Going out does not make me feel old but....

It does make me feel pretty gluttonous. My wallet and pants are feeling the pinch. Especially since I tend to eat and eat while I drink. Let's try to recount what I had last night, in order:

Chicken kabobs with rice

1 Martin Blanco (iced latte with coffee liquor, vanilla vodka, and amaretto)

1 Grand Marnier

1 Grey Goose dirty vodka martini

Ham & cheese croissant with side of fruit

3 (or 4?) vodka tonics

Please note the stiff drinks and top shelf choices. Not good, folks. Well thats not true - it's really good and I got spoiled to the high end stuff. While I don't intend to stop drinking (because I feel I get to drink more now since I couldn't at the beginning of my legal age), I need to figure out how to do the going out thing while keeping the budget and my calorie consumption in check.

I know it's January and everyone under the sun is on a diet, but those stupid commercials do get to me and make me look at myself a little more harshly. Yes, I have gained weight - I think it started happening during the fall and the moving out and the many nights of cheap and cheerful macaroni and cheese preparations. 

I'm not saying I'm fat or anything dramatic, but I can see that I'm certainly not as toned as before, and some of my clothes are showing this off. Not a fan. 

As my subconscious noticed this a few weeks ago before the rest of me clued in, I decided to enroll in a 5 week Pilates class that starts on Tuesday. I loved taking pilates in college! It's perfect - 6pm-7pm, right across from my metro station, and I can walk home after that. It's only 5 classes, but I'm hoping that it will give me a push in taking better care of myself. And since I'm shelling out $75 for these classes, I know I won't skip out on them. 

But I don't think that alone is going to get me back to fitting in my clothes better. Gotta shove some cardio in there too. Big problem with that is that I'm incredibly lazy. I will totally admit this. Why do you think I moved so close to work? So I could sleep in. And yeah, there's a gym in my office building, but I heard the tv's aren't working on the elliptical machines.

Spoiled? Me? Nooooo...... Have I mentioned that I'm also a complainer and very good at making excuses for myself?

I'm thinking that I should maybe start walking to work. Or should I walk home from work? Even though it's mad cold out, I'd be okay as long as I kept moving and was in pants. I won't be walking in a skirt, that's for sure.  Or when it's precipitating. Yeah. I think I'll try this tomorrow and see how it goes. I think.

This plan, if actually followed, should get me back to a decent physique. Then when I know I'm going out, I should compensate that day in preparation - getting enough to healthy-ish food throughout the day, doing some kind of exercise, and only taking cash to the bar. Hopefully that will keep my spending in check, because it's all too simple to order another round when the tab is already going. (If I find someone else to foot the bill this won't work as well). Might not hurt to pre-game with a drink at home before we head to the bars, either.

Alright so that's the plan.