I Won't Give Up

August didn't work very well for me. Maintained most of the month, got frustrated, went off plan and put on weight! But I won't give up - we are now in September and I will start again. Six weeks before vacation - I can lose maybe 12 pounds if I stay diligent.

I am afraid to look at my credit card bills this month. I may just take what I still owe Visa out of savings and pay it off. It would be OK if it wasn't for the monthly $225 for Nutrisystem. I definitely cannot stay on that plan for too many more months. I'll have to give myself till the end of the year to work on that plan and then it will be up to me to portion again.

Shawn is paying for our trip to New Orleans so that will cost me pretty much nothing - maybe I'll pay for the museum tickets or the swamp ride or something. I want to take him to Myrtle Beach, too. I would pay for that. I put together a packet on Expedia that includes airfare, four nights at a hotel on the beach and a car rental for $1,300. That's a decent price, isn't it? Shawn doesn't seem too keen on going, though. He may save me from myself. But if he agrees to it, I will take the money out of savings - that's why it's there, right?

Update

So, the Nutrisystem diet is working, slowly but surely. Down 14 pounds with about 30 to go. This month I was able to go online and pick out my own foods so I anticipate an easier go of it - some of the stuff on their 'favorites' list is awful! Lots of pizza in August!

With Dan and the girls here, my budgeting went out the window. I won't get Visa paid off till the end of the year now. And I actually have a balance on Discover this month - half paid now and half will be paid in September. Still plan to have only one outstanding credit card to deal with in 2013.

Back in the Saddle

I am back in the saddle, getting my diet and fiances in shape. I joined Nutrisystem so I don't have to weigh, measure or count anything (mostly). Just open, heat and eat. Lost ten pound in a month - have about 35 to go to get to my fighting weight again. I can do it.

Working on the finances. I should have two more payments for Visa, but with Nutrisystem having to go on a credit card (and it not being cheap!) I might have to take another month or two to get Visa paid off (Nutrisystem goes on Discover which gets paid off every month). I figure as long as I get Visa paid off by the end of the year, I'm on track. Then I can aim all my funds at Mastercard and get that one done.

Mid-Year Slip Up

Been awhile - I've been embarrassed to write. Fell off the diet wagon and put on all the weight I had taken off, plus a few pounds. Fell off the debt repayment wagon and added probably $800+ to credit cards.

I've joined Nutrisystem - I figure I need to stop obsessing over food - weighing, measuring, counting - all of it. I need someone to take over my food intake for a while so I can just forget about it. Since I can't afford a personal chef, I am trying the next best thing - a diet plan that includes packaged foods. The cost alone will help entice me to stay on program - at $215 a month, I am going to make it work! This is day 3.

Credit debt went up because of the diet food and the week-end get away I planned for Shawn. The hotel room and dinner train went on credit. AND I had some unexpected costs (securing my office with a locking file cabinet and a door lock). The plan there is to take out of savings whatever I owe on Discover and continue the $400 payment on Visa and the $200 payment on Mastercard. And stop spending again. I suppose one month slip-up isn't all bad as long as I cover the debt immediately (no carry over) and continue on my plan. I should still have Visa paid this year - maybe a month later than I had hoped.

Down, but not out! Wish me luck---

Giving Up

Weight is back to the start - I have just given up on losing it. I guess I am simply destined to be overweight and unhappy. I find myself searching the house for anything. I don't want it, I don't like it but I eat it regardless. I don't know what's wrong - I guess it's stress eating. Bailey moves in in a few weeks so maybe my four-walks-a-day routine with him will help. Can't eat and walk at the same time (some folks can but not me). I am disgusted with myself.

I'm doing better with finances. I should have Visa paid by August/September! Then I can sink all of it ($600) a month in MasterCard. Even at that rate I'll be paying the card for the next two/two-and-a-half years. But I feel good about digging myself out of this financial mess I've been in for 20 years. The day I become credit card debt-free will be one of the proudest days of my life. Right up there with the day I got my Masters.

