Weight Loss

AB Challenge Day 4

I did work my Abs yesterday, an easier workout because I ran out of time :-) So, I did 3 sets of 12 crunches with my knees bent and feet up on the couch. Then I did 2 sets of roll-downs. Sitting on the floor, with my legs bent in front of me rolled down slowly. My abs aren't strong enough to let me roll very far, so I put my hands out in front of me for a counter weight. (If you want to do these, make sure you keep your feet on the floor, and you only go down to the point you can get yourself up again.)

Today, my brother and I went for a short walk, then I did my workout:
2 sets of 12 kettlebell swings
3 sets of V-sits
Then I did a little rehab for my shoulder, which has been really bothering me lately.

I also weighed myself today - yikes! It's actually not as bad as I expected, but still, bad. Today I weighed 185 lbs.

I started in July 10 at 194 lbs. I got down to 182 lbs by the end of August. That's 12 lbs in about 7 weeks.That's a lot. And that was part of the problem before. I lost it fast and extreme. But I wasn't committed to a long-term program. So, when everything fell apart is September, I stopped. And surprisingly enough, only gained 3 lbs. But, I'm sure (and I can tell by how I squishy I feel) I lost muscle and gained more than 3 lbs of fat.

But the wonderful thing is we get to start over every day. Today is another day, and tomorrow is as well.

Debby

ABs

30 Day AB Challenge, Day 2
So far, so good!
I did my AB workout yesterday, and, as small as it was, I am a little sore (yeah!)
This morning, I looked at a couple of the abdominal workouts I'd pinned from Pinterest. They are way too advanced for me right now. One of the workouts I looked at "7 moves for 6-pack abs in 30 days" most of the moves looked so difficult, I don't think I could do any of them without using poor form and hurting myself. (And no, carrying an extra 50 punds, I don't expect to get 6 pack abs any time soon). But that's OK, because now I know where to go for some more advanced moves as I get stronger!

So, here is the workout I did:
modified mountain climbers, 10 reps
seated leg lifts, 10 reps
Repeat

Here are the exercises:
Mountain Climbers
Start in a push-up position, hands shoulder-width apart, and toes on the ground. Slowly drive one knee to the chest and back down, alternating legs. Maintain a straight back throughout the exercise. To modify to make it easier (this is what I did), elevate your hands, so your body is at an angle. To make the move more challenging, speed up the leg movement, so you're "running in place".

Seated leg lifts
Sit on the edge of a step or bench. Trying to keep your back upright (don't lean back too much), lift your knees up as high as you can. Keep both feet and knees together. You can hang on to the edge of the bench if you need to. Make sure your abdominal muscles are drawn in throughout the exercise, so you're working your transverse abdominus.

Debby
 All things are difficult before they are easy                Thomas Fuller

Wake Up Sad

My first thought upon awakening this morning was Speck, and loss. Then, when I actually sat up, I automatically looked for her... damn.

Yesterday, I moved through the morning, doing what needed to be done. Then basically did nothing else all day (laundry, Pinterest, tried to watch TV).

So, I need to stay busy. Occupy my mind. And since my other first thought this morning was awareness of my rolls of fat, that seems like a good occupation. I can take today to plan my workout program.

I started well. I thought, let me get going on my 30 day AB challenge, then I'll write in my blog that I've already done my workout today. So far, so good. Except when it came to writing, my post turned into an epic about the loss of Speck. (See previous post).

But I started the day with my 30 day AB challenge! I did 2 sets of 10 crunches on the Dyna-disc (WAY harder than I expected, so that's all I could do). And 2 sets of planks (again, all I could do, because they hurt my shoulder a little.)

I also drank my green shake again (and I found out that if you add too much spinach, you can taste it).

So, I'm off to a good start.

Debby

There is no failure except no longer trying.                         Elbert Hubbard

Speck

Best laid plans....
I was enthusiastic to start my program! I got up on Saturday, inspired to have a "green" shake for breakfast. (Actually just my regular protein shake with frozen spinach added in).
Then my brother and I went to Fresno. Sam's club is having health screenings every month this year, so we went for that. They're checking blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels. (And they'll check BMI and body fat, too, but I didn't need that). It was OK, my blood pressure is still WAY too high, but it was last time I went to the doctor. I think it's my extra weight. (My mom says stress will increase it too, I'll have to check on that.)

