Early Resolutions

As the year winds down, most of us begin to think about New Year's resolutions and what we would like to improve on over the new year.  I have to admit that I am a pretty typical "resolutionist" myself: lose weight, exercise more, go to bed earlier and wake up earlier, read my scriptures more regularly, pray more often, be a better mom, etc. Well I've decided not to wait until January 1 to begin my New Year's resolutions this year. Some may wonder why there aren't any recent pictures of myself on my blog. The answer is simple enough: I am too fat and don't want my obesity recorded in the anals of history. Without revealing too much, I need to shed about 100 lbs. in order to reach my ideal weight. "Wow, surely you're exaggerating a bit, Audrey!" you might say. But I kid you not... 100 pounds!
How am I planning on reaching my goals? By working out like crazy and eating clean. Tosca Reno is my new food guru and I'm in love with everything that comes out of her mouth. If none of you have ever heard of The Eat Clean Diet, then you should check out one of her books. She's all about eating "clean" foods, the less it's processed the better, and pairing complex carbs with lean protein at every meal (all six of them.) I followed the plan for about two weeks earlier this year when I was working at UPS and I lost 20 lbs. in the process, so I know that it works. I've been doing it for about a week this time around and I've already lost 5 pounds... and I'm feeling great!

As far as exercise goes, no one gets me motivated like Cathe Friedrich. She was responsible for my weight loss a few years back, so I know that she can do it for me again. She has about 80 workout DVDs with everything ranging from step aerobics to kickboxing to weights to a 9-month cycle program. Not only are her workouts amazing, but she's amazing as well. Her body is amazing, her personality is sparkling and she really knows how to get you to want to work harder. Every workout that I do with her she absolutely kicks my behind!

I'm going to brag for just a minute and tell you about my day; one, because I'm so proud of myself and two, hopefully it'll give you a better idea about what I mean when I say eat clean.

6:30 Wake up
6:35 Yogurt and orange slices, 800 ml water
7:00 Leg and glute workout
9:30 Smoothie with banana, blueberries, almond milk, cottage cheese, oatmeal, protein powder, wheat germ and flax seed, 800 ml water
12:00 Scant handful of almonds and an apple, 800 ml water
2:30 Salmon fillet with roasted asparagus, tomatoes and 1/2 of a sweet potato, 800 ml water
4:45 Vegetable crudites with hummus, 800 ml water
7:15 Whole wheat pita with spinach, sprouts, tomatoes, apple slices, nonfat plain yogurt and water-packed tuna, 800 ml water
10:00 Scrambled egg whites with spinach, red bell pepper and garlic on multi-grain bread, 800 ml water

And that's how I've been eating for the last week! I love it! Okay, so I did have a moment of weakness the other night with that cheeseburger. I was so proud of myself because I made it through the McDonald's drive-thru with only the kids' Happy Meals, but when I got it home and started getting their food out, wouldn't you know it there was an extra cheeseburger sitting at the bottom of the bag. I checked my receipt just to make sure that my junk food subconcious didn't order it while I wasn't looking. But it wasn't on there, it was just a mistake. I actually considered taking it back to McDonald's just to get it out of the house, but I knew that they couldn't take it. So what did I do? No, but I wish I had thrown it away. I ate the darn thing! I'm just glad that it was only a cheeseburger and not a Big Mac or 1/4 Pounder! And oh, did I feel sick later. After eating clean for an entire week, that grease just did not sit well with me. Motivation to keep on chugging away!

So in a nutshell, my New Year's resolution this year is to lose 100 pounds. Lofty...yes. Challenging... without a doubt. Obtainable...you'd better believe it. Bring it on, 2012!