Update

Well, it's not bad - I lost about 6 pounds in February, though I have struggled to do so. Seems I lose a pound, put 1.5 back on, carry that for a few days, drop back down then lose another one. It's two steps up and one step back. But I'm doing OK. My goal this month is to get to my next 10- pounds - gone mark - I'm about 5 pounds away. I would REALLY like to get down to 158 by the end of March but I'm not sure how realistic that would be - that's about 8 pounds or two pounds a week. But I won't get discouraged!

I am also slowly conquering my debt. I put $2,000 of my performance bonus on Visa. I think I will transfer another $2,000 from a few savings accounts to checking and put that on Visa, too. That should take my Visa down to $1,500 or so which I will have paid off by the end of the year. (That's in addition to continuing to put $200 each month on MasterCard.) Then when Visa is paid, $500 a month will go to MasterCard and that should be paid off in two years. I should be debt free in three years. Unless something bad comes up, like we have to replace a major household item or one of us loses our job. But I am making strides and won't get discouraged!

Slight Hiccup

This has been a hard week with the diet. I have been cheating with chocolate. I blame it on the time of the month and I vow to do better tomorrow. I haven't destroyed my work - just stalled it. I will NOT give up this challenge. I WILL live a healthier life.

I decided to put my performance bonus toward the Visa card. I struggled with that - having that cash in my savings would be wonderful. But, that card seems to not be shrinking although I'm not really using it. It needs a quick shot of lots of money. Hopefully the bonus will be effective enough that I can get the card paid off within two years. Maybe two and a half.

I'm doing OK with spending - working really hard to not get nonsense stuff, though I did just get a few DVDs. One was my reward for dropping my first 10 pounds and two were stupid purchases. I seriously need to consider a second job this summer. And we have the promise of overtime due to so many on the team taking their sabbaticals. I need to take advantage of that, too. Even if it kills me.

Update

Weight - I was doing SO WELL until today. I didn't eat much of anything (due to having a house full of guests for a niece's birthday party) so when they left, I ate a whole pop-can of Pillsbury Crescent rolls...with cheese. I bet I put three pounds on with that stunt. And I had met my 10-pound weight loss for the month. Totally blew it. I will be back on the wagon tomorrow and maybe I'll get rid of that mistake by Wednesday or Thursday. I won't let it discourage me and I won't use it as an excuse to quit. Not this time.

Wednesday is the first of February and I plan on kicking things up a notch by adding a bit of exercise to my plan. I think I'll do 10 minutes on the treadmill/bike before starting my day. Not much, but I don't think jumping in with 30-minute work outs is realistic. 10-minute work outs for two weeks then I'll add another 10 (5 on the bike and 5 on the treadmill) on the 15th. That will give me a 20-minute work out before I start my day. Then in March I'll try adding a walk after work. And I've started accompanying Shawn to the gym every-other Sunday (he can sign me in as a guest twice a month). I thought about joining yoga but decided to hold off on that. I start working 10 hours on Thursdays which is the same day as beginner's yoga and I want to make sure I'm not overly exhausted from the long hours first. But I have a plan!

Financially, I'm not doing as well. I ended up charging about $300 this month - Dan's birthday dinner, a trip to Kohl's and a trip to Wal-Mart. I made just shy of $60,000 last year - the most I've ever made, and I am still struggling to make ends meet. I just don't understand it. I am not nearly as confident with my financial plan as I am with my weight-loss plan.

New Year, New me?

With the ringing in of 2012, I am again forced to reflect on myself. I had an epiphany last week - my issues with food and money are just manifestations of a chaos going on inside me. I've been identifying other manifestations such as the horrid condition of my once-stellar nails and the piles of statements in my office closet (and my office in general). I'm feeling good that as I can identify these manifestations, I can conquer them. I'm off to a good start with my diet and I am not blowing through this paycheck. My nails are primed for repair and I have 'tackle the office closet' as my To Do Action Item for next week (this week's Action Item is to put Christmas away).

I have a long ways to go but I feel good having a plan of action. Tracking my dietary intake and financial outgo, dedicating each week to a different Action Item, and keeping polish on my nails. All steps in the right direction.

I can do this.