Weigh Day is Approaching

Part of my plan to track my progress as well as  to motivate myself to keep working to lose weight and get fit is to weigh myself once a month.  The day I chose to do this is on the last Monday of every month.  This time around, the last Monday falls on a holiday - Memorial Day, and so I won't be able to weigh myself at the gym tomorrow evening.  No worries, though, I'll just weigh myself on Tuesday if I make it in there (which hopefully I will), or if all else fails, I'll weigh myself on Wednesday.

I've always hated weighing myself.  For years I avoided the scale at all costs, choosing to focus more on how my clothes fit me and how much energy I had.  In college, that worked pretty well.  Unlike most people I actually lost weight in college because my activity level shot through the roof.  I was running all over campus all day, and in the fall, was in marching band, which was, in itself, pretty rigorous at times.  My eating habits weren't good at all, but they were pretty much the same they had always been.

After I graduated, I went from running all over campus in between classes to sitting on the couch, watching TV, eating potato chips for hours on end.  I was still working, but I only worked a 4-hour shift 3 or 4 times a week.  Lots of boredom eating.  Lots of emotional eating.  Lots of inches around the waist.  I started getting really discouraged, but instead of doing the smart thing and trying to hit up the gym more, I turned to food for comfort.  (I've been an emotional eater my entire life.)  Talk about your vicious cycle!  So the weight gain continued.

I hit my tipping point when I realized I was beyond what I call my "pre-corps" weight.  (That's another story for another time.)  Suffice to say that I was the biggest I had ever been in my life.  I was ashamed to see people I knew from college, and I didn't want to meet new people because I was ashamed of the where I was in life.  Where I still am actually, but now I'm taking steps to change that!

By weighing myself once a month, I don't feel overwhelmed or controlled by the scale.  It's frequent enough to keep me going, as seeing results is one of my biggest motivators, but not enough to become obsessed with the numbers.  Last month I lost 12 pounds.  I didn't think that was such a big deal, but as I told a few people, they assured me that it was!  I thought about what I started doing differently that month to help me lose that weight, and I became even more conscience of new and developing habits for months to come.

The biggest thing that needed changing was my eating habits.  Being a boredom and emotional eater is one of the worst things, I've found, when you're trying to get healthy.  I cut down on the snacks I had at my desk at work, and started drinking water instead.  Sounds simple right?  It is!  I also found that I need to eat breakfast so I don't have the temptation to munch all day.  (One of my biggest problems, is that when I start eating, I don't stop until I'm absolutely stuffed!)  Recently, I bought a Brita Bottle which helps the water at work taste better.  Granted, the change in taste isn't huge, but there is a difference!  The only downside is that I have to go to the bathroom a lot more, which isn't really a downside as it gets me up and moving more often!

On my lunch breaks, I started going to subway more, instead of McDonalds.  The sandwich artists at the two restaurants close to my work are starting to get to know me fairly well!

I also have cut out a lot of soda, not necessarily all of it, but instead of drinking 1-2 pops a day, I drink 2-3 a week, and instead drink a lot more water, and/or tea.  (Tea is usually lightly sweetened, but most of the time not sweetened at all!)

So what does all this mean for this month?  I don't know what to expect when I step on the scale this week.  It's been a very interesting month and the oddities have shown in my eating/work out habits.  The biggest change, I think, has been in my lunch break choices, which have been leaning more towards McDonalds again, and Wendy's.  (What can I say? I have a weakness for french fries!)  Everything else has been about the same, and the past two weeks or so, I have been making it to the gym more habitually than before, so maybe I'll shed a few more pounds again.

We'll just have to wait and see I guess!

Where I'm coming from...

I'm 24 years old and I've been obese my entire life.  When I look back, it's a wonder I don't have more health issues than I do.  My knees are only just now starting to hurt, but only a little bit and after a lot of stress already.  I get winded easily, but considering my health and fitness level, I'm surprised I don't have diabetes, heart/lung problems, and joint problems galore!

I'm tired of being fat, and recently made a goal that by the year 2014, I will run a marathon.  A lofty goal, to be sure, when you're starting off as someone who's never run before, a day in her life to doing one of the most lofty displays of athleticsm today.

I've set several smaller goals, to work up to the 26.2 miles that is a marathon... including being able to run a mile without stopping, running a 5K, 10K, Mini marathon, and finally, the marathon.

Starting point: 336 pounds.
Final goal: Marathon.

This is my journey.