The State of My Body Address

Dear Readers:

It is with humble gratitude that I write for you tonight. Although I have faced a setback in my life with the gaining of this weight, I promise you that with courage, dedication and detailed planning that I will reach my weight loss goal.

I think back to only ten years ago, before the weight was gained, and I remember a vital, young woman who was ready to conquer the world. That energy and optimism were soon met with the rigor of everyday life, endless fast food and a slowly growing waistline. Soon thereafter, the young vital woman was replaced with the overweight woman that types before you tonight.

The state of my body is overweight, but my attitude and willpower are strong. I vow to you that this burdening weight will not remain on my body, and I will triumph in this battle.

Update - Day 4

Well, here I am on day four of my journey, and I am still hanging in there. I won't lie, I have been feeling quite hungry, but that is probably normal when you start restricting your calories after being used to eating everything in sight. I have this horrible habit of eating until I feel stuffed and that is one of the issues that I need to tackle with myself. Actually, I have quite a few food and eating issues that I need to tackle, but right now I am just focusing on getting my caloric intake within the correct range. I am afraid that if I jump head first into this new lifestyle and change all of my bad habits at once that it will only result in failure. Failure is something that I am not ready for, nor willing to accept, this time around. I am trying to take things one day at a time and slowly transform my eating and exercise habits.

I do not have any idea if I have lost any weight because I am boycotting the scale until Valentine's Day (February 14th). I will admit that it has been quite hard to stay off of the scale, but it seems to be getting easier every day, at least that is what I keep telling myself.

214.2 - Holy @!#%

Do you know what 214.20 is? No, it’s not the amount of my last paycheck. It’s my current weight!!!! How did I come to weigh over 200 pounds? It’s all a blur. It seems like only yesterday that I weighed 180 pounds and I was upset with myself at that weight. What part of me thought that it would be a good idea to gain an additional 34 pounds? Well, I can’t believe that I just posted my weight on a website for the whole world to see. Then again, that was the point of this blog, to keep me accountable.

According to height/weight tables, the ideal weight for a woman of my height (5’5”) is 127-141 pounds assuming that I have a medium-sized frame. I am currently setting my weight loss goal for 140 pounds, but we may need to adjust that up or down in the future. Heck, I would be thrilled to death to currently weigh the 180 pounds that upset me so many years ago. Gee, I only need to lose 74.2 pounds and I will be to my goal weight. This journey may take longer than I thought, but as is the case with most journeys, getting there is half the fun.

My Body Mass Index is currently 35.7 which is considered obese. OBESE, what a horrible word. How about we use the term pleasantly plump or excessively chubby? I like those words much better than obese. I knew that I was overweight, but I wouldn’t have ever thought of myself as obese. Well, now I know.

I have chosen calorie counting as my method of achieving my weight loss. I pondered many other diets, but I decided that in the end it all comes down to calories in vs. calories out, so I might as well cut out the middle man. I have been using a site called Spark People to track the calories that I consume each day. According to their site, I should be consuming between 1240-1590 calories per day to experience moderate weight loss (1-2 pounds) each week. I think back on all of the 1000 calorie breakfasts that I have consumed in the past, and I must bid them farewell. I know for a fact that on many days I would have consumed the entire 1590 calories by lunchtime. After you add a substantial dinner and a couple of snacks to that calorie count, it’s no wonder that I am over weight.

Bye-Bye Mr. Scale...We'll Meet Again on Valentine's Day

I am one of those people that is a slave to their scale. I weigh myself the first thing every morning as I prepare to enter the shower. I don’t know why I have made the scale part of my morning ritual as it only causes me grief. My bodyweight can fluctuate greatly from one day to the next, and when the weight is down I feel great, but when it’s up I feel discouraged.

I have decided that for the first 3 weeks of my weight loss journey that I will not step on the scale once. Boy was that a hard habit to break this morning. I caught myself with one foot on the scale and had to talk myself off of the beast. After all, what harm can one peek at the scale do? A lot of harm, actually. Depending on the outcome of that number, my mood will be set for the day. So for the next 3 weeks, my mood will be set by ME and not the dreaded scale.

What happens after the 3 week weigh in you ask. I have decided that if I don’t see a dramatic change in my weight by then (I am calling 5 pounds dramatic), I may have to take my sister’s advice and try the medically supervised diet that she has done which I call the bouillon diet.

The 3 week weigh in happens to fall on Valentine’s Day. Actually, there could not be a more fitting day for the first weigh in because I am hoping to LOVE what I see on the scale.

Who starts a diet on a Thursday?

There is an unwritten rule that all diets must begin on a Monday. The reason for starting your diet on Monday is so you can hit every all-you-can-eat buffet in town during the weekend to pack your stomach full of food that you won’t be able to eat for the duration of said diet. Well, I am breaking that rule, and my new diet (lifestyle change) is beginning on a Thursday. The reason for this abrupt change in my eating habits is simple….I’ve had enough!

My sister recently lost a fair amount of weight on a medically supervised diet. She couldn’t have more than 700-800 calories a day, and her meals consisted of pre-made shakes and soups. The shakes didn’t appear to be too bad, but she made one of the soups at my house and we had to soak the bowl overnight to remove the soup residue. It coated the inside of the bowl like latex paint. She was also required to take a handful of various vitamins, supplements and 2 bouillon cubes daily. Now I don’t know about you, but bouillon cubes aren’t my idea of good eatin’.

My sister phoned last night in an attempt to talk me into visiting her weight loss center and scheduling an appointment with the doctor. I have to admit that the quick weight loss sound very appealing. I’m not looking forward to month after month of calorie counting, but I would rather count calories than eat bouillon cubes. After I got off the phone with my sister last night, I decided that I have had enough of my current lifestyle. I know what I need to do to lose weight, and it’s time to just do it. So, here I am on Thursday and the new lifestyle has begun.

Maybe starting diets on Monday has been my problem all along. Okay, so it has probably been my lack of willpower and my love for enchiladas that has prevented me from succeeding, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

Donuts?? These people are evil!

I'm was all excited this morning on the drive into work because I had this light bulb moment (at an intersection) that if I post my weight loss journey on a blog, perhaps it will keep me honest. I sit down to at my desk and begin the process of setting up a blog. I haven't even posted my first blog entry yet, and I receive an email from my boss stating that there are donuts in the kitchen. Donuts? You have got to be kidding me! I finally decide that today is the day to begin my weight loss journey and he brings donuts. Now mind you, the boss has no idea that I'm trying to lose weight, but how am I supposed to sit in my office and ignore this box of sugary, glazed, sprinkle-covered, cake-like goodness? I'm telling you, these co-workers and their never ending treats are going to be trouble.