hi friends, thanks for stopping by to visit. you may know me and you may not- so i'll start with a little background. i'm 35, single, living in denver. i love my dog. i have a decent job. i have a good relationship with my parents. i have awesome friends. and when i write these things, it sounds like i have a lot of my shit together. but don't be fooled.
i've got two issues. one, i'm fat. two, i'm broke. and i can't seem to fix either one of these problems. so this is where YOU come in! this blog is a social experiment, to see if my network of friends and aquaintances (and strangers! bring on the strangers!) can help me get this shit together. basically, i'm hoping to crowdsource my self improvement :o)
so here are the details. let's start with fat. i'm 5'10" and 207 pounds. my ideal weight is 150. i am healthy, and fit for exercise of any kind, and have no food allergies or sensitivities. although i hate olives. my weight has increased due mainly to overeating and under-exercising. go figure.
issue number 2. i'm broke. i make somewhat decent money at my job BUT i'm drowning in debt. i owe $32,000 on my credit cards. i owe about $100,000 in student loans. i owe my sister $1200. and i just bought a condo, so i owe a good $160,000 on that, too. i've been in the nice position of having someone else (former husband) pay my student loans for the past few years, but they become my responsibility in july, and i'm freaking out. with my current budget, i'm able to pay about $1000 towards my sister and credit cards each month, but come july, my loans will kick in to the tune of $1100 per month, leaving about $300 for credit cards (assuming i've paid off my sister by then). i'll get into the specifics of the budget in my next post, but suffice to say, i'm on the verge of a complete panic attack.
ok so you can see i have a nice life- friends and dog and family and i live in a great city etc. but i'm having a hard time enjoying all of this with these two burdens weighing me down. so instead of sitting at home making myself crazy with "poor me" on repeat inside my head, i thought i'd reach out and see if you all might be able to help.
so i have 2 goals. 1: reach my goal weight of 150 pounds. 2: pay off my credit cards.
and i think with all the brains and experience that are out there, there have to be some great ideas. so here's what i'm asking... send me an idea to help with one (or both!) of these problems, and i'll try it for one week. i'll follow your advice to the letter, and document the process, and give YOU the credit. now you don't have to help me lose all 57 pounds, or earn all $32,000 all at once- but can you help me lose a couple of pounds? or give me an idea to earn $100?
rules and constraints. 1. i have a full time job, so i can't get another full time job, or do work during normal business hours. except maybe lunch time. 2. i value my status as an upstanding member of the community, so i'm not keen on doing anything illegal. 3. similarly, i value my status as std-free, so i'd prefer not to take on a night job as a call girl. 4. i'm broke, remember, so solutions have to be budget friendly. i can't join a gym, or pay for jenny craig, or those sorts of things. my food budget is about $100 per week. and 5. let's think short term, quick results. increasing my 403(b) contributions by $2 per paycheck will be lovely in about 40 years, but i don't really have that kind of time. help me find a few extra dollars this month. give me a meal plan for a week, not for the rest of my life... i'm a big fan of instant gratification :)
so what do you think? do you have an idea for me? start your engines, leave me your suggestions, and i'll get to work!
What an honest entry - thank you for your honesty. IMHO, your candor is the first step in making strides toward your goals. Also, the sheer fact that you HAVE goals is also a HUGE step toward achieving them.
ReplyDeleteNow, for some suggestions:
1) Health & wellness: Say no to bread. I know, I know, bread is delicious and warm and comforting. But it is also something you can train your body to live without, or at least have less of. In my experience, my body transforms quickest when I drastically cut back on my carb intake. Namely, bread. Especially in my middle parts.
2) Money: Pay cash as often as you can. This is a great way to actually FEEL what you are spending. When you are holding that sweet, cold cash in your hot little hand, it's harder to part with it. Thus keeping more of it in your hand!
You can do this!
I know that joining a gym is hard with money issues, but be on the look out for Groupon, Living Social or Sieze the Deal stuff that might include yoga or fitness classes, They're usually pretty cheap, it could be a fun way to try new stuff & get fit!!
ReplyDelete