Friday, February 10, 2006

The Big Sleep & The Big Incentive

The Big Sleep: Every morning this week it has been a struggle to get myself out of bed. It's been cold here for a change and the idea of crawling out from beneath my quilt, fluffy comforter and Brunswick sheets is almost too much to bear. It doesn't help either that I've been getting to bed a little later than usual. But this weekend I have nothing planned. It's one of those glorious Nothing Weekends where there are no demands on my time. So I will be shutting the alarm off and sleeping in and not getting up until I damn well feel like it. Or until my dog decides she needs to be watered and fed and sticks her cold, wet nose in my neck. Either way, that won't be happening at 5:50 am so every extra hour is a bonus.

The Big Incentive: I have been trying diligently to get my workouts and healthy eating back on track for a few months now. I got lazy in the fall and then Christmas happened and ever since I've been struggling to knock off the pounds that have crept on, making me feel as though I am carrying a spare tire around my middle. Most uncomfortable. And I'll have a good week, but then fall off the wagon for two. I needed something. A goal, an incentive to reach that goal. But nothing I came up with was working. Until I popped into a clothes shop at the mall I often frequent and saw all their new arrivals for spring lining the shelves. Fitted cuts, spring colors, cute shrugs, cool pants. I wanted them all. But I had promised myself I wasn't buying any new clothes until the weight came off. But it's been so long since I've had some new clothes...oh and I wanted them baaaaaaaad. So I made a deal with myself. March is a three pay cheque month. If I can get the weight off by March 17th, then I can go on a shopping spree. But only if I lose all the weight. Not some, not almost all, but every last designated pound.

And suddenly, I don't really need to eat the chocolate anymore. Or the bag of black pepper jack Doritos that were calling my name. Or the two DQ cheeseburgers just because they were on for $2.99.

Those clothes will be mine...oh yes...they will be mine...

4 comments:

Kelly Boyce said...

Yeah luckily, it's only about 8 lbs which is doable in 5 weeks with some effort. Unfortunately I can't use children as my reason for the spare tire. For me it was just pure unadulterated gluttony. Of all the deadly sins that seems to be the one I excel at most. But I want to get it off now because I know with 40 around the corner the metabolism will be slowing down and that'll just make it harder.

Tess said...

Enjoy your sleep!!!

I know what you mean about winter putting on weight. I'm way hungrier than in the summer and with bad weather, it's hard to get out and walk as much as I like. But new clothes are a great incentive!!! Good luck getting those last pounds off :-)

Melissa Amateis said...

I'm like peggy - shopping at the mall tends to make me more depressed rather than make me want to exercise. But that's just because I've been trying to lose this weight for five years now and it's been an uphill battle the entire time. Hopefully I'll figure out why next week when they call me with my lap results.

But enough of my pity party!

You can do it, Kelly! You have to do what works - and if this works for you, then GO FOR IT!!! 8 pounds is VERY do-able!!!

thewriterslife said...

Oh man, the spring clothes are out, aren't they. I don't even need to go anywhere near a mall. I need to shed about ten..errr...twenty pounds. Ack. Don't see it happening, but I must, I must, I must...