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Here I go again. Re-spawn. Now that I'm married, returned from a fantastic honeymoon and back into the swing of things, some changes have been made and continue to be underway. At my wedding in July 2017, I didn't quite reach my goal weight, but I was happy enough to fit in that dress and still be reasonably passable and not feel like a stuffed sausage. I weighed in at 149, then. After the wedding, Keven and I gained a significant amount of weight back in a short amount of time -- relaxed and eating what we please, little to no exercise, winter hibernation setting in, and having fun on our honeymoon, I ballooned to 173 pounds! Both vowing to go back on the diet when we returned, the first week of January, I since lost 13 pounds at my last weigh in on Feb 3rd, only to gain 9 pounds of it back this last week. It happened to both of us. Burn out and stress. This week I'm refocused and ready to go all the way and so is he. Goal is to get to my goal weight of 135 pounds before my 41st birthday in August. Maybe get pregnant before I'm 42, 43? First, how is it possible to gain 9 pounds in a week, I ask? It can't all be real fat! I can't help but feel that a lot of the weight is water retention, salt and waste (okay BLOATING) and yes of course some stored fat. Today I start the challenge by continuing on our low carb diet, I know the weight will appear to melt off, like 2-3 pounds a day for a week, then I'll start getting into real extra fat loss at least that is my theory, and it will be more like the normal healthy 1-2 pounds a week. I felt I wanted to track my progress again using NerdFitness. Love this place! Thought of it last night and said I'd revisit you today. And what do I find? A new challenge that started today! A serendipitous moment? Hmmmm...well here I go, continuing what I started in January and then some... A new positive attitude going in instead of dreading it. I can say I started off reasonably well by going to bed at 10:30 last night. I woke up early, 10 minutes of yoga, and drank green tea. Did not leave myself enough time for breakfast though. The Challenge Basics: 20 net carbohydrates daily Drink more water Daily morning yoga routine Drawing MINDING THE DETAILS In keeping within the 20 net carb total, in effect training my metabolism to burn fat instead of sugar the following foods are on the list- Avocados, chicken, Beef, Pork, Pepperoni, Turkey, Eggs, Bacon, Salmon, Tuna, Spinach, Kale, Tomatoes, Onions, Celery, Asparagus, Green Beans, Limited variety of nuts and seeds, Blueberries, Blackberries, Greek Yogurt (not the low fat kind), Cheese, Pickles, Jalapenos, Homemade blue cheese dressing, Garlic, Mayonnaise, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil (contingent on affordability), Real Butter, Herb tea, Limited Coffee with cocoa, Stevia, and cream, Water, Seltzer water, 6-12 oz diet Pepsi (now aspartame free!), and limited dark chocolate. One cheat meal every two weeks, or every 6 pounds of weight lost with a conscience effort to keep the portion size reasonable. Drink more water - I have a 32 oz water bottle at work, goal is to drink at least half of it there. Daily 10 minute morning yoga and mindfulness routine - includes coinciding side goals Setting a 10:30 pm bed time curfew Involves actually rolling out of bed at 6:15, 6:30 at the latest 10 minute yoga Mindfulness Drinking green tea Eating breakfast before leaving for work Art and Drawing - also includes coinciding side goals - paves the path towards a longer life-time goal that leads to being a prolific artist, and stoking the fire of artistic passion and inspiration Setting and keeping an hour appointment with myself twice a week, no exceptions, to do nothing but draw something An artist date once a week where I do something artistically whimsical and inspiring Mindfulness Meditation Tomorrow's plan Everything I did today with some mindful effort: Waking earlier Morning Yoga Breakfast before leaving for work Walking to work 7pm - 1 hour of drawing That's it. Here's to a successful day ONE in mental attitude, and doing most of what I set out to do before I even knew there was a challenge starting today.