Here’s To Seeing Less Of Me In 2014

weight loss goals, setting weight loss goals, nutrition goals, fitness goals

No resolutions for me. I prefer setting measurable goals! Image courtesy of chanpipat and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The other night I not only said goodbye to 2013 but also 48 pounds. Since my weight loss journey began nearly two years ago, I’ve lost more than 25% of my body weight.

Wow…88 pounds total. Sweet!

Time to kiss the rest of the fat goodbye.

I don’t do resolutions. Resolutions are too vague and I never keep any of them.

But I do believe in setting measurable goals. Below are my weight loss, exercise and personal goals for 2014.

Weight Loss
Goal 1: Lose 37 pounds by the end of April
Why 37 pounds? That’s what I need to lose to weigh 200 pounds, a number I haven’t seen on the scale for more than 15 years. When you read my exercise goals, you’ll see why I picked the end of April.

That means dropping roughly 2 pounds a week for the next 17 weeks. Tough but doable.

Goal 2: Reach my goal weight by December 31
That’s a bold goal if I do say so myself. But when I started my journey in 2012, I always thought it would take 3 years to lose the weight. My 5-month plateau in 2013 makes that tough, but I’m up for the challenge.

After reaching 200 pounds by the end of April, I’ll have 8 months to shed another 60 pounds. That’s a little less than 2 pounds a week.

Exercise
Goal 1: Run in four 5Ks in 2014, the first being at the end of April.
The end of April is the Brambleton 5K. Brambleton was the first 5K I walked in so it’s only fitting that I run it.

I’m still working on my interval training and now I have an actual date to work towards.

Goal 2: Complete the 30-Day Push-Up Challenge by March
I hate push-ups. I really do.

My first attempt at the 30-Day Push Up Challenge I quickly realized I had no upper body strength. Now that I’m lifting weights, I’ve got my sights set on beating my old foe.

Goal 3: Go on a 3-day bike tour of Virginia wine country
It’s no secret I love my cycling class. And I’m itching to take my bike out for a spin. I recently discovered a group that offers bike tours of Virginia’s beautiful wine country. The weekend tour I spied is 70 miles long, roughly 25 – 30 miles a day.

During the winter I plan to keep up with my spin class 3 times a week. Once spring hits, I need to take advantage of all the bike paths in our area, especially the 18-mile Mount Vernon and the 45-mile W&OD bike paths.

If I can bike the full Mount Vernon trail (36 miles round trip) by early summer, then I can reserve my spot for a fall tour.

Personal
Goal 1: Learn to sew!
I got a sewing machine last Christmas and it’s still in a box. There’s a fabric store a few blocks away that offers classes. It’s time to break that bad boy out of the box and get some mad sewing skills!

Goal 2: Canning!
I’m reading a lot about micro farming. Well I don’t have the land to farm now (oh, but I will one day), but I can still learn how to can foods. We have the gear (again, another 2012 gift from my husband…I’m a bad wife). When the farmers’ markets open in spring, I’m going to try my hand at making jams, canning tomatoes and pickling cucumbers.

Time to make 2014 a busy and awesome year!