FLABULOUS

LJ’s Plan

So what’s my plan to go from 233 (I’ve already lost 7 pounds, yay for me!) to a healthy, toned young lady? The Plan is this:

1. Quit the soda. I’ve been off soda successfully for 72 days. Can you believe it? Me, a soda addict off of soda for good? In the past I’d have 4+ sodas every single day but on January 1st 2008I quit cold turkey and haven’t looked back. They say a person can lose 15 pounds by quitting soda alone!

2. Water. My goal is to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, and 9 if I workout that day as you need more water to keep you hydrated and energized. So far I’m getting about 7-9 but I hope to always get 8 going forward. Previously I’d have 0-2 glasses of water a day. I know it’s crazy, but when did you think I was drinking the soda?

3. Fruit and veggies. I’m aiming for a total of 5 fruits and veggies a day. Of course the food pyramid wants me to have more but I’m striving for 5 right now. As with water I used to have 0-2 fruits and veggies a day. That’s like unheard of. So starting with a fruity breakfast and ending with a serving of veggies a day peppering the day with produce snacks has helped me get more and more in everyday.

4. Workouts! Eating healthy is GREAT and will get you far, but the real kicker is adding workouts to your healthy lifestyle. For me, an avid couch potato, 3 days of cardio and 2 days strength training will do. The combination of cardio and weight training is really important. Of course the cardio helps shed the fat (especially midsection fat I’ve read) but strength training builds muscle which builds up your metabolism and helps burn more calories when you work out.
5. The 5k. KJ and I are currently training for a 5k we plan to run walk in April. Every single Saturday, without fail, rain or SNOW we’ve been out there walking 3.2 miles. It might take us an hour (well 58 minutes) but we finish and we have so much fun. I actually look forward to waking up early on Saturdays and working my butt off now and that is incredibly unlike me.

This is my plan and these are my goals and I’m stickin’ to them!