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.