I don’t have a scale at my new apartment, nor a full length mirror. And I’m not sure this is a good thing. This weekend, I exercised very little, with the exception of a short visit to the gym on Friday, if that counts. Now, last I checked (while at my parents’ house) I was still within my normal weight range, and my sister said I looked good, but I think I might have put on somewhere around the vicinity of 5 pounds. Ack! It’s no wonder really, since my lifestyle has changed so much since moving back from Barcelona– I spend much of the day sitting. And, I usually gain a few pounds each winter. Don’t we all? But have no fear, I have a plan!

According to this article on Livestrong.com, it is both possible and safe to shed 20 whole pounds before summer– the key is to give yourself at least 10 weeks (that’s 2 1/2 months). And by my calculations, we are still just within that threshold. In a nutshell, ere’s the trick for women. You need to cut your caloric intake by 500 calories a day AND you need to burn 500 more calories a day, thereby creating a certain deficit in what you burn versus what you take-in. Sounds easy enough, right? You still need to make sure to take-in about 1,200 calories a day, of course, and made up of all the paleo-style, high protein, quinoa-filled, lean fat, good, super-food, green stuff!

Though I did not exercise much this weekend, I did get a chance to look over my finances, and I realized how much I spend on buying two large drinks (on average) a day at either Coffee Bean & TeaLeaf, Starbucks or Le Pain Quotidien. And this adds up. In fact, if I added all that up over say a year, I could probably support an entire family in some remote village in rural Africa for at least that long, when considering both the calories consumed and money spent! Okay okay, so I’m exaggerating for effect a bit, but seriously, those drinks add anywhere from 300 to 800 calories a day to my diet. Not to mention the smoothies I drink about 3 times a week or the muffins I sometimes have for breakfast! Not only does this all inflate my belly, but also my spending each week! (Thank god I rarely go for cocktails these days!)

So, my action plan is simple:

1. I cut out all muffins and smoothies, and limit my coffee or tea latte drinking to once a day, maybe 2, but definitely sugar-free types and smaller sizes.

2. And for burning calories, well, I have to make more of an effort to get to the gym everyday, or to incorporate some form of intense exercise into my life on an almost daily basis. I plan to keep going to the gym in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, but I also plan on joining a running club (or two), and joining a few races.

The way I see it is if I follow through, I should be looking a lot better by summer time, while also saving money for a much-needed vacation to the Mediterranean or somewhere like that. Win, win! After all, Barcelona still beckons. Or maybe Brazil does…

Signing Off,

~ Erica