But when we got home, Speck had taken a turn for the worse. She had been wandering through the house in the morning, then, after lunch, my mom realized she hadn't seen her. She found her in my bedroom, kind of underneath our chair. Our guess is she'd tried to get up and failed, and just stayed where she landed. So my mom sat there on the chair, with Speck on her lap until I got home (at least an hour later).

It was almost like she'd had a stroke. Her legs just suddenly wouldn't support her. But they weren't paralyzed. I kept her on my lap the rest of the day and evening. She just laid on her side, mostly not even sleeping, just staring. So we knew the end was coming.
I spent all day Sunday holding her, carrying her around when it seemed like she wanted to move, but couldn't move herself.

She passed away on Sunday night about 9:40 PM.
I was, and am, devastated. Even though I was expecting it, I was unprepared. I was shocked at how much I cried (I'm not a crier).

Yesterday, we buried her in the back yard, just below my bedroom (I can see her little grave from my window). My brother had made a casket for her, and Sunday, I had found some fabric to line it. We had dug the grave on Sunday too. (Because we all knew that if she survived the weekend, I'd have to take her to the Vet to be put to sleep on Monday). My brother had wood-burned her name on the top of the casket. We all gathered to bury her.

So, I didn't get anything done over the weekend or yesterday. No workout (although my brother and I walked to the mailbox to mail some orders yesterday morning).

Debby

Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight.  ~Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Trying

I think that one of the hardest things to do in life is to keep trying after failing and failing. How do you convince yourself that this time is going to be different. This time I'm going to make it work.

This is what I'm struggling with this week.
I know that everyone makes New Year's resolutions. And everyone breaks them.
But, after a series of failures and a bout of depression and severe financial difficulty, I am determined to re-start my life.
The tricky part is to quiet the voices in my head saying "you've tried before and failed". So, I don't do anything. The fear of failure is sometimes overwhelming.
My hope is that through thorough planning, I'll develop a strategy that will be "fail-safe". At the very least, a complete plan will make me know what step to take next, even if it's a small step, and even if I don't feel like doing it.

My goal of losing weight is one of the things I'm struggling with. I lost a lot of weight in the summer. Then, some things happened, so I gave it all up. I fell and injured my foot, then about 3 days later I got sick. Neither event was that big a deal, but I had to take time off. Then, I was disappointed in a relationship. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I never got back to working out consistently, and my diet fell apart. And I gained the weight back.

So, now, how can I start again? I don't want to start and stop. So, I wait until I'm sure I'm ready. And, I realized that I was losing the weight before to please someone else. That never works, especially when the someone stops being part of your life.
 And because of my desire to be a trainer again, my weight loss and getting in shape is tied to that. This causes another couple of layers of fear. As much as I want my old life back (only better), there is fear of putting myself out there again. And fear of failure. And as long as I am heavy, I know I can't be a trainer, so I don't have to try.


(I also know that staring a new routine, exercise or otherwise is a stressor. And adding a stressor, when one is already stressed, is a recipe for failure. So, as long as Speck is sick, I am not going to take too much on. I will keep going, but I do not have the energy to go all-out about anything).

I do know one thing though, status quo isn't going to work anymore. I have to change something. And weight and fitness is one thing that's very controllable. (I may not be able to dictate exactly the amount of weight I lose, and how fast, I can control my exercise and my diet).


So, here I am. Trying.

Tomorrow I will start a 30 day AB challenge. That means I will exercise my abdominal muscles every day for 30 days. (There are a lot of 30 day challenges on Pinterest, and that's where I got the idea. It makes it more fun, like a game.)
Tomorrow's workout:
crunches on the Dyna-disc - 2 sets of 15
plank position - 3 times, hold as long a possible.

See you tomorrow,
Debby


You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.                 Margaret Thatcher

Plans

I'm trying to organize (re-organize) my life.
So I've been writing to-do lists, and trying to set up schedules.
I was doing pretty well with the necessary things for Brown Iris Creations (my jewelry business), but when it comes to the rest of life...

