Anyway, to get on with the task at hand, here is the truth...I am fat. I was fat when I finished college over a decade ago, and while I have, on occasion, successfully lost some weight since then, I always have gained it back, and it has always brought some friends along with it. A challenging two years several years ago packed 35 more pounds on my frame. And while I lost about 25 of those pounds after that challenge was over, all 25 have come back, and I weigh more now than I ever have.
I could safely lose 100 pounds, but I would be happy just to get down to 200 pounds. I weigh more than my husband, who is several inches taller than I am and certainly not thin himself. However, I have no idea how to tackle such a huge amount of weight loss. I know in my head how to do it...stop eating so much, exercise more often, avoid the fast food drive thru, drink water instead of soda. However, I have never been successful. I have tried a lot of diets. I have done Weight Watchers on my own and in meetings. I have joined eDiets and Sparkpeople. I have done Atkins. I have counted calories. I have counted carbs. And I have never been successful. I have been temporarily successful, but I end up going off whatever diet I am on, and the weight comes back.
I know enough not to set some big goal, like "lose 50 pounds." But I do know that I need to make changes. I need to eat less. I need to move more. When I am stressed or upset, I need to turn to something other than food. Sometimes I think that my only hope is weight loss surgery, and the thought of that is so discouraging. Shouldn't I be able to do this on my own? Do I somehow not think I deserve to be healthy and fit? Why do I keep sabotaging myself? I am in my early 30s, and I should be healthy and happy. Instead, I am fat and...not exactly unhappy, but not as happy as I could be.
So this should be the Year of Me. I need to worry about myself...my health most of all. I can't be a good friend, a good family member, a good wife, or a good employee if I am not healthy. And while I have maintained my health at an unhealthy weight so far, eventually my luck could run out. Not an overly cheery proposition!
So eat less. Move more. Make this the Year of Me. These are my goals for 2010...here's hoping it's a good year!
For the first time ever the Mayo Clinic has endorsed an eating plan. Remember it is not a diet it is a lifestyle. You can find the book and a cookbook of recipes on Amazon. Start small and reward yourself (non-food) when you have successes. You can do it, add 10 minutes of walking to your day. You can be fit even if you are overweight.
ReplyDeleteI am there with you, sister. I have a hard time staying off the food when I am bored, or lonely, or tired, or angry, which is ... a lot of the time here lately! One thing I have done was just stopped all sweets during the week. I've actually stopped for all of January, because I was backsliding a lot. For me, I can only stop something a little if I stop it completely first. Good luck, hang in there. Take baby steps!
ReplyDeleteI want to encourage you to give eDiets.com another try, as I have seen where many members who tried it before returned and achieved success. I would also suggest that you take full advantage of all the support they have to offer, as it has been proven that those who have support on a diet, lose up to 3 times as much weight as those who go it alone. All the best in 2010, and I hope that it is your best year yet!
ReplyDeleteGood Luck! It's going to be tough. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteTough stuff right there. I'm working (damn hard) on my weight loss goals too. When I get in a funk and lose track of what I'm trying to do, I try to take a week or so on a detox diet and that jump starts my weight loss so I feel motivated again. It's a vicious cycle though - if I gain a few pounds I figure, fuck it, this shit isn't working, I'm just gonna be fat forever. And if I lose a few pounds I'm like, hell yeah, this shit is working let's celebrate and have a cheat day! That being said, health is one of the most incredibly underestimated gifts we have. If you body can move, then move it! Others can only dream to be so lucky. (A close friend was diagnosed with a terminal illness today and made me think I really need to get my shit together.) Anyway - that was way more than my 2 cents but I promise YOU CAN DO THIS! AND DAMMIT YOU DO DESERVE IT!
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