Here we go!

It's Monday, Jan 3rd. And I am now officially on my.... diet? (well, yeah - but it's a little more than that) ...journey? (oh Lord, now I sound like The Biggest Loser or The Bachelor or something) ... lifestyle change? (closer, but how do I say "no thanks, I'll pass on the cake. I'm on a lifestyle change!").

So we'll go w/ diet for now.

Ok, back to the point. I've done some prep work for my diet!

• Kitchen is purged of holiday leftovers (ok, mostly. All the good stuff, anyway). You should see the bag of stuff my husband has to take in to work. Fudge and cookies and candy and truffles, oh my! He should get major points w/ the guys today! I would've brought some in to my work, but I probably would've been stoned by all my super health conscious co-workers.
• A few exercise videos are recorded on the DVR. Something about boxing, some sort of pilates thing, and.... something else.
• I've also set the DVR to record The Biggest Loser - Couples. I figure where exercise fails, guilt will prevail!

Now on the the actual food consumption portion of the diet. I brought oatmeal to work today! Real, unsweetened, unflavored oatmeal. I nuked it in the microwave w/ some dried cranberries and walnuts and a couple packets of splenda. I'd like to report it was fabulous. That it cured my craving for a bagel w/ cream cheese, gave me instant energy, and awoken a greater spiritual understanding.

Unfortunately, not so much. It was just okay. Not bad. Just.... eh. The cranberries and walnuts definitely helped, but it still needed something. A pinch of salt maybe? Some cinnamon and/or nutmeg? Hungry Girl talks about adding a few tablespoons of pumpkin puree to oatmeal. It sounds pretty good, and I brought a can of pumpkin to work with me to give it a shot. Unfortunately, my can opener appears to be MIA. I'll have to report on that tomorrow.

So breakfast was warm, filling, and healthy. The taste was decent, and I think can be improved upon. We'll call that a win.

I didn't bring lunch today, which means going out. I'm thinking Subway... I can get a 6" veggie or turkey sub and some baked lays. I wish Subway offered hummus as a spread.

Dinner tonight is another challenge. Maybe a big salad?  I really need to go to the grocery store, but payday is Thursday. So it will be foraging till then.

Got an odd sense of deja vu here.... end of December and I'm swearing mightily this will be my year - I will lose weight! I will budget my money! I will stop rolling my eyes in the face of stupidity!

I'm 0-3 on the resolutions.

So here we go again. I'm going to lose weight, I'm going to budget my money, I'm going to *try* and tone down the temper...

This year, it's a little different (well, not so much the temper... that's just one of those personal goals). I've got to start being better with my money, because I'm a homeowner now. Woo Hoo! Yippee! ....wait. What? I've got a mortgage?! I've got to deal w/ household repairs like busted pipes and AC units being on the fritz? Holy @$#%!

So yeah, got to be better w/ the cashola.

... and I've got to lose weight. Got to. G.O.T.  T.O.  I've been having some female issues, and finally went to a different Dr. A biopsy and a surgery later, I've been diagnosed w/ Complex Hyperplasia without Atypia. That's basically precancerous cells in my uterus. Not cool, man. Not cool. Especially since my husband and I are wanting to get pregnant.

I've got an appointment Jan 13th to go see an Oncologist. Yeah - a Cancer Dr. At a Cancer Center. I'm freaking out on the inside. I've had way to many relatives (including my mom) die from the Big C. It's not a pretty sight.

I keep telling myself it's not Cancer yet. It's treatable from hormones (Progesterone). You'll be fine. You're still young. You'll have kids. But there is a corner of my mind saying it's only a matter of time. I keep that part on lock-down for the most part... but every once in a while it gets out and screws w/ my brain.

Obesity apparently increases your chances of this issue, something about fat cells and Estrogen. Not to mention the possible complications of being pregnant and obese. High blood pressure, diabetes... lack of maternity clothes.

So yeah, I'm going to be dropping some weight in 2011. It's so weird/scary to be dealing w/ health issues. I've always been big (granted, never this big) - but I've always been healthy. Rarely get sick, never even had a broken bone. It sounds so cliche to talk about taking your health for granted.... but whoa, what a splash of cold reality!

I'm hoping this health scare is the push I've needed to get my ass in gear. Maybe it's God's less obvious version of a lightning bolt.

I know it's going to be hard. I know I'm going to screw up. I know there's going to be good days and bad days - even good weeks and bad weeks. But I've really got to do this.

So, Happy New Year to all you folks out there. Good luck w/ your resolutions and I hope you reach your goals!