New Year, New Me? My 2025 New Years Resolution, Weight Loss

The first step to achieving any New Years Resolution goals for me is to write (or in this case type) them out. I need accountability. I've done a few weight loss stints over the years, usually for the like 10-15 pounds I needed to get under the bmi requirement for surrogacy. My one longer and most successful weight loss journey was in 2014. I got to a weight that I only dream of now. (cue picture below)

So what worked previously?

For starters, I was starting at a lower weight than I am now so it was naturally easier to get moving and to stay motivated. I had 2 young kids at that time that kept me busy constantly, as I stayed home with them during those younger years. I was also obsessed with Fitbit then, and competing with others, so I was consistently doing 20,000-30,000 steps most days. I planned my meals out and the more I exercised the more I allowed myself to eat and "treat" myself with things like pizza or an occasional meatball hoagie. The weight just came off and it was a way of life for nearly a year.

Sadly, I don't think at least initially, that I can do anywhere near that amount of steps or movement, especially being in menopause now and my body hurting from so many things after the cancer stuff haha.

So what is the plan?

The plan I came up with is built around routine, so that part won't change from my successful journey. I find it easier to do things when I have a consistent routine, predictable schedule, and cheat meal allowances and rewards (within reason).

Here are the things I came up with that I'd like to do and a plan of action so to speak:

• Get website up and running and blog about it (done!). The key is to "continue" to blog now that I have it up and running.

• Get back on Metformin. For multiple reasons, I've been off of it for several weeks. I will be getting back on it though. It's part of my weight loss plan through my provider as I have both a medical provider and a dietician for that.

• Wear Oura ring (I have a bad habit of stopping wearing it once battery is low). This will track not only my steps, but also my sleep and many other things that will help my overall health. I'm sure I'll post about my Oura ring at some point, but I love it more than both my Fitbit and Apple Watch, although each has their pros and cons like everything else.

• Minimum of 10,000 steps a day Monday-Friday; haven't quite made a weekend or total weekly step goal, but going to first see how my body does. Whether or not I hit that step goal, I want to do at least 30 minutes of dancing each day on average, which I've been doing already most days.

• Aim to start work by 7am (instead of laying in bed wasting time anyway, as I tend to do way too often) so that I have more flexibility later in the day or after morning school drop off to get my dancing/exercising in for the day)

• Intermittent fasting- eating 11am-7pm. I was going great on this and then fell off the wagon once Disney trip happened in November. I wasn't insanely strict on it entirely, but in general, this is the guideline and goal and I feel better when I do it.

• Get a fan for the basement living room. lol I have so many hot flashes already that I don't need excuses like being too hot and having no fan to quickly cool off to exist and make me stop. Part of goal setting is figuring out what will block you or cause you to fail and how you will make it a non-issue to limit the excuses you try to give yourself.

• Calm Health- This is free through my health insurance so I signed up and got the app recently. I have used the regular calm app before so I'm excited to try it to help me with some anxiety and sleep issues and just general meditation type stuff.

• Getting a decent pair of ear pods. Although I love my Sony over ear headphones, for long amounts of time it becomes heavy and uncomfortable when dancing and moving around, so need something a bit lighter.

• New exercise clothes. haha I love to shop. This was practical too though. I ordered some lighter material leggings and tops so that it's a bit better hopefully than what I currently have which is a bit heavier and blah.

What is the overall goal?

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. To lose any weight I can? lol. As of my heaviest weight just a few months ago, I'm about 22 pounds lighter now (was lower and about 27 pounds, but gained it back as we all tend to do) with what I've been doing fairly minimally (I think most came off soon as I stopped taking Tamoxifen and had little to do with what I was or wasn't doing.) My first goal is to get under 200 again (we have about 20 or so to go) so I guess I'll say that. But if I'm reaching for the stars, I'm looking at about 60 pounds that I want to lose and more like the picture above. More importantly though and aside from weight, I want to get more centered in life and have some more peace and calm in my life again. I made such great strides in my work life balance this past year that I want to build on that.

I want to feel better. I want to look better. I want to prove to myself once again that after trauma and pain, there is strength and there is beauty in the journey that is life. I spent more than a decade focused on the dreams of others and putting everyone else ahead of me. I have no more pregnancies coming and no more excuses.

It's definitely a cliche, but this next year is about me and getting the best parts of the old me back. I hope you will follow along (and not be too critical if I stumble along the way! haha). Feel free to subscribe to the blog and even if you don't, I hope that you'll check back every now and again!

If you have any weight loss goals for 2025, let's do this together! You can head over to the group page for Weight Loss and we can post topics, give any tips, or just follow along in each others journey there.