Ten Dollars Per Pound Initiative

I have been pondering, as we all know, how to set up a rewards system for me and losing weight. Thus far, it hasn’t been too much of an issue, as dropping weight like it’s hot, being more fit, and eating well is more than enough motivation for me.

But the more I think about it, the more I think that certain things will become an issue as I creep towards that fifty-pound goal. Namely, fitting into my clothing.

I am prepared to belt up and be baggy for the next few months until I graduate, but I will hopefully be moving into the job world thereafter and I will need some help to be able to afford things that fit me.

That is the practical version.

The silly, reward part of it is that, despite my best efforts, I really like to shop. And that doesn’t necessarily include shopping for clothes, but electronics and books are way up there too.

So here is my plan:

I want to save up ten dollars for every pound that I lose. When I hit the magic marker, I will  have $500 to spend however I wish. If that means new clothes, then good. If I want the Collected Works of David Hume in addition to some other books, that’s good too. If I want a new computer, or to get a fancy new phone, all the better. I want to have $500 to do whatever I want with it, as a reward for shirking off this weight.

Here is where YOU, my humble readers, come in.

I don’t make enough money to be able to save up $500 by May (when I will probably reach my goal) or by December (my original goal), because I am ALSO saving up for that big “what if” after graduation. I have committed myself to $25/mo for this goal, but there are two problems:

1) If we are sticking to 10 dollars per pound, then I already owe myself about $120, which I just don’t have. I am also in a vaguely-not-financially-stable situation, as I don’t get paid till about the 18th (as previously discussed).

2) If some/any/one of you would be willing to match my contributions, that would be fantastic. I know some of you don’t make a lot of money or any money, like me, but any small amount would be helpful.

So, without any further ado:

I will try and make this a permanent widget on the sidebar over there, so whenever you are feeling generous, click away.

It should be noted that if I continue at my current rate, I will lose 8- 10 pounds a month.  That may taper out some, but we shall see.

Even if you cannot financially help, everyone commenting, reading, and giving me high fives in the hall before class has been so enormously helpful and amazing. The support I am getting from everyone sometimes overwhelms me. Thank you.

Lots of love,

Gina

A Triumph! and… somewhat of a defeat

I  have returned triumphant from my trip to the farmer’s market… well… mostly triumphant. Let’s deal with the good stuff first.

 

Note the abandoned chicken soup in the corner.

I gots foooooooooooood!!!!

This time I decided to go ahead and get things that I knew I already liked. This meant going lighter on the veggies (I still have some in my fridge) and getting a LOT of fruit. In fact, I just finished a granny smith apple, which was nom-tastic.

The other great triumph that I am particularly proud of is this:

in the farmer’s market there is a pretty substantial BREAD section right between the produce and the meats. I not only walked by this once, I walked past it TWICE.

And…

…wait for it…

They were giving out samples.

Fuck yes. Gina is hard core.

I actually am pretty proud of  myself. For those of you heathens who don’t understand this accomplishment, let me explain. The Farmer’s Market bread section has your typical bagged stuff, but most of it is open-air, and they bake it fresh right there.

If you can’t comprehend this, think of it this way. Have you ever walked into a Subway and smelled the glorious aroma of baking bread hit you and you immediately begin to salivate? It’s like that, except a hundred times worse.

Gina. Is. Hardcore.

Okay, anyway, here’s to the little bit of a defeat.

It's as long as my... wait...

I spent $166.

Meep.

$77 of that was on meat alone. I got 6lb of chicken, 6lb of ground sirloin, a top sirloin steak (2lb), and 1 lb of flank steak.

 

the CAB stands for "Certified Angus Beef"

There are a couple of upsides to this. Firstly, I will hopefully have food for a while, especially with school getting back in. Secondly, I  now have food that I like and want to eat, so I hopefully won’t be waiting to eat till I’m so hungry I  have no choice.

Woot!

Also,  some of my recipe frustrations have abated with the dawning of the website Everyday Paleo. Though I would call what she does “Paleo-lite” (as she uses dairy and butter on occasion), it’s still been a great reference and I have found a lot of good stuff on there.

 

Like this… how is chicken wrapped in bacon NOT good in any universe?

So we shall see how this pans out. I’m hoping that this will last me a good long while. 😀

Deuces,

Gina