The Gist

THE LONG OF THE SHORT OF IT

Growing up, I guess I was a lucky a one. I didn't much think about my weight or outwards appearance, though I certainly didn't really need to either. I was always very active so, by default almost, I was fairly skinny. It wasn't until my second year of college that I began putting on the pounds (I avoided the "Freshmen Fifteen" by grace of not having a job and living on top of a steep hill that I walked every day to and from class). That second year I started a job, which gave me money for excessive amounts of food, and I discovered my University's transit system--so while I lived on that hill still, I didn't walk it anymore.

Alas, that was just the beginning of my fun adventures of weight gain and loss. I would go up by ten, then go down by ten; up by twenty, down by five, and so on and so forth. I never reached the same weight of high school, but I wasn't really trying. I knew I was getting bigger, but my subconscious wasn't caught up on the insecurities that would find me soon after. It wasn't until I hit my heaviest (198), that I started getting worried. But not worried enough to do much, I guess, because the lowest I came on my own was 186 after that.

A couple years ago I found myself with Graves Disease. For those of you who have never heard of it, it's a autoimmune condition of the thyroid gland. My thyroid was producing way too much thyroid hormone (98% over-activity; Graves classification first comes at 40-50% over-activity). Your thyroid controls you temperature, heart-rate, and metabolism, and this over-activity meant that in three months, I lost fifty pounds. I went from 186, down to 136. It was amazing, and for the first time since I had become cognitive of my body's weight, I felt amazing. 

That didn't last though. As I started getting better (thankfully!), my weight started to pile back on. It didn't happen all at once, and I think that was what got me. While I was still struggling with my thyroid, I was able to eat whatever I wanted because my body burned it off so quickly. This meant that I never really changed my eating habits, and when my thyroid evened out, those habits cursed me once more. 

WHERE I AM NOW

My weight is back up. I'm sitting around 175-176 right now, and 39 inches around my stomach (my biggest problem area). What's sad, is that when I hit 156, I realized I needed to change, but I couldn't do it. It was only with that threat of going right back to where I was that I decided enough was enough. And I've already made a good deal of changes.

For those who know me personally, they know I'm addicted to soda. I am going on my second, successful week of not drinking soda now! I cannot tell you how happy it makes me. I replaced that with water (last week I went through 28 bottles!) and sugar-free lemonade (the kind you mix into a pitcher of water). I'm also trying to watch how much food I take in and adding vitamins to help boost my immune system and bring me to a better sense of wellness.

But I do realize that this isn't going to be enough. The fact that I let myself climb this high, when I was aware that I was gaining so much weight, proves to me that I needed a little extra help. I have gone through almost a dozen different books now--just reading, trying to figure out which ones I think could be useful. Some I found from recommendations of friends and family, some I'd seen adverts for, and some I just stumbled upon. I chose Six Weeks to Skinny Jeans because the reviews for it seemed optimistic and the author (Amy Cotta) made the goals seems realistic and achievable. The book also helped equipped me with the right tools to begin. And unlike other books, the focus of changing to a healthier lifestyle wasn't thrown to the side for religious idealism or popular trends. 

THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG

First and foremost, this blog is here to keep me honest. Six Weeks to Skinny Jeans, as I mentioned, already comes with the tools needed to log all the goals, et al, but this blog will serve as an open journal. A place I will share what has and hasn't worked, where I have failed or succeeded, when I may need encouragement, and bits and pieces of my private journaling related to my weight loss goals. I will probably also discuss some of the different books I've read on this subject. As any professor would recommend, always bring in more than one source. As with any program of this sort, I'm always curious how it relates to "the real world." I already know of two weekends where I'm going to be out-of-town, and will see how I can adjust this program to meet with real-world applications. And while Cotta recommends not to make excuses (a major hurdle for me), I do believe that sometimes life doesn't fit into our schedules as we like. These are also things I will try to take note of.

I also hope that this blog may help others who are looking at this program. I definitely open this blog up to open (friendly) discussion, if people choose so, with the goal to help and push each other.

LET'S BEGIN
I will officially begin this program February 17, 2013. I was hoping not to delay it, but given that there is a calendar included (with daily goals, exercises, etc) in the book, I felt it best to begin on a Monday with the schedule. Sunday's are usually my weigh-in days anyway, so I will post again this Sunday with my current weight and inches, my estimated daily calorie goal, and perhaps a bit more information about the first week's schedule.

I am looking forward to this--to pushing myself--and hopefully losing weight!

(Also, look for this little fun graphic with each post--you can see it began when my thyroid first started acting up!)

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