Two Ugly Words

What are the two ugly words I’m referring to? Weight Loss. It’s an ugly thing in our society. I see two forces pulling me in different directions. On one side is the news and the media, telling me that obesity is a rampant problem and making life hard for me because I’m overweight. On the other side is this movement that seems to say “I’m fat. Get over it.” They say that women are beautiful in all sizes and shapes and we shouldn’t try to conform to any standards. Then in the middle are the people who promote health and happiness. As long as you’re healthy it’s all ok.

The Problem

Let me be clear. I don’t have body image issues. I do want to be smaller but I don’t hate my body the way it is. I’m also not unhealthy, but everything points to the inevitability that I will be unhealthy if I continue to maintain this weight.

Let me be clear on another point. I’m not talking 15 or 20 pounds here. I’m talking closer to 100 pounds that I could stand to loose. I’m 5’4″ and weigh a little over 250 (I say a little over because I haven’t actually stepped on a scale in a while and I don’t know for sure).

No matter how you slice it, I need to loose some weight. It puts me at a higher risk for countless diseases and conditions. I’ve already got problems with my knees and carrying weight only makes it worse. It’s likely that one of the contributing factors to my infertility issues is my weight. Let’s also throw in the fact that shopping for clothes can be very difficult because I have to go to specialty stores. Doing things like flying are very uncomfortable because I don’t fit in the seats very well.

The Solution

The solution for me, and your mileage may vary of course, is to set realistic, achievable goals with short term goals to keep me motivated. Duh, I know. Some people think that overly ambitious goals will motivate you to reach farther than you might not have otherwise. “Aim for the moon and even if you miss you’ll be amongst the stars.” That’s fine in theory, but in practice I get overwhelmed if I try for too much. If I start small, the success encourages me and I’m more likely to keep going past that small goal.

I also have to change things slowly. I’ve done the thing where I change everything overnight, extreme diet, exercise, all at once and it doesn’t work for me. I wind up miserable and overwhelmed and quit before I’ve gotten anywhere. This time, I’m going to change one thing every 2-3 weeks.

The Goal

I’m starting out with a smaller goal. My goal is to get below 200 pounds in the next 12 months. My goal for the next 2 weeks is to go to the gym for 30 minutes of cardio 3 days each week and to bring my lunch to work every weekday. I’m going to put some progress bars up on the side bar to keep me accountable.

Feel free to share your goals with me and we can encourage each other!!