Weight Loss: My Commitment to Fabulous

I am FAT. I know, I know ... it's what's inside that counts, if people judge you by your looks you really don't want those people as friends, there's nothing wrong with not looking anorexic, there's just more of me to love ... I've heard it all. And I am flat-out tired of the euphemisms. In January our family went on vacation and we saw this hugely obese woman (I am 115 pounds overweight, so I tend not to comment on others' size, but she was VERY big) and my precious little girl says, "Look Mommy, she has a big belly just like you!" After a repeat of that comment when we saw a friend who was two days away from giving birth, I could no longer tell myself that I look great for my size, that I dress well for my body type, or any other of the given comments I would make when I looked in the mirror.

No more will I go into dressing rooms and leave depressed. No more will I eat to fill my time and appease emotional needs. No more will I excuse being fat as "that's just the way I'm built." Once upon a time I was a size 6, with only 11% body fat. That was ten years ago. I put on weight as result to an emotional trauma, kind of a coping mechanism. And now I stand and tell people I've gained the victory over that particular part of my past. Now, I want to LOOK like it! I've had two kids, but I still want to look "hot" for hubby ... I still want to have the energy to chase my kids around the yard and actually be small enough to help my little boy down the slide at the park without getting stuck ... I want to get dressed in the morning without figuring out which shirt will best hide my fat rolls ... I want to dress up and be proud of what I see in the mirror. I'm not just losing weight for my family now, I'm doing it for me! The only spare tire I'm going to carry around will be in the trunk of the mini van!

And it's great that I want these things.

But how am I going to make them my reality? For starters, I'm going to stop being a vegetable and starting eating them! For every 15 minutes I "veg", I'm going to do 15 minutes of activity. I will drink 1/2 ounce of water for every pound that I weigh (yes, that is the ideal!). I will not drink soda. I will not eat after 8 p.m., because I had a bad day, or because I'm bored. I will also stop making excuses.

What excuses? I'm so glad you asked ... because we don't always recognize them as excuses and it's important to identify them:

*I don't want to cook a separate meal from myself. Great! Don't ... if you won't eat it, please explain to me why the family you love should slowly kill themselves eating junk food.

*I don't have time to exercise. Really? Do you have time to read this article? Park farther away when you go to the store? What about the time you were spending putting food in your face ... that's some time that needs to be redistributed!

*It's just a treat. Great! What is it treating you to? Probably a bigger pant size, some clogged arteries, and maybe even a few extra fat cells.

*I'll start my diet next week, because this week is (insert pathetic excuse for not changing here). Okay, so January is a rough month to start because of the New Year and the kids are out of school ... who wants to be on a diet when the Valentine chocolates and decadent dinner date roll around in February ... and March is Aunt Freida's birthday party and that get together with the neighbors ... April is Easter and if I'm dieting I can't eat the candy the kids collect in the eggs ... May is Mother's Day and we always go out to eat and then have double chocolate mousse cake, not to mention Memorial Day cookouts ... June might work because I really want to get into that swimsuit, as long as we don't grill out or eat out for Father's Day ... July would work if it weren't my anniversary and the 4th of July ... August has potential, hmm ... September, well what a weird month to start a diet ... October? Are you serious?? Who diets on Halloween? ... and, of course, I need to be free to eat stuffing, pie and everything else on Thanksgiving ... and no one expects me to diet over Hanukah or Christmas! I mean, really ... there's no ideal time to start a change ... other than NOW!

Okay, go on, I dare you. Be committed to change. Of course nothing's going to be the same and everything's going to be different ... that's what change is! But if you've read this much, then you really don't want to stay status quo anyhow and the only way to move on is to be committed (or get committed, but that's for another article altogther!). You can do this!