This spring I have the honor of being a bridesmaid for two of my best friends. In fact, they are getting married 21 days apart this upcoming spring. I am really, really excited to be a bridesmaid for both of my friends, as they are two women who are outstanding people and have never failed to help me be a better person. I could go into major detail, but I’ll refrain and not subject you to my emotional gushings. You want no part in this. Long story short, I have decided I will look good in two bridesmaid dresses in about 6 months. This means I am deciding to start working out and eating for results, rather than just to maintain. If you’ve read my posts before, you know I did not gain a freshman 15 when I went to college. In fact, I lost weight my freshman year as I was playing softball and was just as active, if not more, than I was in high school. I did, however, gained a full time employee desk job 10, which was a result of taking a relatively sedentary desk job rather than coaching two sports (in which I often participated in daily practices) and herding large groups of children. And lots of peanut butter m&ms. Eeek! I am planning on losing 10 pounds by April 1. And I am looking at multiple ways to attack: via food and via exercise…

I am in the fortunate position of never having had to lose weight before, so, to be completely honest, I don’t really know how this works. I know the theory that all diets go by: burn more calories than you consume. This is math, people. Your teacher was lying when they said you’d never use math for a practical, real life purpose. I know that my body burns about 1,600 calories a day by just existing. My number is high because of the amount of lean muscle I have (thanks to all of my sports and weight training) and I found this out by doing a body composition test through a health program my work provides. It was very neat. It was also nice to know that professionals think I look like I weigh less than what I do actually weigh. I’m not a person stuck on numbers (I genuinely could not care less that I wear a 12, as long as I feel good and look good), but it’s nice to know that people are surprised when they see my weight.

Anyway, back to my quest. I’m starting off simple and in small steps in the hopes of just get myself into better habits that I can continue with, even after I rock my bridesmaids dresses. The best “diet” is really a healthy life style. I don’t feel as though I should exclude any particular food group from my diet. I am the type of person that if I need something sweet and I don’t allow myself to have it,I will eat three blocks of cheese hoping that, with each bite, it will turn into a peanut butter M&M.

Via Food: For the next month, I am doing all that I can to keep my will power in check and stick to the following guidelines to try to break my three worst food habits:

1. Eat out one night a week. This will encourage me to plan out dinners well ahead of time which will inevitably be healthier. It also will give me the side benefit of saving some cash, hopefully.

2. Do not eat for 2 hours before going to bed. Sometimes low blood sugar will get in the way of this, but I will do my best to hold true to this. Eating right before you go to bed gives your body calories that you don’t have time to burn by being awake and walking around. Breathing burns calories, but not nearly as much as doing the dishes.

3. Healthy snacks. I snack a lot at work and instead of hitting up my beloved banana laffy taffy, it’s got to be more like almonds or clementine oranges. I am in denial if I think two banana laffy taffys mean nothing.

Via Exercise: I truly believe that if I had more time to be active I never would have gained these 10 pounds. If I eat different from college/pre-desk job I eat better NOW as opposed to back in the day. But, I have to give up the excuses and find ways to be more active:

1. I don’t like being at the gym past 8. One, I don’t like working out after I eat, and two if I work out late I will never go to sleep. Me working out two hours before bed would be the equivalent of you giving your second grader three 20 ounce Mountain Dews and a jumbo concrete from Ted Drewes. Bad plan. Find at least two nights during the work week that I can get to the gym by six.

2. On my open night that isn’t a gym or volleyball night, try out some yoga. I’ve been anti-yoga since it came on the scene. I am a girl who was kicked out of dance class for not being able to control my energy. Although the next morning I’m well aware of the work out I get when doing yoga, I am bored to no end while actually doing it. Oh, and I am about as flexible as a 2 x 4. Sit and reach? Instant fail. “Exercise” to me has always meant running of some sort and profuse amounts of sweat. However, I want to be open minded and mix up my exercise routine. This is good for people with small attention spans (re: me).

3. In the mornings before work do my free weight routines for my arms. This includes exercise to tone the triceps (re: batwing) and bicep. I don’t want to be Arnold, but I do want to make sure my arms are toned for these dresses. This weight routine will take no more than 10 minutes and I can easily do it while watching Saved by the Bell. Win win situation.

Hopefully once I knock out excessive snacking calories and get my exercise levels back up, I’ll be able to shed a few pounds. Not that anyone will be looking at me in my dress this spring, as everyone’s attention will be on my gorgeous friends. However, these are habits I’d like to break now to feel more confident for myself in my bridesmaids dresses. Oh yeah, and to keep up with the better habits so I can look fantastic in my OWN wedding dress, which I found out Saturday I can start shopping for now!

Annie is the Sports and Fitness Editor for Girls Guide. She writes about all kinds of sports related topics and then really goes out and plays sports almost every evening. You can contact Annie by emailing her at annie [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and we are still trying to talk her into getting a Twitter account – no success yet.