator and knew exactly what and when we were going to eat. We quickly got used to the portions and saw results quickly. After two weeks, we decided to implement our own meal plan. On Sundays we’ll cook 3-4 different healthy recipes. We’ll put them in single serving containers and eat those most days for lunch/dinner. We started that this week. On Sunday we made Banana-Oatmeal bread for breakfasts and Tamale Pie and Honey Broiled Pork Chops with Gorgonzola Cheese Grits on the side, all from Cooking Light. The food has been great and we’ve stuck to our plan for the week. I’ve been snacking a more at night, I think I may not be eating enough during the day. I’m snacking on fairly healthy things, sugar free popsicles, healthy popcorn, but I think I need to try to cut back on that and eat a little more during the day.

The next thing we’re going to do is start back going to the gym. The last day we went was the first day of my new job (almost two months ago!). We were going before work and I actually really enjoyed doing that. I’m definitely not a morning person, but once I got myself out of bed I was fine and it was great to know that I had already accomplished something. And I didn’t have to worry about going after work. It was like I just found an extra hour in the day. And since my husband and I were both going, we motivated each other to get up. My goal is to go 3 mornings during the week and once on the weekends. I’d like to start taking aerobics classes again, I’m just not sure if I’m in good enough shape to do them. I’ll probably stick to the elliptical machine and weights the first couple of weeks and work back up to classes.

I’m currently around 160 (down 7 pounds from 3 weeks ago, when we started!) and my husband is around 200 (down 9 pounds). I want to lose 15 more pounds and more importantly, feel good. My goal is to lose 10 pounds by the end of the year (I think that’s realistic in 2 ½ months, even given the holidays coming up!). That would be a great way to start the New Year.

So there you have my update and plan. My husband is going to be out of town this weekend, so I’m pretty much on my own Sunday. I already have a few things picked out to cook (jambalaya, white chicken chili) and I’ll look for one more in my Cooking Light magazines. I also plan to update this blog at least a few times a week (if not daily) to keep myself accountable.