Seeing the Progress

I’ve officially paid off over $20,000 since I started tracking my Debt Avalanche. I honestly didn't know I would be able to achieve that this quickly. I knew I would have to be in for the long haul to see the results. I still have about three years or so left to go, but I’m chomping at the bit to make it even quicker.

Last night, I was part of an intervention. Bad part was that I was the one under fire. I am one of those people who makes a New Year’s Resolution and at January 30 has already given up. The thing is - my resolution often deals with being healthier.

About this time last year, I was going at my diet and workout regimens pretty consistently. All as part of a “do you” attitude after a breakup. I think I even made it through the middle of February. The frustrating thing is that I only lost about 5 lbs. I did all of that work and got only a little to show for it - so yeah I gave up.

Now here I am a year later. The same weight if not heavier. With my money goals, I see the results right away. I see that if I save $5 more it get’s me 0.73% closer to my summer vacation savings goal. If I cut five calories or workout five extra minutes - I don’t see it. It’s just tough for me to keep going when the progress is minimal.

But I know it takes time. Any of those programs to lose X amount of weight quickly - they’re unhealthy and often a hoax. My problem is, How do I get far enough into it to see some of those results to keep me going?

The sad thing is, I’m going to bribe myself with money. (That’s right, I’m paying myself to workout.) $5 for going to the gym, $2 for taking my dog for a walk, and $10 towards my eating out budget if I go to the gym three times a week. I’ll then get to put this money earned into my savings. I don’t plan to put anything else besides my tax returns into those accounts. I’ve decided to set about $150 towards this initiative, which is about how much I was saving previously. If I’m lazy and don’t go - then the leftover cash goes to a non-profit.

Maybe this will work. I’ve tried a lot of other methods. It’s supposedly the same type of goal as debt payoff, but somehow weight is so much more emotional than my spreadsheets. Know anything to help you keep at healthy habits?