Greetings to 2008, and Happy New Year!
** Two Quotes to Think About in the New Year:
We tend to seek Happiness when Happiness is actually a choice.
It takes nothing to Dream and everything not to.
OVERHAUL
My birthday just happened on December 26th, and I am now 37.
Although my life is nowhere near what I envisioned so many years ago, in so many ways it is far better. In other ways, like so many individuals, I have suffered significant loss and have grief for things that have not transpired to this date and age.
Hey, though, that's life.
John Lennon summed it up best in one of his songs written to his son Sean: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." (I'm not a particular John Lennon music fan, but I can't get away from this quote, so I quote it frequently.) : )
The tile of this post is "Overhaul," and I know that experts warn not to expect too much or set goals that are too high at the New Year's. I also know that most resolutions are broken within three weeks of January 1st. Yes, I know all this, so why did I title my post "Overhaul - An Ode to NY's Brookhaven Obesity Clinic"?
Because I have to.
No, I've never been to Brookhaven. I've never even laid eyes on the place. No one I know has either.
No, I'm not morbidly obese.
Yes, I'm overweight and fleshy, but if you passed me on the street you'd think I am "average" for the U.S. My dearest friends who know my weight are always shocked when they learn my actual weight. They always insist I "carry" my weight so well. That's nice, but it makes it no healthier for me.
I used to be a Cross Country runner and loved aerobics in high school and college. I'm fortunate that my body type has kept that layer of muscle underneath my layer of fat. This adds to my weight, because muscle is heavier than fat.
I am also a Type 1 Diabetic diagnosed in my early 20s. My pancreas just quit working. I was thin then, so the disease was brought on by genetics and heredity. I started putting on weight when I started taking insulin (a fat storing hormone) and when my marriage became a depressing and debilitating cavern of pain, but. . .
I digress.
This post is an ode to Brookhaven Obesity Clinic, because I know of this place because of The Learning Channel's program about its patients. Brookhaven's patients are morbidly obese with weights of generally 500+ pounds. They're too heavy to even have Gastric Bypass Surgery at their current weights. Wow. Most of the patients, however, don't seem to overcome their food addictions, and after prolonged stays of several months to, in some cases, YEARS, they don't lose the weight and often actually regain any lost weight plus more.
Here's the thing, though: I have to thank this Obesity Clinic for helping me see that even though these patients are horribly overweight, they are merely an exaggerated form of me. How can I judge their need to lose hundreds upon hundreds of pounds when I need to lose my own average amount of weight for my own health and I have been nothing but ineffective at doing it?
I can't believe I'm going to say this in a public forum, but I have to. I can't make excuses, rationalize, or be in denial about this.
I CURRENTLY WEIGH 210.8 POUNDS. I am 5'8" in height.
Gulp.
AT MY HEAVIEST LAST YEAR, I WAS 225 POUNDS.
In 2006, I worked with a Personal Fitness Trainer and lost 27 pounds. I had to stop because I couldn't afford the Trainer's cost anymore on my teaching salary. I should have maintained the weight loss, but I have yo-yoed since then and even ended up in the Intensive Care Unit this past April related to the Diabetes and Salmonella poisoning from a raw egg. Being in the hospital didn't help my morale in the weight loss arena, but I don't want to be there again, so in that way it was a wake-up call too.
I need to lose at least 65 pounds and possibly another 10 to 15 from there. I need to do this for my health more than for the obvious cosmetic reasons which I will love too. What woman doesn't want to feel slim, athletic, desirable, and sexy?
I can't do this without a plan, though, so I've started today, and I'm going to list my plan right here. Failure is assured when not prepared, so I want to be prepared.
THE PLAN:
1. Start the eating plan the Personal Trainer gave me in 2006. It worked with the exercise then, so why not do it again?
2. Record everything I eat in writing in a designated journal. I had to do this last time too. It worked to help me see that I was adhering to the correct foods.
3. Do at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise five days a week. This gets the heart rate up and increases oxygen flow.
4. Do weights/resistance training at least twice a week (more if possible) to increase muscle mass for higher caloric burning. Invaluable.
