ch...ch...Choices!

The longest journey begins with the simple choice to begin it, and is affected by every simple choice along the way.

So if I'm going to do this (and I am) then I have to start making better choices.  I know better than to go all radical obviously, because that won't stick. I have to START by making little lifestyle changes, and bring on the more drastic differences as time goes on.  I started small.  Here are a few of the good choices I made so far this weekend:

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store, and instead of driving around looking for the closest spot I could find - I automatically went to the back of the parking lot.  Not huge, but it was 30 extra steps (in 108 degree weather!) that I otherwise wouldn't have taken, and I walked a few extra laps around the grocery store.

Instead of my vitamin water energy I love so much (100 calories a bottle!) I got lifewater energy - (0 calories!) I drink 2 a day, so that's 200 calories!

My vice is Mt. Dew. I love it.  In the worst of my addiction to it, I would drink way more than I can even imagine in an abstract setting.  Every morning I'd grab a 32oz on my way to work.  I'd get a 20 oz bottle on my way out of the office, and usually have a can before bed. That's 5 1/2 cans a day -1600 calories.  I've been better lately, but that's a LOT.  That's nearly 3 lbs a week of calories, just in soda.  And soda is far from my only vice.  So I quit Mt. Dew.  Its only been 2 days, but that's TWO DAYS without it.  I haven't progressed all the way to water, but its a start.

Instead of "random sugar cereal", I got special K red berries.  So its not uber healthy grapenut type crap, but it tastes good and I like it, and my girl likes it - with whole grain and a ton less sugar.  Its a start.

I took my daughter swimming today.  Instead of driving to the pool - which is in my complex- we walked. Again, it wasn't an incredibly far walk that I could substitute for a work out, but its more than I would otherwise have done.  I also actively chose to SWIM with her, instead of laying on the sidelines. I swam a few laps, I pulled her around on my back, I jumped and I dove, and I had fun.  THEN I laid out on the sidelines. :D

And finally - despite being tired and worn out - I did my yoga work out again, and I made it 13 minutes with only a short rest!!! My arms are KILLING me right now, because apparently its all planking from minute 9 to 13 - but I made it further than I did yesterday.  My goal is by the end of this week to make it all the way through the first routine without a break.

I leave for vacation a week from today, and while ordinarily no one would try to lose weight on vacation, I am going to MONTANA. I am very excited about this, because the lifestyle is just different out there. Everyone is active and walks around, and my in-laws eat very healthy, so its a chance to re-vamp my eating style a little bit.  I intend to officially weight myself for the first time when I get back.  Its been a few weeks since I stepped on a scale, but the last time it was 252, so that's my starting point. I'm hoping for a big 10 pound starting loss!!!!!!!! (Totally doable in 2 weeks).