I'm one of those people who LOVES to eat. I mean that. I LOVE eating. There are some foods I just can't get enough of. Have you ever sat down and eaten a whole bag of Doritos? No, I don't mean the snack size - I mean the big, 13 oz bag. Or maybe an entire box of Swiss Cake Rolls? Or 5 helpings of spaghetti? Or... you get the picture, right? Well, let me tell you - I can do that! Not only can I, but I have done it more than once! And to top it all off, I am an emotional eater, so when I'm feeling lonely or sad or bored or maybe even mad, often my first instinct is to run to the kitchen to see what there is to eat. And so, as you can imagine, over the last 8 years or so, I've put on more weight than I'd have liked.
And consequently, over the last 8 years or so, I've been trying to find the "right" way to lose that weight. And by "right" I mean the easy, fast, junk-eating, no-effort way. I've seen a lot of stuff out there, from pills to wraps to diets. I've seen the pictures in magazines and on TV of the "before" and "after" shots of those women (and men) who have lost huge amounts of weight in almost no time at all. How they suddenly have a great figure. How life seems to be SO much better for them now that they have lost the weight. And I wanted that - I wanted to have a figure again. And while having a body like one of the supermodel teenagers isn't realistic for me (come on - I'm over 25 and I've had 3 kids... it just isn't going to happen), the shape of a watermelon isn't exactly the figure I had in mind either (though some days that's the figure I think I have)! But even though I want what those people have gotten by taking pills or staying on some crazy diet or having their entire body wrapped in saran wrap for 2 hours, there's no way I'm about to do that kind of stuff to my body! I know me, and I know that just is NOT going to work. I'm anti-pills, anti-diet (unless it is the cheesecake and pizza diet), and anti-saran wrap. (Ok - maybe not against saran wrap, exactly, but certainly against body wraps...)
So if pills, diets, and wrapping are out for me, then the only other option I could see was exercise. Exercise. Ugh. That just doesn't fit into my vocabulary well. For one thing, I hate to sweat. And for another, well, there have always been really good reasons for me not to exercise: I'm tired. I'm hungry. I'm working. I'm sleeping. I'm changing diapers. I'm breast-feeding. I don't have the right equipment. I don't want to. I don't like it. I don't have anyone to exercise with me. I don't have a membership to the gym, nor do I have the money to spend on a membership I know I won't use. I have to make dinner. I have to take a shower. And the list goes on and on and on. Believe me - if there was ever someone who had all the excuses for why exercise just wasn't going to work, it was me! But I did finally break down about 3 years ago and buy an exercise bike, a Pilates DVD, and a few weights. I was diligent about using them for 30 minutes a day, roughly 4 times a week, for almost 6 months. And then something happened that gave me another excuse not to exercise (I can't remember what it was - see what a great excuse it was?) and it was all over. I had lost a grand total of maybe 5 pounds, and of course I gained it all back right away (remember my lovely dorito and chocolate diet) in less time than it took me to feel guilty for quitting the exercise.
So when it comes to losing weight, my strategy for the past 8 years has been two-fold: 1) Don't step on the scale, under any circumstances, unless there is a LOT of chocolate in the house (remember - emotional eater); and 2) Make a show of having intentions to exercise, but don't, under ANY circumstances, actually make good on those intentions!
And then something happened. I saw my mom one day and realized that she had lost a LOT of weight. She looked great - better than I ever remembered her looking. And suddenly, having a figure and being in shape and not being embarrassed of my body seemed attainable. I mean, if my mom can do this then what is stopping me? She's a regular person like me, and someone I can relate to (as opposed to the movie stars who have personal trainers or those people on the Dr. Phil show who have the motivation of someone like him after them). And so I did what anyone in my position would have done - asked her how she did it. And what I learned was what I had known all along - that the right way was not going to be the fast, easy, junk-food filled way, nor would it be a no-exercise, no-sweat, no-work way. But still - having the motivation of someone close to me who had accomplished what I wanted to accomplish made it suddenly seem realistic for me to lose the weight of 8 years, 3 babies, and too many candy bars to count.
And so it began. I took her advice, followed her example, set some goals, and talked myself into believing I could actually do it. And slowly but surely, I've begun to lose weight. My goal is to lose a total of 35 pounds, by my birthday next year (June 2, 2008). That will put me back in a healthy range for my height and build. I started exercising about July of this year. At first I gained more weight (muscle weighs more than fat, so as I exercised I built muscle (thus gaining weight) faster than I could burn fat). Boy, was that frustrating! But before too much time went by I did start to lose weight. I've been losing weight steadily for about 2 months now, and so far I've lost a total of 9 pounds, almost 10. So I'm well on my way to meeting my goal. If I can average one pound of weight-loss per week from now until my birthday, I'll meet my goal in plenty of time. What better gift could I give myself than a healthy body?
Now don't let me fool you into thinking this is easy. Remember what I've told you - I LOVE to eat and I really just HATE to exercise. But I believe working hard for 1 year to have a body I'm happy with and a healthier life for the next 75 years is worth every drop of sweat and every bite of sweets I choose not to take.
The moral of this story is that, in my opinion, there really is no good, safe, healthy way to lose weight quickly and easily. It takes work and dedication. And once I've met my goal and lost all 35 pounds, it will take work and dedication to keep that weight off. (Though thankfully not nearly as much work as I'm putting in now!) But isn't it worth it to do the work NOW, while you have the ability, than to put it off until later, until a day that may never come? There will always be a myriad of excuses to hold you back. Don't let those excuses stand in the way of reaching your goals!
And so I ask: What's exercise to YOU? Is it something you pretend you don't need to do? Something you dread? Or is it a portal to a better looking, better feeling, better living you? Don't let your fears or laziness stand in your way. Do something about it now. Do something about your eating and exercise habits. Make a change for the better. You owe it to yourself and to the people who love you to take care of your health. Trust me - you'll be glad you did, and so will they.
To see my article on how to lose weight, click here.