January was a busy, hectic, fun and goal-oriented month for me. I’ve been working hard at rehabbing my knees and started orthopedic massage, which seems to be helping quite a bit. I’m happy that I am finally moving forward–it may be slowly, but it’s moving. How did I do for the goals I set for January?
1. Limit alcohol intake to 1-2 nights a week only. No. I started out strong but by the last week or so of the month I sort of broke this resolve. It wasn’t necessarily on purpose, I just had a lot of social things and birthday celebrations and…and…you get the point.
2. Go snowshoeing (if knees allow). Yes! I successfully snowshoed twice! The third time I went snowshoeing went pretty well but the knees got a little cranky by the end of that session. I still call this goal as a success.
3. Focus on positive emotional health: thinking positive, ignoring negativity, and work on being HAPPY! I tried. I’m still trying. I don’t see this becoming a quick fix, it’s something I need to work on every single day.
I think January was a success, don’t you? I’m excited for February. As I wrote in this post, I’m going to attempt going dairy-free. I’ve never done it and it will truly be an experiment.
February Goals
1. Go dairy-free and gluten-free for February.
2. Get “return to running program” built up to 1.5 miles.
3. Volunteer my time.
I’ll admit, I’m nervous about my goal to go dairy-free. I hope it’s not all for not. I’m sure I will make mistakes. I’m positive it will be harder than I think it will be to decipher ingredients and make sure that there is NO TRACE of dairy or gluten in what I’m eating. I encourage you guys to point out possible slip-ups I may make so I know!
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/LisaEirene/status/296100441207488512″]
As for the running goal…that goal WAS going to be 2 miles by now but I took a break from running for most of January. I was more focused on my ability to snowshoe and decided to go easy on my knees so I could do that instead. I’m going to get back to the goal of running again. Maybe if I get my running back to normal I can run this race: Catnip 5k. I have about 6 months to prepare for it.
I am so happy to be volunteering again! I signed up with Cat Adoption Team to volunteer my time. Because the shelter is over 30 minutes from my house, I will probably volunteer twice a month and they also need volunteers for their other locations. I’m hoping I can volunteer at a local cat hospital that is a little closer to home. I will keep you guys posted. And be prepared for the occasional cat post. 😉
February Weigh-In
Ugh. I so didn’t want to step on that scale. I knew I wouldn’t like the number I saw. I definitely indulged for my birthday and we ate out a little more than usual in January because we had a ton of restaurant Groupons expiring.
Can I just groan again? UGH! I hated the number I saw on the scale. It was 3 pounds heavier than I was six months ago and about 7 pounds heavier than I wish I was. Starting weight: 147.6. UGH!
UGH!!!!
QUESTION: What are your goals for February?
UPDATE: I weighed myself again this morning and apparently in 2 days I lost 2 pounds. Or my scale is broken. Or I was really bloated. Who knows!! My starting weight is really 145.2. Not as bad as I originally thought.
Roz@weightingfor50
Good luck with the February goals Lisa! I’m sure you’ll nail them all!!!! Have a good Friday.
Lisa Eirene
Have a good weekend Roz.
Em
For February I am attempting a mostly paleo diet, lowering my cardio, and increasing my heavy lifting. I’m hoping to get some more muscle definition and lose some fat. I’m also doing my first ever before/after pics (I still wish I’d done some at the start of this magical 4+ year journey).
Good luck on your goals!!
Lisa Eirene
Good plan. My next goal is to also reduce cardio and increase lifting. But I didn’t want to do that for February because I knew it would skew my results of the diet.
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance
Great goals! I think it will be interesting to see how dairy and gluten free go for you. Don’t be discouraged by the scale! Tweaking your diet and beginning a “back to running” program will definitely jump start things in the right direction. 🙂
Lisa Eirene
I hope so. Today was the first day in awhile where I REALLY really wanted to run. Like I used to.
Beth @ Running with the Sunrise
Cutting down on alcohol consumption in social situations is so hard, and it sounds like you did a pretty good job of keeping your goal. Good luck with your February goal! My big goal for February is to attend yoga class 4 times a week.
Lisa Eirene
That’s a lofty goal! Good luck!
