Welcome to my world
2009. Crap.
When I started this decade, I committed to improving my health and losing weight, and while I've been up and down within a 30 lb. yo-yo, I haven't made the lasting changes I'd intended. Improvements, yes, but real weight loss, no. My all-time high was 232, and my low in the last 5 years was 199. Currently, I'm at 214.4 lbs. I would like to lose at least 50 lbs this year, and I finally feel committed to doing that. I know what I need to do, and I have strong motivation to do it.
Some basic info about me: I am 30 and happily married to my soul mate -- a brilliant and loving third-year law student who has been with me for 11 years. I teach 5th grade in a low-income public school, and I'm an aspiring writer. I've had some academic work published, but my true love is writing fiction. I have a dog named Franklin Delano Roosepuppy and no children (yet).
When it comes to weight loss, I struggle with a few different things: first, I have a lot of stress that I don't handle very productively. I tend to eat out a lot -- sit down meals at restaurants (I hate fast food) -- because I'm often too tired or disorganized to cook. Second, I struggle with exercise. I usually enjoy it once I get started, but it's too easy for me to be too tired, too busy, or frankly, too pathetic and lame to get it done. I am the queen of excuses. Third, I'm bad with portion control. I'll prepare a healthy dinner that's 300 calories per serving, and then I'll eat several servings.
This year, I need to change all of those things. I want to be a healthier, happier person who is able to fit into the clothes I like and do the things I want without struggling with energy or feeling limited by my size. I let my weight hold me back from a lot of things, and that's exhausting. I know that I won't be perfect this year -- setbacks will happen every once in a while, and I need to accept that and move on to make better choices next time rather than abandoning my diet and exercise plan altogether. I need to start attending Weight Watchers meetings again because that was working (it was how I got down to 199), and I need to recognize that I can be proud of simply making an effort. I didn't gain all of this weight in one day, and I'm not going to lose it that way either. If I can lose a pound a week (and I expect I'll lose more than that, especially at first) than I can absolutely reach my goal in 2009. It's all about babysteps.
This blog will track my transformation this year. The ups, the downs, the victories, and the setbacks. I'm going to lose weight before the end of this decade, and I'm excited about that prospect in a really big way.