#79 – Travel to visit Maggie at Ball State.

College was such a very long time ago.  Nine years in fact.  Life can change a lot in nine years, you know?  What I’m getting at here is that Dave and I are a bit removed from “college life”.

We spent last weekend visiting my sister Maggie at Ball State in Muncie, IN. It was great to visit with Maggie and see her in her “natural student habitat”.  While our days of dorm life, student councils, roommates, cramming for finals, sleeping-in late just to run to class in sweat pants without a shower are over, Maggie is still living the student life.

Maggie, enjoy being a student while it lasts.  Oh, and don’t worry, living like a student will not last forever!

#12 – Give up alcohol for Lent.

Last year, in the midst of planning a wedding, I gave up alcohol for Lent.

CRAZY, I soon found out!  Don’t worry, my fast from alcohol did not last long.  My mental stability and our wedding were both made possible by a slow, but steady supply of wine in the months leading up to the big day.

So, this year I gave up alcohol again.  With a few notable exceptions along the way (everyone knows that St. Patrick’s Day is not Lent), Dave and I both sobered up this year.

And now that Lent is over, I have a question for you.

Whatever you gave up for Lent, did you observe your fast on the Sundays during Lent?

Happy Easter!

#7 – Take a multivitamin everyday (90 days).

I promise not to bore you with the details of my vitamin regimen.

Conventional wisdom states that in order to break an old bad habit (or establish a new healthy one) you need to commit to not doing (or doing) whatever it is for 30 days.  In order to give myself a fighting chance of actually sticking to the healthy habit of taking a multivitamin everyday, I figured that I should triple the recommendation and force myself to do it for 90 days.

Old habits die hard.

#96 – Spend a lazy weekend day at the Art Institute of Chicago with Dave.

Is it still a Valentine’s Day date when you have to drag your husband (and yourself, for that matter!) out of bed early on a Saturday morning?

Well, that is exactly what we did.

We are members of the Art Institute.  This means that we can show up an hour before opening time and get into the Art Institute and all of the special exhibits free of charge.  We thought that we would be able to casually view the current Edvard Munch exhibit, taking our time and enjoying the exhibit as members.  Well, it turns out that there are a lot of other members.  We enjoyed the exhibit, but had to push our way through the crowds.

And much to my disappointment, they did not have The Scream - the painting, but only The Scream - the black and white lithograph.  I turned every corner in the exhibit looking for the painting, holding out hope until the end.  Dave gave up hope as soon as we saw the tiny little black and white lithograph.  Different versions of the painting have been stolen, damaged, put up for ransom and recovered by the Norwegian police.  So what?  I still thought it would be there.  And I had my expectations set pretty darn high after admiring The Scream – the 8 ft. tall inflatable doll at the touristy gift shop across the street.

The “lazy” part of this goal came after the Munch exhibit when we wandered around the museum, ate lunch and admired all of the great works of art that were closest to benches.

#53 – Take my lunch to work everyday, excluding client lunches (1 month).

#54 – Do not order dinner out (1 month).

Actually, these two have been pretty easy to stick to since I joined Weight Watchers.

I think I am over the initial shock of not having the convenience of eating out a lot.  I am getting better at planning ahead.  I am learning the new healthy things to stock the refrigerator with.  And I have only had to ask Dave to physically restrain me from ordering my favorite Thai take-out once.

The real challenge has been in eating out with clients for work.  We typically go to very expensive and fancy places.  You know, the kinds of places with white table cloths, where they keep pouring wine for you, the entrees cost $40 and the servers use those scrapers to remove the crumbs from your table.  Hey, clients love it.  I love it too!  Hmmm…come to think of it, I was a lot skinnier before I took this job.

Anyway, these meetings/meals usually last a couple of hours, and you can eat a lot of food in a couple of hours.  I have found it helpful to find the menu online before we go out.  If I can make a decision about what to eat before we sit down, I will stick to it.  I do not want to draw attention to myself by asking for steamed broccoli and baked chicken, when all the menu items are very fancy.  But most menus offer healthy choices if you look for them.  And I don’t have to eat everything that is served. 

Oh, and I have officially lost 10 lbs.

#72 – Take an exercise class and learn a type of exercising I have never tried before.

Picture me high.  That’s right…high as a kite.  Strung out.  Trippin’.  On the good stuff.

I have my eyes closed.  My head is relaxed.  My hands are up in the air, swaying this way and that to the music.  The band is awesome.  My hips are swinging.  Oh, it’s the 1960′s.  We are in New York….the very best part of New York…Upstate!  Who are all these wonderful people around me?  Wow, man, this is amazing.  I love you all.

Now, alter your vision of me ever so slightly.

I am not actually high, but don’t ask me to drive you home because we would totally get pulled over.  It is a Thursday evening in Chicago.  I am wearing gym clothes.  My eyes are closed.  My head is relaxed.  My hands are up in the air, swaying this way and that to the music.  My hips are swinging.  I am in a dance studio.  I am with my 10 new best friends.  We all paid money to dance like this.

