Let the madness begin!

Tough stuff.

So one priority of March Madness is getting my butt back into shape. I have come up with a list of criteria that I am following for the next 31 days:

1. Exercise 5-6 times a week
2. Drink 2 liters of water a day
3. Eat healthy. Lots of fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken
4. Avoid white carbs (whole wheat only)
5. No soda
6. No snacking after dinner
7. Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep a night
8. Dessert and/or alcohol only twice a week.

We all know what is going to be the hardest for me.

While I know I am not fat, I am probably at my most overweight that I have been in a long time. Everyone gave me a hard time about eating cake once a day in Europe, but honestly, I don't think that is what did me in. Every time I ate sweets in Europe, I would sit down and really enjoy it, and I often substituted dessert for lunch. Then I would spend the rest of the day walking it all off. My pants felt loose in Europe.

When I got back to the States and back to work, suddenly, I am spending most of my days sitting down in a cubicle. I take the subway to work, so not much walking anymore. And I find myself mindlessly munching on M&M's when I am working in front of the computer or comforting myself with cupcakes when I had a bad day. Not the same thing. Need to revert to my Euro ways and use dessert as enjoyment, not anxiety filler.

Today was the first day of exercising and eating right. Two moments worth of mentioning: Me stepping on the scale at the gym and thinking I was at an average weight for me until I realized I was reading the kilograms and not the pounds. I am four more pounds overweight than I had thought. And those four pounds make a huge difference. I didn't get upset (I actually don't care about the numbers--just how my clothes fit me) and if anything seeing the number motivated me more and made me see that I am doing the right thing.

The second moment, I was shopping in Soho and I passed by an ice cream shop and I nearly just walked in there out of habit. I literally had to remind myself that I couldn't go in there. See, it's all about breaking habits. And if I only can have two servings of sweets and alcohol, I am saving it for the good stuff.



My "before" shot.