Friday, February 03, 2012

Working Towards A Better Me

This year I've decided that I am ready to work towards a better me. It kinda goes with that whole realization that it's easier to tell strangers, whom I don't care what they think, that I'm hard of hearing than it is my friends, for whom it does matter. So, I let the doc make me an appointment with the weight-loss person.

The first thing she did was break out a BMI chart - which was developed around the civil war to chart population growth - as in thousands of people when the average height was around 5'6 for men and 5'0" for women. It's not and was not intended to be used as a health indicator and is full of crap. She was really pissed and says "well, you don't have to use it" - I said I won't, but I already know I'm overweight and I know how much I want to look like I lose. Muscle weighs more than fat so, I'm after a body shape not weight or size.

Her whole shpeel is that if I just do portion control that I will lose weight. And that three big meals are better than 6 little ones. Oh, and everything needs to be fat free and sugar free. I looked at her and said um, no a) portion control alone does not work for me. My weight fluctuates between one to two pounds a week - on portion control alone and b) I avoid anything with aspartame in it. She did say that fresh is better, frozen is next and canned should be avoided. I asked about homemade - canned/preserved foods and she said to just cut in half or leave out the salt and sugar - which I'm thinking is probably a bad idea. I did like what she said about some of the foods and that dieting and forbidding a food doesn't work because your behavior doesn't change. So, now I've got an appointment with a trainer - a necessity because I'm missing my acl - it tore and the stupid idiot doc refused to replace it. Means things I was working towards, I can't do. Stupid idiot. - so, I can get back in the gym and start exercising.

My friend suggested ending every meal with fruit. Which, I think I'm going to try. If I remember right, that is how the French end theirs. What also helps me is too rich foods - I want/need less to be full. I also don't forbid anything. The other big thing - for me - is that I needed to be ready for a change. Weight loss, at least for me and from my point of view - is as much mental and emotional as it is physical. Whether I want to lose weight because I'm tired of it, tired of hurting, or going na-na-na-boo-boo - as long as it's for me and I'm completely ready, I actually have a chance to hit my personal goal.