This totally counts as #72 on my 101 in 1001 list.

And I am totally going back next week.  This was the best workout I have had in a long time.

No, seriously, I may not be able to walk tomorrow.

Two weeks into Weight Watchers, and things are going really well.  I was very happy to learn last Sunday that I lost 3 lbs. the first week and today I learned that I lost 2.5 lbs. the second week.

I feel great.  I have more energy.  I have much clearer skin, which is probably form the very large quantities of water that I have been drinking.  And I have not been left hungry at all on this diet.  I have focused on eating a lot of healthy foods including lean meats, fish, fruits and vegetables.  All of these things are relatively low on the Weight Watchers points scale, so I can eat enough to keep me full.

The most difficult part of the new diet has been getting into the habit of cooking healthy every day.  I am used to coming home from work and finding something in the refrigerator to make into a yummy dinner.  I have never planned ahead.  I have always shopped for groceries that I know make good ingredients and then made things happen in the kitchen.  And if the right ingredients were not there, I would pick up the phone and order out.  I am working on planning ahead more so that cooking healthy at home every day is easier.

Being on a diet has had some benefits in other areas of my life, including some of my 101 in 1001 goals.  Weight Watchers online program asks you to check off a box when you take a multivitamin every day (#7).  It sounds silly, but I need something like this to keep track of taking vitamins.  I can never remember if I actually took them or not.  Also I have been taking my lunch to work everyday (#53).  This helps me stay within my points, but saves money too.   And we have not ordered out once in the last two weeks (#54).

Dave has been dutifully eating all the yummy healthy food I have been cooking, and supplementing it with ice cream, candy and beer.  He has not lost any weight.

#8 – Get on a scale.

#9 – Set a realistic and healthy weight loss goal.

Damn.  Goal #8 was rough.

Confession – I had not been on a scale in at least three years.  It is the truth.  I knew that I had gained weight.  I knew that I was eating too much, drinking too much and not exercising enough.  I quit going to the gym regularly two years ago when I lost my front tooth in a bike accident.  I was wearing larger sizes.  I knew that I was overweight, I just did not know the number!

And while I knew that I was overweight, I always thought that I was eating fairly healthy food.  I avoid highly processed foods like nothing else.  I never ever eat fast food.  I love to cook…a lot!  And while I almost exclusively cook with natural, organic and unprocessed ingredients, those ingredients include butter, cheese, wine, bacon…all the very best stuff.

Last weekend I got on a scale, and knowing the number is a reality check.

Making the decision to set a weight loss goal is not so much about the number, but about leading a healthier life.  I want to live a long and active life.  I want to be available for my family and friends.  I want to reduce my risk for things such as cancer and diabetes.  And when Dave and I start our own family, I want to teach our children the fundamentals of living a healthy lifestyle.  You can not preach, however, what you do not practice.  And I have proven, by three years without getting on a scale, that I need to know the number to keep things in check.  It is one thing to say that I am being healthy by eating natural food, but I need an external gauge to let me know if I am right or wrong.

I also need structure in a weight loss program.  I need to relearn the discipline of making daily choices that are really healthy, not just natural, and I need a way to measure the process and the progress.

So, the big news is that I have joined Weight Watchers.  My goal is to be at a weight of 150 lbs.  (You would be crazy if you thought I would post my starting weight on the internet!)  I was at 150 lbs. just over three years ago, and this number would put me back in a very healthy weight range for my height.

I have signed up for their online program, instead of going to their traditional meetings.  This will provide the structure that I need, while fitting easily into my busy schedule.  Basically, I keep track of the foods that I eat on a daily basis and work to keep my food intake within a certain point range.  I also keep track of my daily activities and earn points towards food with various exercises.  I weigh myself every week.  The Weight Watchers website provides a wealth of recipes and tips for keeping within your points.  While you are allowed to eat anything on the program, making the choice to eat an apple (1 point) instead of a slice of pizza (9+ points) keeps you better within your daily and weekly point goals and starts the process of making healthier lifelong choices.

I have been on the program for a couple days now, and things are going well.  I have enjoyed the challenge of cooking healthier, while still making things taste good.  I have been surprised by tracking my food exactly how many calories I am used to eating.  And by making better lower fat choices, I have not been left hungry.

As you may imagine, this has not been an easy choice to make and has been an emotional issue.  Dave has been amazingly supportive through this decision process.  He has been by my side and willing to talk through all of this.

Based on last night’s dinner, however, I do believe Dave draws the line at cooked spinach!

Wish me luck.

#20 – Insure my engagement ring and our wedding bands.

I am on a roll getting things on the 101 in 1001 list done.  At this rate, I will be done in…well, you do the math.

Or I am just focusing on the things that I can do downtown on a lunch break…hmmm.

I need a big project.