Abby finally gets me to write a blog post.

I am overweight. I need to lose about 30 pounds. When I decided this, I wanted to set a realistic goal for myself. One that didn’t require me to suddenly start working out “Biggest Loser” style or to quit eating and drinking anything I enjoy. I wanted to come up with something I could actually live with. So, I decided I would lose 30 pounds in 30 weeks. That was over 3 years ago.

Chubby at my wedding 3 years ago

Ever since I told Abby about the 30 in 30 idea, she has been hounding me to start blogging it on Beauty Skew. My response has always been “tomorrow”. I have several pages of half written posts, all filed next to healthy shopping lists, meal plans and exercise routines never referenced after written. I had this “Ready, Set, Go!” idea in my head that I had to declare a “Day 1″ of my diet challenge and from that day forward, completely change my habits. Of course, there have been numerous Day 1′s and a few Day 2′s and 3′s. Inevitably, I would fail or fall short in some way and decide that I would start “officially” the next week. I realized I have been avoiding tackling this goal because every time I tried, I felt bad about myself. I felt like a failure, a weakling, pathetic. Looking in the mirror simply compounded this feeling and rather than being a motivating factor, it felt a little bit more like “Why bother?”.

This cycle of frustration, failure and procrastination is not healthy for my well-being and certainly not helping me reach my goal.

I asked myself why I want to lose weight. What do I expect from being 30 pounds lighter? I figure I will be more confident, sexier, happier, more energetic. I realized I don’t have to lose weight for any of those things to be true. In fact, being more confident, feeling sexy, being happier and more energetic will likely lead to weight loss. And no, I don’t mean in a magical thinking, “The Secret” kind of way. I know that I still have to eat less, exercise more, but I want to do it from a place of positivity and joy.
So, I will spend the next 30 weeks chronicling my journey to shed pounds by becoming a happier, self-fulfilled me.  Follow me in my journey via the Follow Karen category here on Beauty Skew.