New Year's Resolution: The Point System

Like most people, I always get excited about the fresh start that comes with a New Year. However, I make elaborate resolutions only to quit within a matter of weeks (or, more often, days).

Looking back on my resolutions for 2013, I'm simultaneously ecstatic and grossly disappointed. I had two resolutions: (1) To keep my blog going and consistently post & (2) To lose weight (partially by decreasing my intake of booze).

I count the blog resolution fulfilled, because in 2013 I wrote 145 blog posts! When I started the year, my blog was very new and I was still expecting to give it up any day. I have started countless diaries and blogs in the past, and NEVER continued them. The fact that it's been 14 months since I launched this blog and I am still (mostly) consistently posting is a serious win.

However, the weight loss thing didn't happen in 2013. At all.

To say that I had too many failed diets and hungover mornings last year would be an understatement, which is particularly frustrating because I started 2013 down 7 pounds from the previous month (quite a feat over the Christmas season!). Not only did I not keep my resolution to lose more weight, I greet 2014 about 15 pounds heavier.

A BIG part of me wants to just give up. But I know that I can't. Now that I am 28, weight-loss isn't just about vanity and being able to wear cute clothes, it's about improving my health. Not only am I sick of being a 20-something that huffs and puffs when faced with a flight of stairs, 2014 is (likely) the last full year I have before Joe and I start trying for a baby.

Because of this fact, especially, there are a lot of other areas in my life where I need to grow as well. I don't take very good care of myself (for example: I drink too much booze and soda, don't take my vitamins, rarely attend church & never wear my much needed mouthguard). If I can't take care of myself, how will I be able to take care of a baby? I need to grow more physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy in the next year so that I can approach the next chapter of our lives as the strongest woman possible.

To that end, weight loss is absolutely a resolution, but the bigger resolution is personal growth. I plan to do this by implementing a point system and having it include earning and losing points for weight and exercise-realted actions plus actions in other areas where I need to improve. Each time I reach a certain number of points, I will reward myself with some (non-food-related) reward.

In the past, I have done point systems a few times and I am always most successful at losing weight when I am doing points. I am an incredibly all-or-nothing person, and I've designed my point system to combat that as best I can. Usually, if I have a bowl of ice cream or a glass of wine when I am dieting I decide to "give up" that day and just do a free-for-all since the day has "already been ruined." If I know that there is an event coming up like a holiday, vacation or party where I know I will over-indulge, I'll wait to diet until after said event.

This is STUPID.

With the point system, I can choose to have one glass of wine or one piece of cake (heck! I can have as much as I want), but I'll need to make up those lost points through exercise or other healthy choices.

***Side Note*** Hmmm... you mean, when on a point system I approach a healthy lifestyle the way HEALTHY people do? Interesting. ***End of Side Note***

I know that I won't be able to be on a "diet" my whole life, but hopefully doing the point system will give me the ability to make conscious decisions about my health and to become less all-or-nothing.

And to ACTUALLY change my life!

So now I bet you are all curious as to how the heck I'll get/lose points!

Here's what I've decided I'll be tracking:

HOW I CAN EARN POINTS

• Every 15 minutes of exercise: + 3 points
• Drinking 100 oz of water in a day: + 5 points
• Each serving of fruit or veggies: + 1 point
• Taking my thyroid pill: + 1 point
• Taking my vitamins: + 1 point
• Brushing my teeth TWICE a day: + 2 points (I always do once, often forget at night)
• Flossing once a day: + 1 point
• Wearing my mouthguard at night: + 2 points
• Every 10 minutes of cleaning: + 1 point (I hate cleaning, and Joe loves a clean house. This one's for him. Plus, cleaning does burn calories)
• Every load of laundry: + 1 point (our washer/dryer is in the basement - 4 stories below us with no elevator. I HATE doing laundry)
• Every book finished: + 5 points (I love reading, but haven't been reading much at all lately. I want to get back into it instead of just watching TV in my free time)
• Every blog post written: + 2 points (I've been writing a lot less since I started work, I want to be sure I don't abandon the blog. This includes my Paparazzi blog too)
• Every date from the date jar completed: + 5 points (we haven't kept up with this at all - since it can be time consuming for me to prep the dates, I've just gotten lazy now that I am working. I want to be sure that we keep these dates going)
• Going to church: + 20 points (I feel guilty for even giving myself points for going to church - especially this many - but we have gone to church about 3 times in the last year. I want us to go every Sunday, and having this be a big point-getter should REALLY help get my lazy butt out the door. I told Joe I feel like a terrible person for this, and he said that the fact I recognize that going to church helps my spiritual growth and that the goal of the points is to grow as a person, I shouldn't feel bad. Plus, I am also rewarding myself for a fun date with my husband - this isn't just about getting points for being forced to do things I don't want to do, it's to make sure that lazy me does things she knows she wants to) 

HOW I CAN LOSE POINTS

• Every 12 ounces over 36 ounces of diet coke I drink: -3 points (Okay, okay. I get that 36 ounces of diet coke every day is still a ton and unhealthy. But that's cutting down my intake a lot. My goal will be to decrease that over the course of the next few months and *hopefully* eliminate diet coke as a daily vice)
• Each serving of sweets/dessert: -3 points
• Sleeping past 8 on weekdays & 10 on weekends: -2 points (working from home means I can sleep as late as I want - but it also means that if I start work too late in the day I will be working until after dinner and missing out on time with Joe and time for other important things)
• Staying up past 11 on weekdays & 1 on weekends: -2 points (I still need to make sure I get adequate sleep, so if I am waking up earlier I need to make sure that I am going to bed early enough to get at least 8 hours in)
• Eating out: -5 points for a low-calorie pick or -10 points for whatever I want on the menu (this includes fast food, restaurants and delivery)
• Booze: -2 points (per shot, glass of wine, or can of beer)

As you can see, these points touch on a variety of areas. I also do not give myself points for losing weight or take points away for gaining. I am obsessed enough with the number on the scale, I don't need one more reason to put pressure on that number.  The point is that if I make healthy choices I will lose.

Since today is Joe's last day of break, I agreed we can just bum around today and not worry about anything but enjoying ourselves. So that means that this point system goes into effect at midnight tonight! Wish me luck :)

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