So it’s been one week since my declaration to start dropping some pounds. Talk is good, but action is quite another thing. I have found that I really like making plans, but I’m not always very good at follow through.

So I thought I’d start checking in with you guys on Fridays to let you know how my weight loss journey is going – maybe the knowledge that I am holding myself somewhat accountable to you will encourage me to make more smart decisions than tasty ones? It’s worth a shot anyway.

So I hopped back on that evil scale this afternoon and the bad news is  that I haven’t lost any weight. But the good news is I haven’t gained any either – which is good enough for me for this week. I’ve been on an upward spiral lately so it’s good to see I’ve at least behaved enough to do no further damage.

DIET

I will admit, I haven’t entirely behaved. I’ve had a few moments of weakness. But I’ve had some successes, too. One thing I’ve noticed is that on the nights when I have my photography class, I don’t have any snacks when I get home – mostly because it’s getting late. But where nighttime snacking is often my worst enemy, it’s pretty obvious that part of this stems from being bored, sitting on the couch and watching tv. Finding other things to do – whether it’s something to keep my hands busy WHILE we watch tv or watching tv less often – should be a big help in me keeping my calories down.

I also gave up coffee during the week to reduce my sugar intake. And while this helped, I did find myself turning to chai tea is a substitution most days which has almost half the sugar of coffee. So I suppose it’s only a half improvement.

I’m still trying to find the perfect breakfast – and I still find myself breaking down and having more junk food either during the day or at night every other day or so, as I get quickly tired of “eating healthy” – I’m going to need to find a compromise here that I can live with.

EXERCISE

On the exercise front, I have started using my new bike but quickly found how embarrassingly out of shape I am – 5 minutes on the thing and I’m exhausted. The key here will be to not get discouraged and just keep doing it every day anyway, trying to add on an extra minute each time until I build up better endurance.

One other factor in my way is the dreaded Monday early release when my son gets home early and this somehow manages to throw off my routine to the point where I never get that workout in.

I also try to walk a mile or two with friends ideally three days a week, but this often turns into one day a week. I’d also like to find a strength training routine to add to my workout and find a way to sneak myself into being more active in general.

Anyone else trying to lose weight right now? Successes or set backs this week? Leave your comments, suggestions and commiserations in the comments section below.