Happy New Year - Bring It On!! =]

Today starts a new year, and with it come the changes. Funny thing, my hubby and I picked today to start our diets and budget, and then realized that it was January first! Not trying to be cliche, but our "new lives" start today! =] My hubs wants to run the Austin Capitol 10K, I believe it's the first weekend in April. And I'm setting my goal weights. Our anniversary is March 17th, my birthday is June 15th. I'm setting goals for those two dates, and then I want to be at my goal weight by the time my best friend graduates from college sometime in December. Unless, by some miracle, we get pregnant before then! =]

Goals for Me - 

Today's weight - 01/01/2014

261.8

Anniversary weight - 03/17/2014 

245.0

Birthday weight - 06/15/2014 

220.0

Halloween weight - 10/31/2014

200.0

Goal weight - 12/15/2014

180.0

Daily Calories -

 1650

Daily Carbs -

80 net

I'm going to continue the low carb, low calorie diet that I was on before the holidays. I did see real progress before I stopped eating healthy and gave in to holiday temptations! =] However, I'm not "giving up" sweets this time. Every other time I have dieted, I've completely given up all forms of sweets. And I think that made it a bit harder when I did "crack". So this time, I'm not going to set myself for that inevitable defeat. If I want to have a cookie, I can. But it still have to keep me under my calories AND carbs for the day. And since cookies are mainly sugar and flour, that won't happen all that often. 

-And for those of you who don't know, net carbs are a little different than the 'Total Carbohydrates' you see on the back of your food packaging. First, look at how many total carbs are in one serving. Then check how many total grams of FIBER are in one serving. Subtract the fiber from the carbs - that number is your net carbs per serving. I hope that makes sense! =]

I'm also going to be working on in some form every day. Unless I'm sick and can't leave my bed, I'll be lacing up my tennis shoes and doing anything to bring up my heart rate. I've talked to my boss about walking with my little guy at work for 30 minutes every day, weather permitting. I'm looking into exercise ball strength workouts to do at home, plus some workout videos online. And the hubs and I are looking into getting a treadmill for both of us. I'm not sure if that's something we'll buy today or not, but that's time in the house I could be walking without having to worry about the neighborhood and safety. =] I've never been a huge fan of the treadmill, but I'm actually pretty excited to get one! 

Also, with our new budget, we won't be eating out anymore. So that will make that part of dieting a little easier, no more worrying about where we can go out to eat and what those calories will be! I'm making my big grocery list today after my hubby gets home from work, and we'll be eating at home for the forseeable future! 

So, I've set my goals. I'll be tracking my progress here every Monday with my weigh-ins and updates. I'll also be tracking my weight, measurements and food on myfitnesspal.com - if you need a place to track your food intake and calories, check it out! It's FREE! =] I know it's not a full week, but my week one update will be on Monday. I'm excited to get started and make some progress!