Goal Setting: Commitophobia or Motivating?

I've never been one to set a number for my goals in weight loss and health. It's always been a very vague, "I want to feel good again," or "Be healthier." After some reflecting it seems to me that I'm afraid to commit to a number and fear failure. Pretty typical, huh? So it's time to bunker down and set some real goals.


We have a cousin getting married the first week of June in California. I would like to be down 15 pounds by then. I have 18 weeks to do this in, which means I can follow the no-more-than-a-pound-a-week-for-breastfeeding-moms advice I've received. It also gives me some wiggle room and I'm a fan of that. There's a vanity aspect of it, of course. I want to look good and feel good being out there, but there's more.


Remember those other cousins we went to Tahoe with last year? They also had a baby boy born exactly a month and a day before Vince. We're going to go camping with them in Yosemite following the wedding and take the boys. It'll be tons of fun and I'm really eager to be able to keep up with them. The snowshoeing really put into perspective how much more you can do when you are in significantly better shape. Plus! Yosemite has some awesome hiking trails and waterfalls off the beaten path that I want to visit.

So the goals:

1. Lose 15 pounds by the 1st of June
2. Be able to walk 5 miles in one instance.


Where I currently am on these goals:

1. I'm down 1 pound from my pre-pregnancy weight! Yay! 14 more to go!
2. I can easily walk 1 mile now and am starting to get into the grove of doing 1.5 miles.


It'll be tough, but I think I've got enough time to make it happen!

Do you set goals? How do you keep up with them?

Ahhh Vacation

We're headed off to California this weekend. Marc's cousin will be getting married so we are flying out there to be part of the celebration. I'm really looking forward to the trip. 1) I soooo need a vacation. 2) His cousins are awesome. 3) I haven't really been to California (flying through LAX doesn't count in my book) 4) I'm incredibly intrigued on what the food selection will be for the wedding. We had the option of chicken or vegetarian. We both chose the chicken. Perhaps we should have each gotten one and then swapped mid-way through.

According to the website for the location, most of the food is organic and locally grown. Now I'm not one of the, "Must go organic because it is awesomezor," however I appreciate that the organic food I've previously had is very flavorful and with a good aroma. If it's organic and competitively priced, I'll go for it. If it's significantly more expensive, or requires excessive amounts of energy on my behalf, I won't do it.

I intend to take pictures of our yummies, and hopefully continue to stick to our diets during this treacherous time that will surely require some Starbucks along the way. :)