Health, fitness, and wellness is my primary personal goal this year, which means that at the end of this year I’d rather have made huge gains in this area than any other personal area of my life. Do you have a primary personal goal for the year? Over the years I’ve found that if you prioritize your goals it really helps you make decisions about how you will spend your time. Just make a list of all the personal goals you have this year. Then ask yourself this question: If you could only achieve one of those goals by the end of the year, which would you pick? That’s your primary goal. Take massive action in this area to get your goal accomplished, even if it means putting other goals on the back burner. You can always work on other goals, but not at the expense of your primary goal. Do the same with your professional goals; pick one primary goal for the year. You can also select a primary family goal, social goal, financial goal, etc. Just don’t pick so many that you don’t have time to accomplish them. I find that one primary personal and professional goal is plenty, especially if it’s a big goal.
I’ve gotten quite a few emails from people asking how I’m doing after my 30-day raw trial. I continued to lose weight for a week or so after the trial ended, but then I noticed the weight was starting to creep up on me again. I think it was the bread and possibly the vegan cheese. And there was a veggie lasagna in there too. I recognize this pattern, so I know I have to nip this in the bud or I’m going to lose all the gains I made last year. I lost 20 pounds last year, 6 of them from the 1-month raw trial.
I currently weigh 191 pounds and I want to weigh much closer to 140, so I’ve still got a ways to go. Tonight I am consulting with a dietician friend whom I met when I was running my vegan magazine. He’s the guy doctors send their patients to when the patient is at death’s door and needs to lose weight or get their diabetes under control or they’ll die. John is strict, oh yes, very strict, but he knows how to get the job done. To be honest I’m a little afraid of what he’s going to tell me to do, but I’m committed to doing it because I know it will work, and because designing my own diet has not worked for me in the past. I need clear direction and boundaries. I like that John is vegan but has done extensive work with raw diets, so he’s extremely well versed in both styles of eating. If I remember correctly he advocates a mostly raw, low fat diet with some whole grains and beans in the mix.
I appreciate all the support I’ve received from my readers. It’s nice to know people are rooting for me, and it helps with accountability. I plan to continue to post periodic updates on my weight loss. Since all of my blog posts automatically generate a thread in our forums for discussion, if you are also working on weight loss this year, feel free to post your progress when I post mine. We can do this together and be supportive of each other. You know, safety in numbers, accountability, and all that good stuff. 😉 No judgment, no shame, just focused action on achieving a goal. Here’s a toast to health and wellness in 2009!
