It’s been almost a month since I set my goals for this year, so I’ve decided it’s time to share my progress (or lack thereof) to get some sense of accountability going. Follow up is key.

In the department of weigh less and move more, I have some limited success to report. As of this morning, I’m down a net of three pounds for the month. That’s not a lot, but if I can do that every month it’ll add up to a significant chunk. The first part of the month, including a whole week of vacation when I ate pretty much whatever I wanted (hello, breakfast buffet with plenty of bacon; hello, oatmeal cookies), my strategy was to just write down everything I ate whatever it happened to be. When I got back from Montana, I stopped writing everything down but only let myself eat things at work that I’d brought from home, thus avoiding the calorie-rich free snacks. As of yesterday, I switched to the grapefruit and protein diet, which I plan to do the rest of the week. None of these approaches will work for the long haul, so next month I’m going to need to look at starting back on SparkPeople or Weight Watchers or something. As far as moving goes, skiing involved a lot of moving, and last week I got back to running and did six miles over three sessions without any pain. I signed up for my first Nike+ challenge; it started yesterday and goes for two months. I know I am not going to finish near the top, since it’s based on total miles, but it’s something different to try that might give me just a little added motivation.

On the keep less and organize more front, I haven’t done very much. I’ve thought about it a lot, sometimes in great detail. One night in Montana before I went to sleep I mentally went through my linen closet and decided what should be thrown away and what should be given away but then I got home and got distracted by other things. I did put a few things into the donation box in the basement, but that’s it. I need to do more in February, obviously.