So here I sit: female, 24-years-old, 5'4" and 251 pounds. 3 weeks ago, something in me "clicked". I've been overweight since the age of 8, and I've been obese since I was 16. Obese sounds like such a dirty word. I'll never forget something that happened when I was in 5th grade: My class's health/P.E. teacher gave us the word 'obese' as a vocabulary word. On Fridays, she would call on students to come write the definitions of our vocabulary words on the blackboard. Beside the word obese, one of my (mean-spirited) male classmates wrote my name as the definition and then made a joke about how the word obese sounds like 'a beast'. So Beast became my nickname...along with Biscuit, Bisquick, and probably a million other names. As I got older, I became more "socially acceptable" due to the fact that I have a pretty kickin' personality (or so I like to think) and higher self-esteem than most girls my size, I'd guess. Losing weight was put on the back burner because I've pretty much always been a happy girl despite the fact that I put on my size 20/22 (and sometimes even 24) pants every day and can't shop in some of the stores my friends shop in.
In late October, my job (in sales) took me to the North Carolina State Fair to man our company's booth with other employees from different areas of the state. One man I had the pleasure of working beside was using a calorie-counting application on his smartphone. At the time I didn't really pay much attention. A few days later while I was playing with my phone, the application he was using crossed my mind, and I decided to download it. For a few days, I used the application to input all of the food I was eating without changing my eating habits whatsoever. I was consistently eating somewhere between 3000 and 4000 calories a day! I never would have thought it. I was always under the impression that I "ate just as much (or little) as my thin friends and just had a slow metabolism". Foods I thought were on the healthy side were actually slam packed with calories. Then came the moment of truth: Weighing myself. I purchased a scale (I had not even owned a scale in years! Can you say "denial"?!), stood in front of it for a few minutes knowing I weighed around 240 pounds, and finally mentally prepared myself to get on and see that number. I wished with all my might that my scale would not say 240 pounds, that I had somehow lost weight without changing my eating habits at all. Well, my wish was granted but I probably should have been more specific and wished that it would say LESS THAN 240 pounds :) 260 pounds stared back at me. Suddenly several things came rushing into my mind at once: My grandpa's heart problems, the obesity epidemic that runs rampant through both sides of my family, and my future (or lack thereof). That was 21 days ago.
I used the application on my phone to set a goal weight (after putting in my current information) and a goal date to reach that weight. Based on my BMR, current weight, and activity level, the application recommended I eat around 1464 calories a day. I adjusted it to 1400 (which estimated me losing about 2.2 pounds per week) and began my journey. Everyone wants weight loss to be instant. I've spent the last 16 years being fat; I don't mind spending 1-2 years getting down to my goal weight and then the rest of my life maintaining it. By changing my portions, eating a healthy breakfast (I NEVER ate breakfast before), and staying at/under 1400 calories per day, I've lost 9 pounds in 21 days. Some people lose faster, some slower, but so far I'm very very satisfied with my results. I don't feel hungry between meals, I've incorporated some easy exercise (walking the dog, doing some exercises with 5lb hand weights, stretching) and tweaked my meals (replaced flavored coffee creamer with half-and-half, weighing my food with a digital food scale, buying healthier snack options like fruit, veggies, wheat crackers). I'm in this for the long haul, so everything I'm doing is something I can live with for the rest of my life.
I'm so excited to have this blog as a resource, even if I'm the only person who ever reads it. I know one day I will look back at this and be overwhelmingly proud of my accomplishments. If I'm this proud at 9lbs lost, I really cannot imagine what I will feel like when I lose 102 more. Anyone who happens to come across this that has advice or motivational words, please feel free to comment. If you read this entire thing, thank you for your time. I will post more later (my meals, screen shots of the application I'm using to assist me, etc).
Have a blessed day!
No comments:
Post a Comment