On Loosing Weight
I am overweight. Technically, I am obese. I lost all my "baby fat" after child #4, then gained continually after the next three, then added another 60 pounds. I know how to loose weight. I have been successful before. I have many reasons to loose weight - I am predisposed for diabetes, for instance. My knees are not going to take having me carrying the equivalent of 4 fully loaded backpacks around with me for much longer. My problem is, I really like food. I like the tastes, the textures, the smells. And, I have a hard time with self control when it comes to food.
However. Four and a half weeks ago something happened. Bob had a dream. Now, he often has dreams and "feelings" about things, and I have learned to listen. In his dream, we were asked to serve a mission, but we couldn't go because I couldn't get around. I was too heavy. I really want to go on a mission someday. So does Bob. We actually got a call from SLC when Rebekah was still in high school asking US how close we were to being able to serve. Some doctors, when they retire, want to do ANYTHING but medicine, but so far, Bob is anxious to serve medically, and there are so many opportunities to do just that.
So. I started the next day. I found a cool free website that makes recording what I eat and my activities fun, with graphs and charts and lots of ways to set a goal and track it. It is at www.fitday.com and I began the adventure. My first goal is to loose 50 pounds by Dec. 31. That's 2.75 pounds a week, or a little less than 1/2 lb. a day. Bob said that was okay. I am taking Meridia (expensive, but effective) as an appetite suppressant.
I am trying to be consistent in a water aerobics class at Snow College, but have had to miss several times because of being out of town, etc. It is really good to be able to exercise without my knees hurting.
In 4 1/2 weeks, I have lost 14 pounds. That is close to 3 pounds a week. Some days I eat more calories than I should, but not by much. Some days, like today, I get almost no exercise at all. But I am not going to quit this time. It is too important, and it is time.
No one will be able to tell for some time. Fourteen pounds is such a small percentage of my total body weight that it is nearly impossible to see. BUT, Bob handed me his briefcase that he loaded to 14 pounds and handed it to me. It was HEAVY. That is what I am NOT carrying right now.
I am going to do this. I am going to disappear before your very eyes. I am going to get healthy enough to hike with Bob, play with my grandchildren, serve a mission, and maybe avoid some of the consequences I am facing right now. I can do this.