I am a 38-year-old honey, born and bred in New Zealand, mother of twin pre-teen daughters, madly in love with my man for the past 24 years (yup...high school sweethearts), african drum playing, nature loving, movie watching, music groovin', socialist, who secretly wishes she could be a singer/back-up dancer/basketball star! Oh, and I weigh 310 pounds.
For the past 3 years, my family and I lived on the largest of Fiji's glorious 322 islands and have recently moved to... drum roll... Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (and the crowd goes silent). I know, I know. What possessed us to make the 70 degrees temperature transition from the sweat drenched tropics to the frozen tundra? That would take a whole other blog to answer! This blog, however, is about what I am dedicating myself to... balancing my lifestyle in order to achieve a healthy weight and fitness level.
Was I always big? Yes, I was big from birth... my mother had to cut the sleeve seams of my baby outfits to fit my arms into them. Does my family have issues with weight? Yes, like me, my father and brother gain weight from smelling food and have to work extremely diligently to take it off. My mother is a runner and passed her love of wholesome foods onto me. Have I "dieted" before. Yes, twice with Weight Watchers. First time was in University (19 years ago) and I managed to go from 250 lbs to 190 lbs and maintain it for 2 years. Second time was nine years ago, after the birth of my twins. I dropped from 324 lbs to 230 lbs and kept it off for a year before slowing regaining it.
Am I active? Not on my own. I love to swim, hike, bike ride, play tennis, etc with my family and friends.
Do I eat fast food? Very rarely, and if I do it is pizza. Do I eat junk food? No pop, chips can be ok, nachos and cheese with homemade salsa is gorgeous, but chocolate makes the world go round. Do I enjoy healthy foods? I ADORE veges, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lean meats, skim milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese... the picture is getting clearer, isn't it. I am a BULK eater of fabulous foods who tops everything off with too much chocolate and not enough movement of the booty.Why now? I could rail off a multitude of reasons why I want to get healthy, but if you are reading this, you are almost certainly living the reasons along with me. Suffice it to say that I feel claustrophobic in my own skin and it is time. I am ready to live to my potential and nurture my body and soul.
How? I joined Weight Watchers yesterday. It's not that I think that WW has a profoundly ground shaking philosophy on weight loss... in fact, I joined the program because it doesn't purport to be something that it isn't. It is simply the food pyramid put in different terms... 1 point is approximately equivalent to 50 calories and a gram or two of fat... eat reasonable, reduced portions for your weight, move your butt, etc. What I really get from belonging is that weekly meeting where I check in with my progress (or lack thereof) and a place to talk through challenges and learn about new products. The truth is that I need that touchstone. My man is supportive and even eats maintenance points to share the experience, but being naturally slim he cannot understand the bulk eating experience. Also, having just moved to Edmonton, I don't have my fabulous Fiji soul sisters to walk and share with.
What's with the title of the blog, 2...4...6...8...I Can Weight? In the past, I was daunted by the monstrous amount of weight I needed to lose to get to my "goal weight." That is no longer the case. One of the amazing life lessons I have taken away from my time in Fiji is the sheer freedom that can be found in patience. You've heard of island time, I am sure, and in Fiji NOTHING happens quickly. It's glorious! In the past, I became discouraged by how long it would take to reach a healthy weight and I would lose focus. Hearing that I should aim for a steady loss of .5 - 2lbs a week sounded like torture. I wanted it now, Now, NOW.
So, for the first time I am practicing patience with my weight. Not patience disguised as lazy, passive waiting... I mean I will do my job: persistent, daring, tenacious, brave, consistent effort to balance my eating and fitness AND I will live patiently, accepting my body's rhythm and rate of weight loss. If I lose .5lbs on average each week (2 pounds a month), I will have lost 25 pounds by Xmas 2010. If I lose 2 lbs on average each week (8 pounds a month), I will lose 104 pounds by Xmas 2010. 2...4...6...8...I Can Weight!
Starting Stats
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Age: 38
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 310
Calories/day: 1600-1850 (32-37 points)
*for perspective, the lovely woman in the photo with me is a size 12/14...I am a 26/28
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