BMI and Goal Setting

Your BMI is 55.1 - severely obese

Your weight is substantially above the healthy range for your height, which means you have a higher than average risk of developing diseases associated with obesity.

Losing enough weight to bring your BMI to below 25 will benefit your health, and the way you look and feel.

You can lose weight by making sure the number of calories you eat each day is less than the number of calories you need to maintain your weight at its current level. This is best achieved by making changes to your eating habits so your diet is healthier, and starting to get some exercise which you can build up and maintain regularly.

It may sound crazy, but that was insanely hard to read.  I mean, it isn't a surprise to anyone that I am overweight.  Overweight and obese in my case are one and the same.  I can wear all the baggy clothes that I want to and it is never going to hide the fact that I am fat.  Uggggh, the dreaded F word.  I hate to say it, hear it or type it.  So reminiscent of my childhood "Fatty Fatty 2x4". "Tub of Lard", "Porker", "Pig", "Miss Piggy".  Is it any wonder I shudder when I hear the word?

I have never had a problem admitting to myself that my weight was an issue, but it certainly is hard to hear it from someone else, whether it be my husband (who is VERY careful to never say it), family, medical staff, clothing store clerks or even my 3 year old who yesterday told me I have a very, Very, VERY large bum!

With an eye toward staying in reality, I don't expect to ever get down to the ideal weight for my height which is 104-127lbs.  I mean, that is just a ridiculous number!  First of all it would require me to lose 200lbs, secondly, that is not a realistic weight for me.  I think that would be setting myself up for failure.  No one in my family is that thin, for a couple of generations back even.  We are bigger boned and at nearly 40, I don't even think I would look good at that weight.


My goal at this point is 175lbs which at a BMI of 31 is still considered obese, I would be much healthier, have much more energy and feel a whole lot better about myself.  It would mean a total weight loss goal of 136lbs (a whole person!).  Still, that feel like an insurmountable number.  Lets say I lost 3lbs week, which I don't think I would be able to do it would take me over 45 weeks!  A more reasonable number of 2lbs a week would take me 68 weeks which is well over a year!


I can hear Christopher Adams in my head already, it isn't a race, its a journey, its a process, don't put such pressure on yourself, it happened over time, it will take time to get it off, etc etc etc.  :)


I am more a reward based kind of girl, so I am going to break it up into more realistic chunks with non-edible rewards!  Things that will make me feel good about myself and be a treat.  The kind of thing a really busy mom of 5 just never manages to find the time for!

• manicure
• new hair style
• highlights
• massage
• pedicure

The chunks will be 25lbs.  Everytime I hit a milestone of 25lbs lost I will pick a treat and go do it.  I will probably purchase gift certificates on a mass purchase site like Groupon or Wagjag etc, to keep the prices down.  When I hit my big goal, I doing a whole spa day baby!  Gimme the works!  :)

Improving the Entire Package

From the Christopher Adams Training website


"Food isn't just a hunger thing, it's also an emotional thing. Food comforts and fills a void that is ongoing. The surgery might stop the food going in but cannot address the real reasons for over-eating, binge eating and excess. That's what makes us very, very different and hugely successful. Our program goes deep into the issues that cause your problems in the first place. It answers questions like why does this really happen? When did it begin? How can I stop it happening again. These are core, deep issues that are rarely if ever covered by conventional treatments. We go to the core. This helps you to lose weight and keep off your weight."

According to the website using this program should prepare me for life long changes.  Changes that occur not just in my body, but in my mind, my emotions and my heart.  

Emotionally, instead of focusing on not eating, it should help me focus in on WHY I want to eat and address those issues.

Psychologically, I hope it will help me re-direct those feelings into positive actions - better food choices, exercise, relaxation, ways to deal with stress.

For my heart, <fingers crossed> the program will help me to love myself, be gentle with myself and to forgive myself.

Those three aspects I think are the most important part of the entire thing.  Would convincing my body that my stomach was significantly smaller be great??  DUH!  Of course it would.  But that wouldn't stop me from treating every emotion from elation, to stress, from heartache to boredom with food.  It wouldn't allow me to forgive myself and not beat myself up if I happen to slip up.

That physical side of it is awesome and I sincerely hope it works.  But at the end of this journey, I really am looking forward to the entire package being improved, not just the part I can see in the mirror.

Exercise

As a child, playing, running, jumping and having a great time was the highlight of my day.  When did that change?  When did exercise become a bad word?  Why did it become an effort instead of something that was fun and something to look forward to?


Looking back, as I hit puberty and the weight started to stay on, I re-developed my childhood asthma, that put a big crimp in my exercising and I began to fear it.  Exertion of any type would leave me winded, gasping for oxygen and possibly vomiting or passing out.  Add to that my great propensity for getting injured - many injuries to ankles, knees, ligaments and tendons that left me the walking wounded.  And I am beginning to see how exercise had lost its allure.


Fast forward to my college - between part time jobs, interning (for free!) and my classes, there was very little extra time in my schedule.  The small bits we could scrape together usually found us hanging out at a pub, having wings and beer and possibly doing homework on the side.




I made numerous attempts to get fit throughout the early years of marriage - but the kids came so fast and were such a hindrance to getting to a gym.  Just trying to get out the door with 3 kids under 3 and all the things that they require left me frazzled and exhausted.  Getting to the gym and trying to fit in a work out between the limited time two of them could be in childcare and the 3rd could be in a tots program left me rushing and unable to participate in the group programs such as aerobics, and there by limiting my sense of accountability to anyone there.  By the time I dragged 3 tired and cranky kids to the van, I was so frustrated, on the verge of tears and would binge at the nearest drive through!

As subsequent children came and the weight kept on coming, activities such as walking, biking and going to the park just became more and more difficult.


Fast forward another 10 years and I am happy to say we again have a family membership at the YMCA which is just a short drive away.  We have it scheduled in stone that we go as a family 3x a week.  Now I still experience the frustration of getting everyone where they need to go, and working within their schedules, but we are working on it.  Of course if anyone is sick and can't go I am still the one that ends up staying home with them, but that is a discussion I need to have with my dh and not just expect him to realize I would like to go that day.  On the days I do get there, I get on the treadmill and do my 30 mins on cardio hills.  I have my earphones in and zone out to an audiobook.  If I don't listen to a book, I spend the whole time watching the clock and then suddenly I can't complete the 30 mins.  Then I do some cool down laps on the track and do another 15 mins on the bike.  By then, it is time to pick up the toddler.  Lately, with all the colds and flus going around, I have only been making it about 1x a week.  While it is better than nothing, I really would like to improve that.


I also have invested in Wii Zumba.  It is fun and really gets me moving....when I actually do it.  I would love to do Zumba with a real class, but until I get past my embarrassment at my less than stellar moves, the Wii version will have to suffice!


Today, I did my 20 mins of Zumba and then put on Just Dance 2 and did the Just Sweat Mode for 8 songs!  Now sitting here with my big drink of water, I am feeling pretty darn good about myself.  I have two sick kids at home, but where I normally would have used that as an excuse not to exercise, I DID IT!

As always, the quotes and pics I use have been found on Pinterest - I have a whole board set up with Weight Loss Inspirations!