5. Record my progress and feelings here on Blogger in writing, in pictures, and/or with a video diary (if I can get the videos to upload properly) weekly. I love "Before and After" stories, so I'd like to be one of those too.
6. Weigh and Measure at least once a month. I don't think it is good to weigh or measure too often since it can be discouraging if done too often, so I'm aiming for once a month, but I may do more. How one's clothes fit tell the story too.
Day One - January 1, 2008:
Weight: 210.8
Measurements: (These are embarrassing, but true!)
Neck: 14.7
Shoulders:
Biceps: 14.5
Waist: 40
Forearms: L9.5/R9.6
Hips: 47
Thighs: L26/R25
Calves: L15.5/R15
Well, here goes everything!
7 comments:
good luck with your effort!
Can i put in a plug for riding a bike for your aerobic exercise? A great way to get the blood pumping, while also enjoying nature (and in sunny carolina even most days in the winter should be ok to ride in) and getting you from point a to b (ride to work - or part way if the distance seems to great when you start - or even to the shops or friend's houses). Just riding to and from work, i get in about 90 minutes of exercise per day - exercise that i normally wouldn't get!
maybe i'm biased since i love riding, but I can't think of a better way to get your exercise.
Bicycle riding is good. But I think that investing in a health club membership (one with a swimming pool) is great if you can afford it. Swimming, combined with cardio/weight training will help. Oh, and make the time to actually go.
Thank you for your suggestion, AG!
Yes, I love to ride, and in college I actually did a little mountain biking with a group of friends. It's not really feasible for me to ride a bike to my current workplace (although I did do that once at a job in my first year of college), but I do have access to two stationary bikes, so I could make use of them too. Riding outdoors, though, is so much better. :)
My favorite form of exercise, though, is dancing, so I'm contemplating joining some of my friends in a dance class.
I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing. Check back, and thank you for the recommendation. I welcome feedback on this journey.
Well, Green, we were writing at almost the exact same time. :)
Just like I had the Personal Trainer last time, I would love to do that again and get a membership to a Health Club. That, however, is not an option (as you know) since I had to stop working with the trainer due to insufficient funds for that on my part. That is still the case, so I can't join a gym, but my apartment complex has a nice workout room and I have the beach and an elliptical machine in my home.
You finally now know my weight. I think you can see why I was embarrassed to tell you, but I'll have no reason to be embarrassed anymore if the number is merely a thing of the past and I lose weight over the next few months.
I want 2008 to be the start of my best life ever, and the journey must begin with my weight and finances.
health clubs are a tricky thing - even leaving the financial part aside. You actually have to make time to go there, keep your commitment level up (which of course can be the hardest part), and do more than a 'quick' workout to justify sitting in the spa for half an hour (something of which i have been known to be guilty).
Plus, at least in my case, i don't find the atmospehere in many of these places all that pleasant. I'll use the exercise room in a hotel when i travel - but even then , I tend to go really early in the morning or late at night to avoid the crowds.
Plus bike riding (once you have thew bike) is free! And far from having to make time, it can actually SAVE time! (it takes me less time ride my bike to work than it would to either drive or take public transport).
E - you say you can't really ride to work - is it distance (could you ride part way maybe?) or that you have to carry gear (you can get yourself a good pannier (bike bag) - i can carry up to maybe 10 pounds without it affecting my riding) or something else (i.e. don't want to start the day all sweaty)?
Dancing is great too. I used to do swing dancing classes and yeah - you can get a good workout while having a blast!
Yes, I know that right now a health club membership for you is not an option. AND I agree with AG that finding the motivation to go is hard and sitting in the whirlpool/jacuzzi is easy). It's true, you do have the ocean to swim in in the warmer weather but I was thinking of a pool where you could do laps, etc.
If I had the room and the cash ;>) I'd invest in a Bowflex machine so I could workout at home for the convenience. I knew someone who had one of those Bowflex machines and they absolutely loved it.
Dancing!! Yes, excellent exercise and aerobic pluses all in one...and then it's FUN too!
Good luck on your journey, Esther.
I too am gunning for losing about 25 - 30 pounds this year. Here's to success!
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