LET’S DO THIS.

Hello lovelies! I am so sorry for not posting in a while…my bad. Things have happened since our last post (pneumonia, chipping away at my college degree #almostdone, an amazing trip to West Virginia that I will blog about in the future)…okay so I’ve been busy, and not faithful to this blogging process. I promise I didn’t leave you all high and dry, my sweetsies! I’m not giving up. Besides, these past few months away from the blog (again, I am so sorry), I have felt restless. I have felt like I am on the brink of a journey, and I wanted (still want) to get out there and on the path already. I haven’t been happy with how I look, and these feelings of bleh coupled with the fact that I just want to get out and DO IT ALREADY haven’t exactly made a peaceful existence.

So, LET’S DO THIS.

After all of my “epilogue” posts on my blog, I am ready to get started with Chapter 1. Here is the “before” of who I am and what I really look like…..all 295 pounds of me. WHAAAAAAAAT?! Did I really just reveal my weight on the interwebz? Crap. Oh well, it’s out there now.

Yup. You read that right.

I weigh 295 pounds.

Wow.

So…this is me. Not the most flattering pic of me out there, but it will do. Also, my roommate would like to apologize for her “lack of skills” taking this pic with my iPhone.

And of course, since this an incredibly revealing, vulnerable post, why not throw in another “before” picture of me awkwardly running:

Fitness?

Let’s move on to my plan of attack, shall we?

1. We can have lots of fun GYM

(Double bonus points for understanding the above reference) I am a member of a gym in my hometown, and I have let my membership lapse. First of all, that is a waste of money, BLERG. Second, I specifically joined this gym because a. They have a pool and B. They offer aquatic personal training, WHICH IS AMAZING. I used to swim year round (summer league, club team, and on my high school team, which I was a 4-year Varsity letterman…letterlady?), and swimming was also a HUGE passion of mine. I think a great way to encourage myself and be kind to myself about getting back into shape is to do something I love(d). Plus, swimming is great for the joints, and it’s fun. If it works for Ellen DeGeneres (and by her, I mean Dory from Finding Nemo), then it works for me!

2. Join Weight Watchers

(Because Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Hudson. Duh.) In all seriousness, however, I have research different diet programs, and this is the one I trust. I feel like I will have the most success with this program over other programs, since they teach you portion control, lifestyle changes, etc. Also, this is the most cost-effective option I have in my life right now (Lovelies, I can’t afford a legit nutritionist. Those noble creatures cost money (like $$$ type of money, which I don’t have), and I would rather invest my money in an aquatic personal trainer (see above), and save in this option.)

3. Blog, Blog, Blog

As I have stated before, I plan on blogging about the whole process: the highs, the lows, the celebrations, the despairs, and everything in between. I plan on being super active with my blog, post on the reg with all sorts of goodies and updates. This is what I have planned out so far:

• Weigh-In Wednesdays: I think this speaks for itself, but to be clear, posts in which I document my weight loss, complete with pictures!
• Tasty Thursdays: Posts in which I attempt to cook healthy recipes, and live to tell the tale
• Park Saturdays: Posts in which I (and a friend that I have bribed with maple bacon doughnuts  recruited) walk some walking trails in some parks around my hometown and home state (I live in the Greater Richmond area of Virginia. I am told that this is God’s country, bwahahahaha). By the way, loved ones/people that know me in real life: Let me know if you want to walk with me!
• Music Mondays: Posts in which I feature a song on my own personal playlist that I jamming out to, particularly tunes that are inspirational to me and ones that I sweating to as I work out.
• Inspirational posts sprinkled out in between, such as:
• Pictures/articles/videos/people who I find inspiring
• Interviewing women I know about beauty, health, etc.
• Frank discussions about how I am feeling about as I go about this journey
• Geeking-out posts of things that I am obsessing over
• Goals of mine: What are they? How will I achieve them? Did I succeed, or do I need to adjust?
• General posts in which we talk about that magical time in our lives in which our bodies change I’m just kidding, sweetsies. 😉
• And many more!

I also would like to beef up the blog to make it more open, more user-friendly, and more me. 😉 I want to learn how properly learn how to post and keep my blog updated, and looking cute. (In other words, I want my blog to constantly have her hair did.) I also would like to try to attempt posting some vlogs(?!), in which I just about a topic, say Hi, and possibly answer any questions you may have (in which I beg and plead for your comments on any of the above topics).

Stay tuned for a new roll out of The Lovely Courage in the late fall, as I plan on investing some money in how the blog looks and feels. I have an amazing friend who helped me create this one, and she has agreed to help me build the beautiful-er new one! YAY!

4. Yo, I gots to buy some stuff, and save some cheddar. (Cheddar=cash.)

With any journey, one needs to financial invest in it, because, like, things cost money. Just ask Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote Eat Pray Love. Do you think that was free?! (The answer is no.) Here are the things I financially need to commit to:

• Re-upping my gym membership
• Joining Weight Watchers
• Buying a scale
• Buying a “dry-land” gym outfit or two
• Buying a waterproof MP3 player/iPod shuffle with waterproof case (so I can groove whilst I get my swim on)
• Making more meals at home/bring my lunch to work everyday vs. going out
• Save my pennies for an “After” photo shoot AND a DURING photo session project that I am keeping secret for now. 🙂 (I promise, I will blog about this soon!)

I will add more things to the general plan of attack as I go (and I promise I will keep you all updated). This journey will officially start on September 1st! Why September? Because this gives me enough time to get things settled before then, so that I can jump in with both feet and hit the ground running/hit the water swimming! (I know that this reason may seem vague, but I am asking all of you to trust me.)

Keep me in your thoughts and in your prayers! I am SO EXCITED/SO SCARED to be starting this adventure, and I am honestly thrilled to be sharing it with all of you. I am ready to do this, now and forever. I am ready to swim for my future, and for brighter days every day. I’m not going to give in. 🙂