Today is my 22nd birthday, which to me sounds like a great time to make my plans for a new and healthier lifestyle official. This means getting my ass going on a number of things, not the least of which is getting this journal up and running.

Stats
Height 5'9"
SW 214 (on 5 June 2003
CW 211
GW 150

The Plan
Weight Watchers Online, 24-29 points per day

I first became familiar with Weight Watchers from reading the websites of other bloggers who were using it successfully, and after researching it further on the WW website, I realized that this was a weight-loss method that I could actually do. Although my mom is currently doing Atkins and has been quite successful, I wasn’t willing to take on a diet where I had to cut out major food groups completely. WW seemed to make more sense as a realistically permanent lifestyle, where the point is primarily about making healthy eating choices. In addition, I'm a total computer geek and I get a real thrill out of playing with the online journal and POINTS calculator. Just counting calories sounded too hardcore and boring, and I can't do it on my own. The online tools, which do the calculating for me and tell me exactly how many points I've used and how many I have left, help keep me accountable.

Proper Hydration
The first issue is that I am a Coke addict. My first step is to cut out as much Coke as possible. This is easier to do when I get enough sleep the night before, which is another related goal. Secondly, I have never been a big water drinker. I drink a lot of milk and Coke, and water usually only when exercisings (which is rare). From now on, however, I will be drinking mostly water, 8-10 glasses per day, and it is my hope that that these two factors combined will be make a sizeable difference in my weight loss.

Food Transitions
Vegetables and fruits have never made up a large part of my diet before, except for the occasional salad. This time, they play a big part, since they're so low in points, virtually fat-free, and are full of vitamins. I've never been much for sweets, so sugar isn't a problem; my weakness is fatty and salty snacks, like chips and popcorn. From now on, my snacks will be yogurts, veggies, fruits, crackers, sandwiches, salads, and the like. Weight Watchers really stresses portion control, which is good, because I have a hard time knowing when to stop.

Exercise
I was a competitive figure skater during high school, but except for that and gym class, I've never been into physical fitness, either (as I'm writing this out, I'm having a hard time figuring out why my weight isn't worse than it is!). I stayed fairly fit during my first two years of college when I walked everywhere, but when I brought a car to college my junior year and I discovered the city bus service, the pounds began to creep on slowly. Walking to campus helped combat that a little, but now that I'm graduated and back at home, getting exercise is harder to do. I'm an extremely private person and hate for others to see me exercise, so for now, I walk on a treadmill in the basement. It's not that I hate exercising but I never get that I-feel-so-much-better-about-myself-after-I've-done-it rush, so it's a real struggle for motivation to get it done. At this point, I'm speed-walking about thirty minutes every other day, which definitely needs to increase.

Incentives
So I won’t have to flinch when a boy puts his hand on or around my waist.
So I can avoid health problems later on. I’ve been blessed with very good health so far and I’d like to keep it that way.
So I can walk into a store and be able to wear anything in there, and the only reason I couldn't is because they don't have my new size in stock - not because it's all too small!
So I reap the benefits of higher self-esteem and self-confidence brought about by having a healthier, sexier body.

Motivations
Don't give up on a dream for the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.
Never trade what you want for the moment for what you want most.
Every step forward is a step farther away from where you started out.
The longest journey begins with the smallest step, and nothing takes nearly as long as it seems like it will when you begin the journey.
If you dropped one egg on the floor, would you throw down the whole carton?

And so we begin. Although I started four days ago, my first official weigh-in is this morning and will always be Mondays. I may be kidding myself, but I think I already notice a difference. Or is that just my attitude?

UPDATE: Scale read 209 during weigh-in. Rock on.
posted by Jenny @ 2:30 AM |