Gotta get my butt in gear

I've been putting on weight the past few months. I'm not eating particularly well and I slowed WAY down on the running / exercise since moving in May. I'm spending time working on the house, or playing with the kids, or - lets be honest - snuggling in bed with BLT watching movies. I'm not complaining, those are all fantastic things, but I hate how I'm looking these days, I have no energy, and my clothes don't fit anymore.

All I know is the clothing that either fit a few months ago, or was roomy is T-I-G-H-T.. and I don't have the budget or the desire to purchase bigger duds.... so what's a girl to do?

I can step up the exercise, cut back the calories and hope for the best I guess. I've contemplated joining Weight Watchers online. I went to WW several years ago and lost about fifty lbs. I've kept it off really well until recently. I figure in the past six months I've gained a minimum of 15-20 lbs...it's just packing on faster than you can imagine!!

I know that WW works for me, because I do well with the whole tracking and list making thing. Also, when I'm accountable for weighing in I tend to do better than when I'm left to my own devices.... the down side however is that the closest meeting to me (I live in the boonies) is about an hour away and they only offer one meeting choice a week.

So... should I attempt it on my own for awhile and see if I can keep at the good choices and exercise on my own? Or just say "hell with it" and do what I know works for me?

One way or another this extra padding is coming off. I refuse to let all that hard work I did before go to hell and have to start over. I'm getting a handle on this situation right now. I've been telling myself for two months, "okay, on Monday you'll start your diet" and then Monday rolls around and we end up BBQing and I overeat. Then Tuesday comes and we go out for dinner and I give in and share a dessert with the kids. Wednesday I'll go running, and Thursday we'll have something delish like pasta and garlic bread for dinner, or I'll hit the bakery with the kids and have a scone and latte for breakfast. I'll run on Friday - but then go for late drinks and appetizers with BLT for "date night", and the weekends are always a free for all - lol, no time to exercise and we end up either eating out or grilling burgers or steaks - Gosh I'm hungry thinking about it.

I don't over indulge every day, but enough that it's catching up to me. I'm only getting a run in about twice per week, I'm just so dang busy, and after work there is a hundred and one things to do at home...excuses, excuses, I know.

I just need to make myself take a little walk at lunch and then have some fruit and something light... skip the pastry for breakfast and stick with my old friend the banana and hard boiled egg combo. More water, less diet soda. I know what to do, it's just getting my ass motivated to do it. Also, no more excuses.... I need to run three days per week and get some other kind of exercise in a couple other days. I have a membership to my local club. They are open until 7pm, I can go do some reps of light weights, or walk on the treadmill, or get my flabby gut toned up with some crunches...something.

So here is me, making myself accountable. I will give it a week or so on my own, but if I'm not successful then I'm going to join WW again. Summer is upon us and I want to look the way I did last year!