4'11" : 365 Days : 41 LBS

Really long self-indulgent post here:

365. That is how many days I have been actively working towards improving my health. I'm not going to call it a year, because each day makes a difference. And I like using big numbers.

41. That is how many pounds I have lost in the last 365 days, simply eating better foods and better portions, and walking more.

24. That is the percentage of weight I have lost while I have been actively working towards improving my health

Last September, I took a mandatory health screening as part of my former employer's insurance plan. I knew I wasn't in tip-top form, but when the results came back and said I was "obese" and had a 35% BMI I was floored. Obese? WTF? I didn't look like the sterotype photos you see in the news reports about the American Obesity Epidemic. Overweight maybe, but I was certainly not obese. Except that I was.

I am not afraid to use specific numbers in this story, maybe some of you will identify with them. Like, 168. That's what I weighed on October 10, 2014. For reference, I weighed 171 on the day my daughter was born 8 years ago. Those two numbers might not seem so bad to many of you...but I am only 4'11". At that height, I was considered obese when I hit 148 on the scale. I didn't own a scale a year ago, so what did I know.

I spent most of September 2014 in a funk, worried about this new official label in my health insurance profile. Angry with myself about how I had ignored my health for so long. Embarrassed that I was relegated to the frumpiest of clothes, because let's face it, overweight short girls get the worst of options of all in the fashion world.

I will give my former employer some credit here. They did offer an incentive program to improve your health. I started using their online tools, earning points towards credits on insurance. I started walking more. Instead of driving across the street to Target over lunch break, I walked across 4-lanes of traffic and dodged cars in the parking lot as they raced towards the Panera drive-thru. I started to feel a little better about things, and I became more motivated.

During the first few months, I had to force myself to think positively. It was so discouraging to hear friends talk about how they had lost 20/30/40 pounds so quickly, within weeks of starting a weight loss program. I was constantly seeking validation, reassurance that my tiny losses were making a difference. It took about 4 months before I began to see any noticeable changes.

One of the features of the health insurance incentive program involved wearing a pedometer and syncing those steps to an online portal. So, in November I started wearing a Fitbit Charge. I got excited when I hit milestones on the device. 2500 steps!? Awesome! 5000, OMG I was an athlete! Then I started reaching 10k, 12k, and even 26k! I know these numbers might not seem impressive to many of you, but they are big numbers and they are MY numbers and they impress and motivate ME. I graduated to the Fitbit Charge HR recently. It's pretty cool to compare the Heart Rate charts to my tracked steps and exercise each night.

In addition to walking more, I took the initiative to visit a nutritionist in early October 2014. I did blood tests, fitness profile activities and had to keep a food diary for a period of time. I started using MyFitnessPal online on October 10. I consider that day the official start of my new focus. It was then that I found out that I was eating far too many calories each day for someone of my height and metabolic profile. The nutritionist advised that I should consume between 1,200 and 1,400 calories a day to achieve a reasonable weight loss goal which should be reached by January 2016.

That meeting taught me I didn't need that Naked Steak Burrito with guac at Chipotle every other day, especially not with extra chips. I needed the kid's taco meal (which comes with chips)! And you know what, I was actually satisfied with that portion size. Portion and ingredient control became a major part of my newly forming habits. I will not lie to you, I have indulged in high-calorie, high-fat foods on many occasions in the last 365 days. I binge on comfort food and beer each Sunday with the best people I know. I've learned how to work that into my life. I know that I can indulge in moderation AND still continue improving my health.

Let's be clear about something here. I love to eat good food. And I kinda like to drink (I'm drinking a beer RIGHT now, as a matter of fact). So it was HARD to get started with this better eating nonsense. Some things that helped me stay focused were the tools available online at MyFitnessPal and a somewhat firm adherence to a weekly dinner menu. On Sunday mornings, I sit at the kitchen table with an array of quick prep and healthy recipe cookbooks around me and write out what I am going to cook for lunch and dinner every day for the next week. Then I identify what groceries I need and buy only those things at the store. This has helped with budgeting, too. I am not buying junk food that sits in my cabinets very often anymore. Notice I didn't say never. There are nights when I deviate from my plan and grab a $5 Little Caesars pizza, because you know what - I'm a human being and I get stressed out and cheap *kitten* take out pizza is an easy solution when I don't want to cook.

Looking through my library of cookbooks every week has introduced me to new and delicious foods. Before I started actively working on making better food choices I cooked the same things over and over. Fried things, pasta things drowned in sauce, lots of cheesy things. Things that are delicious, but should not be eaten EVERY.NIGHT. If you're ever interested in buying a cookbook, I would very highly recommend the America's Test Kitchen series. I just can't say enough good things about them. I have to thank Asa Hopkins for gifting me their "Best Vegetables" cookbook many years ago. I recall thinking "but I don't cook vegetables!" when I received it, but it has become a standard in my cookbook arsenal.

Let's also be clear about one more thing. I HATE structured exercise like running on a treadmill or using a stair machine at the gym. I don't know that will ever change. But, much like establishing better eating habits, I am sure that over time I can establish a routine to work on building strength. Improving my muscle tone, endurance and overall strength is my next focus now that I am successfully within 1 BMI point of being "normal."

My current inspiration is online at nerdfitness. I am still trying to figure out how to fit strength building into my life, but it needs to happen. I will make it happen! I want to feel awesome when I turn 40, and make people say "damn!"

The take away of my story is, you can do this too, if you want to. There’s no secret, and no quick fix to be found in wraps, supplements or shakes. Move more, eat healthy. If you put your health first, weight loss comes naturally.
(also, sorry for the half naked pictures, I know they're not as revealing as self-indulgent 'look at me' bikini selfies but I still feel awkward about them even though these pics are for a legitimate purpose.)