First of all, I tried to set goals for the year. Simple enough. I have a few specific things I want to accomplish, the most important of which is to get re-certified by NASM as a personal trainer. But when I try to take these yearly goals and turn them into day-to-day goals, it's much more difficult.
I know that when it comes to goals you're supposed to plan, and work toward them daily.
But it seems to me that if I work every day toward every goal, I'll need 48-hour days. (I have a tendency to over-reach).
And then there's the planning process- I take forever trying to write out my goals and plans and I feel like I haven't accomplished anything yet.

So, I took yesterday off - from planning and from doing anything that I'd scheduled to do. I worked on cleaning and organizing my living space. I took care of my sick cat (she's 16 years old, and very thin and frail, and she has a cold).

Speck

So, I'll keep trying...

Debby

Saying is one thing and doing is another

A Whole New Year!

I'm Back!!!
Well, sort of. I'm going to try to start slowly, and I'm going to learn this blogging business!
But, for now, Happy New Year! May this year be better than the last!
Dream big! Plan and set goals to make the dreams come true.

Debby

"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up" - Unknown

Another Day

I weighed myself just now...185.6. I hope that's monthly bloating, and I didn't do that much damage last week. Even so, It's kind of discouraging, because I worked out on Monday and ate well yesterday (except I didn't eat frequently enough).

But then I "listen' to what I just wrote, and think, what if a client said that to you? I'd say just give it a little time. Consistency is what brings the long-term results. Not semi-gung-ho efforts for two days.

I also spent the entire day at the computer yesterday, trying to get my facebook page for my boot camp set up. I think I kind of did it, but I can't find it. I'm not very good at computer-stuff. It boggles my mind. I have to take breaks and tell myself I'm not stupid, and if other people can figure out how to make these things work, so can I. (Then I look at the help discussion forum on facebook, and realize there are a lot of other people that don't find this easy.)

Anyway, I'm not too discouraged, just determined, now.
And today's another day...

"This is your life... treat yourself right... treat others right... live like you know you should."
(The Newsboys)

Debby

Get Back Up Again

If at first you don't succeed, etc.....
It's been a rough week. It really hit me over the weekend that I'm unemployed. Me! I think it had taken so long to hit because at first I was all gung-ho about starting a boot camp and really focusing on training again.
But then I got a lead for a full-time job that seemed too good to pass up. (Benefits!) And I was kind of putting all my eggs in that basket. Well, nothing happened. My client works for the company, and he said they were looking to fill the position asap. So, I was there, with my newly created resume first thing Tuesday morning (Monday was a holiday), and filled out an application. The person doing the hiring wasn't there. So, I waited until Thursday to call. He said he's still reviewing, to call back tomorrow. Called on Friday, he was in a meeting, but they said they'd give him a message to call when he was finished. Nothing.
Now, it's Tuesday, and I still haven't heard anything. Do I call again? Who knows. But I've been talking to God, and He's reminded me of my mission-teach...influence others. And I had asked Him to let me know if that job was the way he wanted me to go, and show me by opening the door. The door didn't open.

So, I'm getting on with my life.

Haven't weighed myself since Friday, but my diet's been ok. And I was so sore from my kwando class last week, I took Friday off, which turned into the whole weekend off :(

But, I worked out yesterday, doing a metabolic disturbance workout, yeah!

And I gave myself a good talking to: this time is a gift! It's what I've wanted. Time to create a boot camp-helping more than one person at a time. Just get it going! And time to create. Paint, bead, write. So, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to a "meet-up" beginner painting class on Sat!

Have a good Day,
Debby

Waning motivation

It's funny how I can be all gung-ho one day, then kind of lose my drive the next. The weight is down-183.4 (-1.6#). Yeah! But my eating this week hasn't been good.
It's been very hot here in So Cal. And I don't have an air-conditioner. So, by late afternoon, even with the fans on, it's too hot to cook, or to even think about it. So off I go to: Wed it was McD because I was craving a frappe. And yesterday it was Carl's Jr/Green burrito, because it's cheap.
But why, why why do I do this to sabotage myself?
1. no chicken cooked
2. no meal plans set up, so I have to think of something when I'm "starving"
3. letting myself get to the point of "starving"

Here we go again...

I'm back! I know I said that a few months ago, but, hey, life happens.

I am more determined than ever to lose this extra weight that I've gained over the past few years.

I got off my medication in June, but it took a while to get off, then took a while to re-adjust to normal human emotions. (I'd been on an anti-depressant for about 18 months).

I weighed myself on Sunday, and I was up to 185 lbs! Immediately the program begins...

