Operation Cruise... OUT OF Control!

Okay, so as I'm sure you've guessed from my lack of posts, Operation Cruise Control didn't turn out to be as much of a success as I had hoped. While I wanted to lose about 20 pounds, I only lost 5. While I wanted it to last 12 weeks, I only stuck to it for about 5. There are plenty of excuses that I can come up with, but I won't. I just completely lost motivation. On the positive side, I DID lose 5 pounds. And I'm constantly learning what does and doesn't work for me as far as a "plan" goes. So I wouldn't call OCC a failure.

While I am now really hesitant to make any sort of strict goal or plan, I do have some motivational reasons for getting back in shape and losing weight. (1) I went on a wonderful cruise last week, where they fed me in 30 minute increments. And despite only taking the elevator once or twice (I walked a LOT of stairs) I still managed to gain those 5 pounds back. (2) I will be in a couple weddings coming up - Katrina's in March and Kim's in June. Now, I'm getting my dress for Katrina's wedding altered next week, so there's not a ton of hope for that one, but I have a while before my dress for Kim's wedding comes in. I'd like to make my seamstress work, if you know what I mean. (3) I am beginning a new routine. Starting tomorrow I am studying for my next exam (it will be in May). This normally would be the perfect opportunity to use studying as an excuse for not getting in shape, but I think that this could actually be a positive experience if I schedule working out into my new routine. I am already not going to have a life. I might as well get in shape while I'm at it. And perhaps the exercise will keep my stress under control, thus preventing my headaches from reappearing.

So. I need some accountability and encouragement throughout this. Especially since I don't have a set plan. Perhaps I will come up with one as things progress, but right now a plan scares me and I'm afraid it will do more harm than good. So for now, I just want to get back to exercising regularly. Please post comments, send me emails, or call me to keep me accountable. I really need to get in shape this time. For real. :)

Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning – the use of consequences to modify the occurrence and form of behavior

Positive Reinforcement – when a behavior (i.e., losing 5lb.) is followed by a favorable stimulus (i.e., a small reward) that increases the frequency of that behavior.

It has been proven that setting small intermediate goals for yourself (no matter what the ultimate goal may be) helps significantly in the success of meeting that goal. I have made the mistake of not doing this in the past, and it made the goal seem daunting and impossible to achieve. So I always gave up early.

This time, not only do I plan on setting small goals for myself, but I am going to use the operant conditioning principles of B.F. Skinner to help achieve them. I have set concrete goals with definite timelines and specific rewards. I decided that I wanted each goal to stand alone, meaning that if I fail to meet the first one, I don’t have to work twice as hard to reach the second one. Otherwise, I may snowball my way into feeling overwhelmed again, defeating the purpose of these stepping stones completely! So here they are… make sure to hold me to them!

My intermediate goals and their corresponding rewards:

• Between now and my birthday (November 7th), if I lose 5 lb, I am treating myself to 15 music downloads! I can put them on my mp3 player to work out with and make a new mixed cd too!

• Between my birthday and Thanksgiving (November 26th), if I succeed in losing 5 lb (regardless of whether or not I met the first goal), I can splurge on a new outfit for the cruise!

• If I lose 8 lb between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am allowed to buy some fun new makeup!

• And finally, if I lose 4 lb between Christmas and our “Sail Date” (January 10th), I can reward myself with a pedicure on the ship!

Operation Cruise Control

Since I got married, started a desk job, and left the collegiate “active” lifestyle behind, I seem to have gained some unwanted pounds. I finally have a long period of time free from studying and a motivating reason to shed these unwanted pounds: a cruise! Granted, I’ve had plenty of reasons to lose the weight over the past year, but between the studying (a.k.a. the stress) and my semi-chronic headaches, I kept allowing myself to justify my complacency.

Of course, several times I tried to jump-start my motivation and get in shape, but every time failed. I found that the main reasons for the failures were (1) I had one big scary goal (with no stepping stones in between), (2) I had no one to keep me accountable or motivate me, and (3) I was WAY too strict about my eating habits. I mean, did I really think I would succeed by depriving myself completely of chocolate? Those of you that know me know that I can’t live long without it! So this time I plan to remedy those mistakes by (1) giving myself small, manageable goals to help get through to the big goal, (2) make sure people know that I’m doing this so-as to keep me accountable and provide encouragement, and (3) allow myself leeway when it comes to the diet, but make sure I am exercising adequately.

I am on a serious mission with some serious goals. I am calling this mission Operation Cruise Control. I hope to use this blog to record my progress and keep myself accountable. I have a spreadsheet (of course!) to help me see exactly how I’m doing. Hopefully these things will make this journey enjoyable :)

Here’s the summary:

22 – number of pounds to lose
88 – number of days until we set sail
12 – approx. number of weeks until we set sail
2 – approx. number of pounds to lose per week
4 – number of holidays between now and then
1 – number of people being held accountable to this challenge
1,000,000 – number of encouraging comments needed to achieve the goal

Welcome to Operation Cruise Control [OCC]… I hope you’ll join me on this journey!