My Big Goal

"You can be pitiful, or you can be powerful, but you can't be both." -Joyce Meyer

I watched this show the other day that featured a lady from New Orleans.  She has been working hard to help rebuild her community since Hurricane Katrina.  When she was asked how she kept going day after day, even with so much devastation still around her, she simply said, "You can be pitiful, or you can be powerful." At that, I actually fist-pumped and yelled, "YEAH!" Something about that line really resonated with me. And it got me thinking about my goals. And I thought to myself, "Candace, it's time to set a big goal, it's time to stop being pitiful and start being powerful!"

So I made a goal.  A big goal. A goal to lose 30 pounds by the end of 2013. Am I crazy? Probably. But can I do it? YEAH! *fist pump*

Actually, I'm not quite sure I can do it, at least not on my own. That's where you, all the readers of this blog, come in. Though I'm pretty good at keeping myself in line, I know that this is a big goal, so I want to be accountable to someone.  So I thought, I'll make myself accountable to everyone who decides to click on this link! You're of course under no obligation to slap my hand away from the brownies, ask me about my exercise, or even continue reading this blog. This is just a place where I can make public to the world my progress on my big goal.

So each week, I will post how many pounds I lost that week and how many more pounds I have left to lose. I'll probably throw in a few posts about my thoughts on weight loss and nutrition and whatever else I feel like discussing as well.

Still interested? Good.  In that case, I will say just a few words about why I chose weight loss as my big goal.  I have always been a heavy person, getting to my heaviest in high school.  I lost some weight in college, but it was a constant battle between eating poorly and consequently exercising to not gain weight. When I moved to Doha, I actually gained weight as I tried to find the right foods to eat here, the best fruits/veggies to buy, etc.  But in April, I finally had an "enough is enough" moment.  I said to myself, "Candace, you are 23 years old. You can lose this weight now or live with it for the rest of your life." I got it together and lost about 15-20 pounds before heading home for the summer.  Then in Guatemala, with little control over what I ate, I was back to eating poorly and exercising to not gain weight. So I returned home with a heightened resolve to get fit.

The goal sounds big, but it really boils down to a little less than 2 pounds a week.  I can do that. There are too many pitiful people in this world--some fat, some skinny.  At any size, I am determined to not be one of them. I am choosing to be powerful!

Love,
Candace

Ok, I admit to loving this "Thinspiration" posters.
I'll probably throw a few of these in as well!