Here we go ...

The holiday season is, officially, over.

OK, so it's been over for three days. But really, when New Year's Day falls on a Thursday, can you really expect to begin your resolutions that or the next, then go into the weekend? I can't -- resolutions for me always start best with the start of a week, so Monday has always been Day One.

This year's Day One is tomorrow. That's not to say I haven't been gearing up for it: I went in to work out yesterday morning and it wasn't even my day to work (a habit I'd fallen out of in the last several months); I had breakfast -- cereal and a half a grapefruit -- both yesterday and today, in an effort to work with that tried-and-true belief that it really is the most important meal of the day; I've done a lot of standing and walking rather than sitting.

There is no pressure for me this year. No wedding, no reunion, no graduation. This is something I'm doing for me -- only me. I had, for some time, changed my habits and had done very well. Then I re-introduced myself to an old friend -- cigarettes, for three years. When I gave those up, despite my efforts to bust the quit-smoking-gain-weight pattern, I gained weight. Not a lot, but enough. Enough to take me two sizes bigger than when I was smoking, but not nearly enough to put me back in the size 24s I wore before my divorce.

They say this is the Year of Change, so I'm hopping on that bandwagon. Starting with Day One.

It's a resolution, baby!

There are just 7 hours remaining in 2008 -- a year that I will remember for its crazy, crazy weather, tumultuous economy and the $2+/gallon drop in gasoline prices. I'll remember it personally as the year of my trip to Phoenix, my tattooed backside and my growing kinship with working out.

There was nothing I could do about the global events. For the most part, there was little any of us could do. But the personal events -- now there's something I have some control over.

Every year I write my list of resolutions on a piece of paper and stick it in a drawer in my dresser at home -- and every year, a few days after Christmas and before New Year's, I pull it out to see how well I did.

I couldn't find this year's/last year's list. I'm going to assume I did pretty well and just move on.

A few things I can remember that were on the list -- hits, of course -- were having an improved sense of self, living just a little more healthfully and "dare to be different" each month (hence the tattoo).

My sense of self did indeed improve and while I am still working out and watching what I eat, I am getting to be happy with who I am. We have always loved veggies and fruit at our house, but we have spent the year eating fewer fried and fatty foods.

I haven't been as consistent with the "dare to be different" vow, but I did get the tattoo, started working at a fitness facility (and fell in love with it -- I actually look forward to working out!), and have learned how to live happily single.

So on to 2009:

-- I'm going to try, again, to "dare to be different." Try something new -- just once -- each month in 2009. (Calm down, Mom, I've already got the tattoo. Another one wouldn't be "different" now, would it?!)
-- Have a little more "me" time. This isn't a selfish resolution -- right now I have virtually no "me" time, and the kids have better social lives than I do. That has to stop. ha!
-- Time with the kids will be quality time as much as possible. I have just a little over a year before the first one graduates from high school and, theoretically, leaves the nest. I am eager to watch him spread his wings -- and just as eager to have him return to that cute little blonde 5-year-old I escorted to kindergarten.
-- Spend more time with the folks. This year has been an interesting one with them -- Dad fell on the ice in February and has been battling a shattered shoulder, and the two of them renewed their vows in September -- and I've remembered how much I enjoy spending time with them, and how much I miss that.
-- Embrace technology. It's the world we live in.
-- Be happy. Be frustrated, disappointed, worried, scared -- but be happy. Know where happiness comes from and thrive.

When is a loss a victory?

Food is still winning the fight, but I'm about to make the battle a little more public.

It's no secret that people gain weight over the holidays, but I thought maybe I'd be the exception. After all, my part time job is at a fitness center and in December I started a "butt busters" program with some of the members.

Then I started to feel a little thick. And my wonderful new pair of slacks got tighter. The holidays created shorter hours at the fitness center, so I went a week without working -- or working out.

Today I stepped on the scale. Four pounds more than when I weighed two weeks ago.

So here's my plan: I'm going to hit it hard every week, regardless of whether I work or not, and provide weekly updates through this blog. You'll get to know how many times I worked out in a week, how many pounds I've lost -- or (ick) gained -- and how my inches are going. I won't give out my starting weight, just the difference from week to week (give me some dignity, please!).

There will be blog posts that have nothing to do with this new challenge, but there will be at least once a week updates on how things are going.

To keep it honest and keep me accountable - somewhat - here are my goals: to lose 10 pounds by my birthday in mid-June, another 15 by Christmas 2009 and to drop two pants sizes over the course of a year.

So here we go -- the journey starts on Monday! Feel free to play along -- post a comment with your goals and we can trade weekly results.