5 days away from the kick-off to my very first Diet Bet! I'm feeling nervous yet excited. To help me feel better prepared I've started some small steps gearing up for the big day.

I've always been the kind of person to get ducks in a row before actually starting a project. This one is Project Me! :) I've started by making a Motivation Poster for my bathroom mirror. It has the 4 weeks with motivational sayings, pictures and even one that says "it's ok if you didn't exercies today. there's always tomorrow!" I'm sure my boyfriend doesn't mind the pictures of fit, athletic women in spandex on the mirror while brushing his teeth. haha! I find that if I see my goal, I am more focused and will work towards it. I am a visual person.

I've also started slowly doing Insanity again. I haven't worked out in about 2 months because of a calf injury, but I'm ready to get off my butt and BRING IT again! I also play volleyball twice a week, so I never really go a whole week without some type of exercise. I love team sports! My team counts on me to show up and I can't let them down. I really have to be adamant about not getting in a lazy rut when I get home from work. The boyfriend is good about dragging me into the garage for a round of Insanity.

I know that more than half of weight loss and fitness is about diet, so we threw out all the cake (my aunt just visited for her birthday) and donuts (mom insisted we have breakfast one day) and I'm resurrecting all of my healthy recipes. This is one area that the boyfriend is the least focused and supportive. It's hard to get a red-blooded, 6'5", meat-eating, man to get on the quinoa band wagon! But I'll just have to cook for myself and let him decide. I did however find a great website for recipes called Skinnytaste.com. I've made many of her recipes and we both loved it. Eating out is our main struggle. We get home from work, tired and hungry. Neither of us wants to cook and when we get to the restaurant/drive-thru our will power is out the window. Burger please! :( More willpower is a must to be successful!

I feel that with my preplanning and getting all of my tools ready to go, I will be super successful! I will have to lose 7.7 lbs in 4 weeks for me to "win" the challenge, and that seems like a lot, but I think that I can measure my success in ways other than numbers on the scale or if I get to win. I think I will benefit the most from the camraderie on this site! I already have felt more connected to others who are excited about exercising and getting fit just like me. It's very hard to be successful at weight loss when you don't have a supportive group to talk to or share stories, or to meet you at the gym instead of happy hour. I feel that I bore people or they dont' think I have a "real struggle" just because I'm not trying to lose "significant amounts of weight". I believe we all have a goal in this. We all have an idea of how we want to look and feel and it's not fair for someone else to tell you it's unrealistic or unnecessary. "I appreciate your opinion; however, I am doing this for me...not because someone else thinks I do or do not need to." There. It's about me, no matter how selfish that sounds. Health, fitness, weight loss, being the best you is exactly that...ABOUT YOU! :)

Good luck to everyone on being the BEST YOU EVER!