Nick Goodall
Don’t be so hard on yourself! Seems to me like you had a great January, and any progress is good progress, so that’s something I’d smile about!
I admire your goals, and I wish you the best of luck and diligence for this month! The completely dairy and gluten free seems like a good challenge, if I did that I think I’d have to cheat a little bit, I love my eggs to much! 😀
Have a great month 🙂
Lisa Eirene
Thank you for the encouragement, Nick. And good news! Eggs are lactose-free! You can eat them. http://www.livestrong.com/article/378258-are-eggs-lactose-free/
Sara
My monthly goals are to get to my goal weight (I’m 1# away!), continue my new healthy routines I’m following with Weight Watchers, and working on improving my Crossfit skills that I can do but not super well. And continue to fit into my wedding dress at the final fitting this month.
Lisa Eirene
Only one pound away?! AWESOME!!! You must be really excited. I’m sure your dress will fit wonderfully.
Stacie @ Snaps and Bits
Yay for one pound away! #1 would be very hard for me. We have a wine cellar and the hubs is always cracking a bottle of something I don’t want to miss!
Lisa Eirene
Wine would be a hard one to give up for me.
Trevor
I think you’ve set far more ambitious goals for this month than last. The nice thing about setting such lofty goals is that even if you miss your target, you still end up so much further ahead (not that you’ll be missing any, of course).
As for myself, I have no goals. Nothing specific anyway. Just keep plugging along and get a little better at something each and every day.
Cheers!
Lisa Eirene
Even if I try, I consider that a “win” in my book.
Jodi @ Jodi, Fat or Not
After a few months off I’m also committing to running again…5K races in the spring are just too much fun. I also plan to FINALLY reach 100 pounds lost in the next couple months. I’m coming from a 6-month stalemate so I definitely get your weight frustrations!
Lisa Eirene
Good luck on your 5k and getting out of the weight loss rut. I know you can get there.
Joanne
These are some great goals! I’m definitely interested in following along as you go gluten- and dairy-free!
I ❤ 2 Eat
I am also volunteering through work in Feb/Mar. Looking forward to it, too! Another goal is to go through 4 more weeks of the training program I’m following. 🙂
Best of luck with your February goals!
Lisa Eirene
What kind of volunteering are you doing?
evilcyber
I wish you all the best on going dairy- and gluten-free. I admit, I couldn’t do it. A month without milk? The horror! 😀
Lisa Eirene
I LOVE LOVE LOVE milk. Love it. But I got used to not having very much of it when I first started losing weight because of the calorie count. I just wasn’t going to drink my calories. So I’m pretty used to it. But sour cream? Damn. 🙁
scarlet
Good luck with your goals! I really think you will notice a difference from not eating dairy. Going gluten-free didn’t make a big difference for me, which is why I went completely grain-free, but everyone is different! I’m looking forward to reading your updates on it. Don’t forget you can still order burgers when you go out, just ask for it “protein style” aka lettuce wrapped. Also, you can mash up an avocado with some salt and pepper for an easy, clean and smooth guacamole to replace sour cream. Also nuts work to replace cheese since they can be salty such as sunflower seeds instead of cheese on your salad. My February goals are to continue my exercise routine, go on at least one hike, and finish at least two of my half-finished art projects.
Lisa Eirene
Oh yes, I’m a huge fan of skipping a bun and using lettuce. It’s messy but it tastes good.
Yum Yucky
Kittay kat volunteering sounds awesome. I’m allergic, so I could never do that, but the shelter suggested I donate needed kittay items/supplies as an alternative. Have a great February, Lisa! see ya on the Words board. 😉
Lisa Eirene
That’s great! The shelter takes food and litter donations, too. I try and do that. I used to do a cat food drive every December in my old office. People donated cans of food that I took to the shelter. It was great.
You are kicking my ass on Words. Dang!
Sarah
I think the only reason I was successful at limiting alcohol consumption is because we didn’t buy it and I only went to 2 happy hours this month. In February, this is going to be much harder!!!
Can’t wait to hear about your adventure going dairy-free and gluten-free!
Lisa Eirene
Yes, not going out a lot definitely HELPS!!! The temptation isn’t there.