My Weight Loss Success: Part One

Since the post about my weight loss, I've gotten a number of wonderfully unexpected compliments as well as inquiries about how I did it, which I'm happy to share. However, before I say anything, I have to toss out a little disclaimer: I am not a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, or dietitian -- as a matter of fact, the only thing I even come close to being certifiable in is bull shitting. My point here is that what worked for me may not work for you, and you should always consult your doctor about things like this before diving in. Having gotten that out of the way, here we go!

BODY BACKGROUND
In terms of my body shape and size, I've always considered myself to be "average/athletic," leaning more toward the average side as I graduated college. I've never been the skinniest person in the room nor have I ever been the heaviest. I'm right around the 5'-3" mark with solid legs and a broader build versus a long and lean physique. I think it's important to point this out because your body's history can directly affect your ability to get into a healthy place. People who are naturally thin probably have an easier time getting back into shape when they put on pounds.

FINAL STRAW
According to my driver's license, I've been 150 pounds for about eight years, which I could only have wished were true for the past five or six. I knew I was packing on weight, but in my head I was only "a little out of shape." I started avoiding photos because that was the only real way I could see how unhealthy I'd let myself become.

The final straw for me was New Year's Eve of 08/09; I saw photos from the night and was miserable. I don't exactly remember feeling any worse about myself from that night than I had any time before, but I knew my best friend's wedding was coming up in May and I didn't want to see my New-Year's-Eve-self in her wedding photos.

GET-IN-SHAPE HABITS
Any time I'd had it with my body in the past, I'd go out and buy a work out DVD, fitness magazines, a cute new gym outfit, have a salad for lunch, load up my fridge with fruits and veggies, grab a healthy cookbook, and scour the web researching various diets. I would sit and read through the fitness magazines and diet plans and find myself getting angry with what I was reading. I mean, a "snack of five almonds" -- pardon my language, but ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!? I would start to feel completely overwhelmed by all that I was trying to do and my anger would evolve into depression, which would send me straight to a bag of chips and the couch.

THE LIGHT BULB MOMENT
I'm not really sure how or why, but on January 1, 2009, as I angrily ate my salad and planned my trip to Target to buy fitness goodies, a light bulb went off that changed my outlook on what I needed to do to get healthy.

So, here it is, the idea that got me started, the one thing I think you should take away from this post and the working title of my as yet unpublished book: Don't bite off more than you can chew -- a figurative approach to weight loss.

Stay tuned for Part Two of this series. I'll have the actual details about what I did, how I did it and the resources that helped me along the way.