I actually had started working out with weights last week, but now, I'm planning every workout and scheduling the time to workout as well.

So far, so good. I worked out with D on Sunday. Then took Monday off. Yesterday I worked out with Cat. And this morning I took a kwando class. (Well, half a kwando class. But considering I felt like leaving after 5 minutes, I think I did OK by hanging in there for a half hour.)

My diet's been kind of all over the place. Holiday weekend, and I spent time with my brother and my sister-in-law, and her sister's family. That meant eating out. But I tried to keep my portions small. (Leftovers!) And I made a specific decision not to drink any calories.

Speaking of drinking calories, I have cut down on my frappes as well. And when I have one, I usually get a medium instead of a large. I haven't had any soda-of any kind- since Feb. 2009. I stopped because I was kind of addicted. And they're SO BAD for you. Not just the sugar. But the carbonation-phosphorus- can cause acidity in the body, which the body tries to neutralize with Calcium....from your bones. Not a good thing.

Have a great Day!

Deliberate Denial, part 2

Sat. 4/2
179.6 lbs.
This exercise in structured denial is hard. I'm hungry. My head hurts. This morning, not eating for three hours after I woke up, wasn't too bad. It took some self-talk...this is stupid, what's it for, I'm not going to die.
Trust your therapist, this is why Mr. Olive gets paid the big bucks.

It got harder as the day went on. At 8 pm I said forget it, I'm starving, I feel funky, I'm eating. But then I remembered why I was doing this. Self denial, self discipline. Learn to say no to "I want it, I'm getting it."
So I waited, until 9. So yeah! I did it.

Dj

Deliberate Denial, part 1

Well, it's Saturday, and I spoke to my therapist, Mr. Olive, on Thursday. Because he's not a psychoanalyst, we didn't get too deep into the why I indulge myself, sometimes out of control.
We did discuss how my inner "parent" is saying "NO" and my obstinate, rebellious child is saying, "I want it, I'm getting it".

So here are his suggested solutions:
First, because I use fast food as comfort food, I need to get my comfort somewhere else. I should "Fill my Bucket" in ways that are generative. Paint, bead, create things. Take care of myself this way.

The other thing is to practice deliberate denial. Practice. So my denial muscles are stronger when I need them. Challenge myself to build that discipline and maturity and be more responsive to the parent.
Because my problem is food right now, we talked about fasting. Incremental fasting even, like I'm not going to eat until 10am, then longer next time. Or, I'm only going to eat two times today.
I've only really ever heard about fasting for spiritual reasons, which, I know is Biblical, but presents a couple of problems for me. first, if I'm going on a spiritual journey, I would think I'd need to be in "retreat" mode, not trying to live my daily routine. How can I get any spiritual insights if I'm just living my life as usual?

Second, (and I mentioned this to Mr. Olive), it seems like the spiritual "revelation" that one gets in a fasted state is as likely to be an hallucination, like when Native American men went out to find their "vision".

But doing a fast, or partial fast, as an exercise in discipline seems to have some merit. I started yesterday by denying myself "samples" of any shakes I made. I will often drink a tiny portion of the leftovers after I've made someone their shake, especially if I'm hungry. That worked OK. I had to remind myself, and remind myself why, but I did it.

Then I told myself that after I had my breakfast bar (at about 5:30am), I couldn't eat again until 10. It was hard, and I was hungry, and the shakes were right there, and I'm surrounded by protein bars, but I did it.

Then, after I had dinner at about 5:30 pm, I said no more for the night except to finish the shake that I'd had for my mid-day meal. So far, so good.

Dj

Diet Failure, part 2

After I weighed myself, and saw that I'd gained all my weight back, I got right back on the diet. I also was determined to weigh myself every day, not just when I'd done well.
So, I ate well...salads, green beans, chicken, eggs, and chili that I made last week. And I lost a little weight, slowly, but surely.

Then, on Wednesday evening, I was tired, hungry, driving home from training my clients, and HAD TO go to Taco Bell on the way home. I didn't have any chicken cooked, I'd run out of lettuce, I didn't want to take the time...all kinds of ways of saying "I want it, I'm gonna get it". (And Taco Bell because it's cheaper. But it's not cheaper if you buy four things, and a Frutista). At least this time, it wasn't a three day binge, like last week.

