Saturday, July 23, 2011

It's not just about weight loss

For so many people, everything is about the pounds (plus or minus).  We all seem to be entranced by that number in the scale.  You know, that one we are often times not fond of or *gasp* lie about. While that number does factor into fitness, I am more concerned with being healthy, feeling better, and being more active.  I won't freak out if the numbers go down slow or if they jump up a couple notches now and then, as long as I am making good choices and doing things that are good for me.  Below I go over some of my goals and the obstacles I face-realistically :o) But first I need to look into how that magic number does factor into my fitness...

This is about being truthful in order to get past failure so here it is-by the numbers: I weigh 192.6 pounds (as of yesterday afternoon) and I am five foot six inches tall.  According to the handy BMI calculator I found, that gives me a BMI of 31.1 AKA obese.  While this is something that totally saddens me, it is also something that pisses me off enough to do something about it! I don't want to be obese or even over weight. Obese does not equal fit and healthy. I want to be healthy!

Goals:
1. Be active every day!
2. Enjoy running (yeah here is where you can start laughing)
3. Eat healthier and shop healthier
4. Eat less when I am out with friends (smaller portions not less friend time)
5. Learn more about general fitness

Obstacles:
1. I am lazy, I love TV, and I like to read (usually sitting in a cozy seat somewhere not doing any sort of exercise)
2. I HATE running
3. I love foods that are inherently UNhealthy and healthy food is more expensive
4. I tend to indulge more when I am around friends.  Talking seems to bring out my appetite.
5. I would much rather read fiction books
There are more obstacles, but I will cover those later. These are just the ones that immediately pertain to my goals.

With all that being said, I have a bumpy road ahead but I also have some motivation, some inspiration, and some help.
Motivation: Not wanting to be obese or over weight
Inspiration: Friends, family and one particular student we will call BT (as I didn't ask her permission to put her in my blog) as she always made me think about the food choices I made and made me feel better when I made good choices.  I don't really think she knows just how much she made me think and rethink my choices.
Help: Weight Watchers Points Plus really helps me think before I eat and make better choices throughout the day and week. I don't attend meetings or track things online, I really just follow the points system.  I initially lost 35 pounds using Weight Watchers but gained about 10 pounds back after I found it difficult to keep up with-more on that later.

Now, after all of that, I just want to say that I love myself, even my obese self.  I think more people need to love themselves just a little bit more.  This is not about loving myself more but rather finding something new to love about myself. Too many times women hate what they see in the mirror or get down on themselves over their weight. The mirror and photographs becomes a things that we try to avoid but we really need to face ourselves head on.  Don't look in the mirror and say, "I'm so fat."  Look in the mirror or look at photographs and say, "I can do better."

2 comments:

  1. As a physical therapist, I often work with people on getting fit. My patients are typically those that have let obesity go for so long they are battling multiple health issues (heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure etc) which makes it even harder to lose weight.

    I too enjoy reading, and so do many of my patients. I've found that many patients enjoy reading on the stationary bike and treadmill. Although they aren't able to go as fast as they would if their total concentration was on the exercise, they are able to do it for a significantly longer duration.

    As you get started on your journey, try to find something that is enjoyable to you. If you don't in the least bit like the exercise that you are doing then you won't stick with it. You've mentioned your social gatherings as a big part of your life, so I would encourage you to do something active with your friends as opposed to going out for lunch.

    I also encourage you to not cut your portions significantly to start with or you're going to miss what you once had. My husband and I use to eat a pound of bacon every saturday morning for breakfast. We came to the realization this was way too much, so we began eating half a pound for a few saturdays, then we cut it further down to 1/4 pound, then finally down to two slices. It took us about two months to change our eating habit to one that was acceptable (and that was only one habit that we worked on).

    Don't give up :)

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  2. Thanks for the comment Jessica :o)I have tried reading on our elliptical and I loath it. Maybe if I get more used to the elliptical I will be able to read as I go but I am not there yet. It seems to take the enjoyment out of reading LOL. As I mention in my second post of the day, I DO enjoy biking (even if it makes me want to quit HA!).
    Your portion control advise is also something that is helped significantly by Weight Watchers Points Plus. I feel full for most of the day and I gradually go to smaller portions as I lose weight (as I have fewer points). I worked on this last night when I purchased 3 steak kabobs rather than 4. My husband and I each had 1 1/2 rather than 2. Eventually, we will only eat 1! :o)
    PS: I love bacon...thankfully it is WAY too expensive lately and thus I haven't had any in a long time!

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