GCM! Whoa, it's February?!

Hi!

Yes, yes, I know.  I've been absolutely failing at this blogging thing.  I mean, c'mon... 2 weeks, no posts?  Not acceptable.  I'm sorry, y'all.  Just been really busy (and lazy)  when it comes to updating this.  But here I am.  I'll do better, I promise!

Anyway, it's February!  As of (last) Saturday, I've been vegan for one whole month and I'm not dead(!) lol.  It's been way easier than I thought it would be and it really helps with my diet.  The foods I used to binge on (i.e., cheese, sweets, etc) I prevent myself from eating now because I'm vegan.  The one item i have had an issue with lately, as far as binges go, has been chips. (Chips are definitely a weakness of mine.  Just soooo crunchy!)  I found this yummy delicious brand at Sam's Club that were sweet chili pita chips.  I DEVOURED them.  As irritated as I was with myself for eating them so fast, it taught me a valuable lesson.  I can't keep chips, or anything that I might binge on, in the house.  And honestly, I can be very "outta sight, outta mind" sometimes, so not having them in sight really does help.  

On another note, I really am proud of myself for not eating much at the Superbowl party I went to yesterday.  It helped that a good bit of it wasn't vegan, but I usually eat sooooo much at these things.  Not yesterday!  (And there were chips EVERYWHERE!) Progress! :)

On to the goal checking portion of this program!

1. Improve my relationship and walk with God
• Can't say I've improved much in this area since my last post, which is quite a shame.  But I'm a work in progress, yea?  The verse of the day yesterday was so inspiring to me that I just have to share it with you!  It speaks to the constant battle/struggle we face:  being in the world but not of it... and not loving it either!
• "Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life--is not from the Father but is from the world."  -- 1 John 2:15-16, ESV
• I'm on day 159 of my reading plan, aka behind again.
2. Lose 50-100 lbs healthily
• So...I bought a new scale, because I had a sneaky suspicion that my old scale was lying to me.  (I mean, it was telling me 4 lb differences from what any others were say.)  My new scale, sadly, says I haven't really lost that much since last post.  (But it says I'm down 4.8 since my initial weigh-in on my old scale...so maybe I'm down 8?!?)
• Anyway, my workout partner and myself have been hitting the gym pretty hard lately.  We worked out for an hour, or more(!), everyday M-Th of last week, which was really nice.  We've been trying out a workout routine I've compiled from various sources.  We try to get in at least 30 minutes of cardio and 30+ minutes of strength exercises per workout.  I'll have to post the workouts here at some point!  (Note:  I don't claim to be a personal trainer or anything of the sort.  If you try these workouts, you're trying them at your own risk.  But, as my partner would tell ya, they make ya sweat!)
• Also, My team is doing two weight loss challenges now. Hopefully we win some prizes from either (or both!) but the ultimate prize is healthier individuals.  (Though I really do like winning stuff...)
• Weight Loss Tip of the Week:  Challenge yourself to try new exercises!  Sometimes we get in an exercise rut and, when we get bored with exercising, we give up on it.  So mix it up!  Keep it new and interesting, but also manageable.  (Because if it's "too hard", we tend to give up then as well.)  There are tons of resources on the internet that can introduce you to new exercises and how to properly do them.
• Water intake is doing pretty well.  I now have a 101.4 oz (3 L) jug that I lug around with me every day.  Some days, like today(!), I finish the entire thing (plus whatever is my water cup in the morning, ~16 oz) before hitting the gym in the evening!
3. Eliminate my debt
1. Nothing to see here! ;)

Have a good first week of February! :)

K