So, up goes the weight again. From 180 to 180.8 lbs. But I had my therapy session on Thursday. More on that later.

Dj

Diet Failure, part 1

From March 27
Weight-181.4 Back up to where I started.
Last week I had a really bad few days, diet-wise. I just gave in and had the McDonald's. I wish I could figure out why.
I haven't been especially stressed. Work is going OK. Clients are OK, all back. Life is going OK.
I need my therapist, Mr Olive, to psychoanalyze me, I think. Unfortunately, he's not a psychiatrist. He's a licensed social worker. That means he's a problem solver.

This is a good thing most of the time. I'm not one for the whys & wherefores of anything. Just tell me what to do about the situation. (I'm like that w/ training too. I don't need to know the why of every physiological thing going on...just how to deal with it).

But this time, I'd like someone, namely Mr. Olive, to give me insight into WHY I do this. Am I afraid of success? Am I afraid of getting thin? Do I just need to focus on something besides food & diet? Is it because of what a coworker said, that I've lost muscle, so I just gave up, knowing that it won't matter and won't help until I start really working out too???
I think Mr. Olive has his work cut out for him at our next session.

Dj

Ounce by Ounce

Well, I'm down to 180 pounds, WHOOO-HOO!!! That means I've lost 1.2 pounds since Friday. Will that pace get me to my goal by two weeks? 1.2 lbs, in four days is an average loss of .3 lbs per day. .3lbs times 14 days is only 4.2 lbs-Nope, not enough. But hopefully, my slow start held me back and now I'm on a better pace.

I've been eating pretty well, very strictly since Sunday-that's two whole days!

I am avoiding temptations, or trying to. My clients canceled last night, but I needed to put a check in the bank. The bank is not near me at all, so I'd have to drive across town to get to it. And the closest, most convenient branch is inside a grocery store. So, I decided it would be better if I just left the check for another day. Too "dangerous" to go in the evening. I'd pass by my favorite McDonald's (yes, they're different, and yes I have a favorite). I'd pass by the wonderful Carl's Jr/Green Burrito that gave me so much trouble on Friday. So, I stayed home, studied customer service for my job, and ate eggs and strawberries and milk for dinner (meal # 4), and was perfectly satisfied.

Lead us not into temptation...

Temptation is a funny thing. Every day, as I leave work at 4-ish, I'm peckish, not super hungry, but I still want to go to the McDonald's on the way home. (In case you haven't figured it out, I love McDonald's. I'm actually one of those freaks who loves fast food in general.) It's very tempting to just hit that McD as I drive by it. But, I'm telling myself, "that's not going to get you to your goal. And once you put food in your stomach, you won't care. You'll be full and satisfied. (And you don't need to spend the money anyway)."

And so far, I've been listening.
Minute by Minute, Ounce by Ounce.

Dj

Down a Little

Weight today is 180.8, so I'm down .4 pounds. that's not bad, considering I weighed myself on Thursday, then Friday I had a complete "pig-out" day. Quesadillas, burritos, and enchiladas (yum).

Yesterday I ate very sparingly, because I had my birthday dinner last night, at the Roadhouse Grill. I didn't do too badly, except I was really hungry, so I don't know how many peanuts I ate. (This is a place where they give you a bucket of unshelled peanuts and then you throw the shells on the floor.) Then, because we were celebrating my birthday, my friends got them to bring me free dessert (and embarrassment. You know- all the waiters come over, making a big racket- they put a toilet seat cover necklace on me, and a coffee filter hat, and bring me a dessert.) And I had a LOT of strawberry lemonade.

So, losing .4 pounds isn't bad, under the circumstances.

Starting over

Well, it's been a rough year, but I'm back. Surprisingly, only 5 pounds heavier than my last post, almost a year ago.

I finally feel like I have the energy to deal with this aspect of my life. But I'm not planning on planning any super-aggressive workout program. I'm just going to focus right now on total-body workouts, three days a week. These will gradually become circuit workouts. And then I will add more cardio.

I'm not quite ready to commit LARGE portions of time to losing weight.

I have recently started another business, Right Moves Fitness, with three separate aspects:
A website which is going to be devoted to teaching and selling online personal training, along with a separate blog for that; a boot camp with my friend Priscilla; and one-on-one personal training again. (I had stopped for a few months-like I said, it's been a rough year.)

