Accountable in April.

I've been told quite a bit lately that I am a big success story. It's flattering, and after going to my annual checkup with my doctor this morning and hearing her tell me I've lost 43 pounds since my visit last year, I kind of believe it. But I hate the idea of a "success" story being simply in the before and after photos. The notion that we one day commit to getting healthy and then magically show up 50 pounds lighter is a disservice to the mere idea of a success story. What's harder is hearing everyone compliment my progress but feeling like I still have so much work to do, and so little time to do it in. This past month has been a major struggle for me and the scale shows it.

Battling the winter blues is only amplified when March brings more snow and not the warm sun I'd been hoping for. I threw myself into my workouts and eating plans this winter, and I'm so proud of that, but I am SO sick of the same routine. Sick of drinking shakes, eating salads and green beans and seeing the same room of the rec center for every single workout. My body is bursting at the seams to hit the pavement in the sun, walk my dogs to get froyo (hey, it's better than driving there) and get my hiking shoes dirty on my favorite 3 mile trail with Rob and the dogs. This month has been so discouraging because I haven't been able to do any of that. My doctor summed up my struggles when she said to me, "Well, you're a girl in the midwest, and that's about the end of that story." She, like many of us, know the struggles of trying to find something to do in the winter that doesn't involve spending money, sitting in the house or eating out at a restaurant or bar. Needless to say, I've been doing all three of those in excess this past month.

So in hopes of amping myself up for April and buckling down, I've made a couple goals to keep me accountable. Stay tuned, kids!

Start and finish our modified 30 Day Shred challenge - some friends and I are doing a modified verson so we can still work it in with other fitness plans and I'm looking forward to the extra workouts!

Sign up for at least one race in April. Already got this one covered by signing up for a "Panerathon" 5k race for hunger. With free Panera at the end. Yeah, I know, right?

Wholeheartedly practice the 90/10 rule when it comes to eating clean at home. I'm usually pretty good about it but I need to be more dilligent about eating clean foods and avoiding processed ingredients. Hopefully, as the weather warms up, this will mean lots of grilled veggies and meat!

Stay away from the scale and focus more on measurements. The scale is a huge mental roadblock for me and I know it's not a true reflection of the work I put in sometimes. Our 30 Day Shred challenge requires before, during and after measurements and I'm hoping this will help me focus on how my body changes, not just what the scale says. God, that fucking scale.

Try spaghetti squash. Seriously. It's that simple.

April is shaping up to be a busy but fun month, and any extra ounce of accountability I can get, the better off I'll be. Six months untl wedding time, and 25 pounds to go!!