Family life is a bit like a runny peach pie - not perfect but who's complaining? ~Robert Brault

Friday, January 8, 2010

The Big Kahuna

It's time to talk about The Big Kahuna of the I'm Gonnas. Remember the I'm Gonna lose 75lbs this year? Yeah well, apparently that's the resolution I'm attacking first. I'm attempting to come up with a 'plan' and of course there are some concerns. My biggest concern is whether or not this time will be IT. I honestly don't know how many people reading this blog can truly understand what it's like to carry the weight of a 2nd HUMAN on your frame...or what it's like to make promises to yourself to shoot that 2nd human to the moon and yet break those promises time and time again...or what it's like to want something SO bad, but not be confident enough in your own strength to actually follow through with it and do it. Overall, it just sucks.

I have fought the weight battle since I was a little girl. I was pretty average up until 2nd grade, but that's when things really started to change. I have no idea what went 'wrong'...all I know is I LOVED to read. Did I become a bookworm due to an specific incident in my life, or did I just naturally gravitate towards them because my Mom was a book addict? Not sure. Either way though, I became an addict too. Running around outside was not nearly as enticing as the next installment of The Babysitter's Club. Add to that some poor eating habits and hereditary factors and you've got yourself a little chunky monkey. The most devastating part about being overweight as a child was realizing that kids are mean. I could go on for days about the torture I endured back then...telling stories that I have never told anyone before because they are too embarrassing...but that's really irrelevant at this point. The past is the past and I can't change it. I can only use it to help figure out why the hell I'm stuck in such a rut now.

Yesterday at work one of the Directors in our legal department led a discussion about taking your life back in 2010. She basically told us her own weight loss story and what she did to become a healthier person. I was floored to hear that she had actually shed 198 lbs and so much of what she described about herself and the thoughts and feelings she had over the years hit close to home. I was even lucky enough to 'steal' some tips from her...things that really seem to make sense to me and I'm hoping to implement into my own transformation!

I'm going to stop rambling now and just get to the point... The point is that I need to make a change. I don't know how quickly it will happen...I don't know how many times my plan will change...I don't know if I will stay on it, or if I will fall off the wagon again...I just know that I have to start somewhere and I'm going to start with this:
  • I joined Curves and my goal is to workout at least 4 times per week. If I get there more often than that, it's a bonus.
  • I purchased a pair of Skecher Shape Ups and a pair of Reebox Easy Tones. Not only are they supposed to work your legs muscles and help with toning, but they also have been recommended by many doctors for people with heel spurs. I have been dealing with that mess for awhile now, so I'm excited to find out if they will help in relieving some of the pain. Obesity is one of many things that can cause heel spurs and they recommend losing weight as part of the 'treatment'. It's a little hard to do this when there are times you can barely walk due to the pain...much less workout.
  • I'm not going to look at a scale for a long, long time. I don't know exactly how long yet...but I know it will be many months. I have a real issue with the numbers I see on the scale and how easily they can fluctuate. A weight gain of even 1/2 a lb will make me think that something is wrong, or that I have 'failed'...even though I KNOW better. I'm going to let how I feel dictate my next move on this journey, rather than those frustrating numbers.
  • For the 1st month I am not going to diet. I'm going to try to make some better food choices and work on changing some of my bad habits, but I'm not going to freak out about every teeny tiny morsel that I put in my mouth......at least not right away... Some of the things that I am going to work on initially are...stop eating 2 hours before bedtime, no alcohol, no soda (regular...and I will try to cut back on the diet stuff too), drink 6 glasses of water each day, eat a healthy breakfast every morning and stay away from fried foods. Easy peasy, right?
  • I'm not going to do too much too fast. This obviously hasn't worked for me in the past and my body freaks out because it thinks it's being abused.

So, that's where I'm starting and I'm stickin' to it...hopefully... Only time will tell!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Good Luck Andrea!!! You can do it!