I also started another blog last week, Moods and Whimsy, that's more personal, more opinion, more my observations of the world.

All of this, in addition to my other business, Brown Iris Creations, and my full time job as retail lead at Bally Total Fitness.

Oh, yeah, and I want to write a book, which is constantly writing itself in my head.

Soooo, losing weight isn't my first priority.

And, because I'm not completely committed, I'm getting help this time. Not from a trainer, but I'm being accountable to someone. I heard about this idea on a talk show, about making yourself accountable to someone else for your actions, and having consequences if you don't fulfill your side of the agreement.

I made an agreement with a friend of mine that I will lose 5 lbs in two weeks (starting yesterday). If I don't I have to pay him $20. The money works as a good motivator, because I don't have it, and he wants it. He also wants me to lose weight. And he's blunt, and frank with me. So, he'll demand the payment and won't be too nice about it.

It'll keep me on track. and honestly, as heavy as I am right now, I don't think I'll have to work too hard to lose that first 5 pounds. If I just watch my diet, and stop eating the constant fast food that I've been eating lately, I can do it.

I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought salad green and a big bag of green beans. I already have chicken, and cod, and salmon. I didn't buy bread or tortillas (ouch!), but if I don't have them, I can't eat them. And the weight will come off faster with a high protein, low carb diet. So here I go again :)

A Good Start

I actually started yesterday (April 20), weighed myself and started my workouts. The workout part was simple because I semi-regularly take my friend and co-worker's Reaction Cycling class on Tuesday mornings. I was already signed up for it (have to sign up early or you WON'T get a bike-it's that popular!)
I say it was simple, but it was not easy!!! 40 minutes of intense cardio, with Damon pushing us to do our best. We all know each other in the class and push each other, too.

I stupidly, going full on with the "diet plan" took a fat-burner before the class, too.

Tip: Fat-burners are stimulants! And they increase your heart rate! So if you take one before a cardio class, your heart rate can get uncomfortably high.

I had to stop several times to catch my breath.

Weight today: 174.8 lbs! (Wow, I've already lost .4 lbs!!!!) Of course I know that our weight fluctuates daily, but that drop is motivating, and I'm claiming it!!!

My workout today was just strength training. I did a total body workout, with supersets (two exercises for the same body part, back-to-back), and mini circuits.
Here's the basics:
2 leg exercises followed by 2 chest exercises, then repeat.
2 shoulder exercises followed by 2 back exercises and 1 abdominal exercise, then repeat.
2 triceps exercises followed by another abdominal exercise, then repeat.

EXERCISE OF THE DAY:
MODIFIED PLANKS
Hold a push-up position. That's it!
Be on your toes (no knees here!) Make sure your body is straight from your head to your toes (your behind isn't lifted). Make sure your hands are directly underneath your shoulders.
Keep your abdominal muscles drawn in and tight, and tighten up your legs as well (especially the quadriceps.) And KEEP BREATHING!
Hold for up to 30 seconds. Rest and repeat.
This is great for the ABs, the back, and the shoulders.

Goal Setting

The problem with setting goals is they're supposed to be SMART! Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and within a certain Time. And the problem with setting weight loss goals is that in order to make them specific and measurable...etc., I'll have to get a starting point. THAT MEANS WEIGHING MYSELF! Which I've been avoiding for some time.

I know I'm bigger. I know my clothes don't fit. And I had to go Buy black pants two weeks ago to wear to my Gramma's memorial service. I know that my legs are looking kind of flabby.

But I'm still reluctant to look at the scale. I know I'm heavier than I have ever been.
But here goes...
My weight is 175.2 pounds and my Body Fat is 41.7%. (That was yesterday).
Yikes! It's higher than I thought.

But now I can make some goals.
I will lose 3 lbs by April 30.
Then 10 lbs in May.
Then another 2 by June 7, when I'm going to see U2!!! (My goal is to wear my black jeans, which I haven't worn in about 8 months).
So total weight loss from now until June 7 is 15 lbs.
That's a SMART goal.

Of course, weight isn't the only indicator of health or fitness, so it's not my only goal.
Also, by June 7, I will be down to 38% body fat.
And be able to run (jog, really) 2 miles. (That one is pretty aggressive for me, running is VERY hard for me, but I like being able to do it.)