Take One Down, Pass it Around

I mentioned in my last entry that I had two tangible goals. Of course I have an overall weight goal in mind, which is on the sidebar on the right. That would get me into (or pretty close to) a healthy weight range for my height. As I get lower, I may find that that number may not be a feasible number for my body, and I may have to re-evaluate, but for now that’s the ultimate goal I have in mind. As a post-college adult, the lowest weight I’ve seen has been 182, which was just before my wedding back in 2002. I figure once I get back there, I can figure out what to do from there, with the help of my doctor. My doctor told me he would be happy just to see me under 200 and maintain there, but I still think that’s too much weight for me.


As stated, I have two more tangible goals that are event-related, rather than just related to a specific number on the scale. They are as follows:

1. To go on my cruise to Alaska this summer at a lower weight than I was when I went on my cruise to Hawaii in 2004.

2. To be able to go to an amusement park this summer without worrying about whether or not I’ll be able to fit on any of the rides.

As to the first goal, when we went on a cruise to Hawaii in 2004 I weighed about 220 pounds. I came back weighing about 234 pounds. My goal for my July cruise to Alaska is to weigh less than 220 pounds and to come back weighing no more than 225 pounds. Tough? No doubt. That gives me 6 months to lose about 48 pounds, for a total of 8 pounds a month. I’m not giving myself much leeway for “off program” weeks or less than stellar effort. Possible? Absolutely, if I stick to the program. Will I beat myself up if I don’t make it? Nope, but I will if I don’t give it my all and try my best to make it. Avoiding beating-up-on-myself is a great incentive to do well.

On the second goal, I don’t have a particular weight in mind for this one. I think if I make or even get near my first goal, I should be okay. All I know is that when I went to an amusement park in 2005, there were certain rides that I couldn’t fit on, and I probably weighed about 240 at that point. The only way this goal will have to change is if I get pregnant between now and then, but I don’t see that happening. I am buying a house this year and I want to wait to have kids until I find (and buy) my house. I also just can’t put any more weight on my poor, overworked body. That’s another reason I have to seriously get my ass in gear. These ovaries ain’t gettin’ any younger!

One of the things I think I really need to do to help me achieve these goals is to cut down on the amount of alcohol I drink each week. Right now I generally drink alcohol two nights per week: once while I bowl (I’m in a weekly bowling league), when I generally have 4-6 light beers, and once on a weekend night, generally Saturday, where again I have a bunch of drinks. I do try to stick to light beer or liquor with 0-calorie mixers, but it’s still empty calories that add up. Plus, when I drink, my judgment when it comes to food goes out the window, and then I end up overeating crappy food, in addition to the calories from the alcohol that are going into my body. I definitely need to cut down, not only for the sake of my weight and my health, but also because alcoholism is very prevalent in my family, and I certainly don’t need to go down that slippery slope. Ideally I’d cut out drinking alcohol altogether, except on special occasions, but I know in my life that just isn’t going to be feasible. My bowling league is a social league, not a professional one, and while I’m sure I can go some weeks without drinking, I’m not going to go every week without doing so. Most of my friends like to drink, and they tend to organize social activities that involve copious amounts of alcohol. Again, I can and will abstain sometimes, but knowing myself I won’t (and won’t want to) abstain every time. So, my plan is this: instead of drinking 2 nights a week, I’m going to cut down to one night a week. That means if I want to drink at bowling, that’s fine, but no drinks on the weekend. If I drink on the weekend, no drinks at bowling. We’ll work that for the next three months and see how that works out, and re-evaluate from there (with the exception of my 5-day vacation to Florida and the Bahamas coming up in the first week of February, when all bets are off!).

In case you can’t tell, I’m all about trying things and re-evaluating if they don’t work. I’m tired of the all-or-nothing approach that has let me down in the past. This year is about trial and error, and most of all, perseverance.