Why bother?

You think you want to do this.  Now WHY do you want to do this?  What will keep you on the path toward your goals?

I strongly dislike (my kiddos won't let me use "hate" ;-) trends.  I refused to watch "Friends" until it went to syndication.  I will not hop on the "Twilight" bandwagon.  You will not catch me in neon clothes this summer (I contributed to that quite enough in the 80's).  So when I began to look around and notice that America was becoming "fat", I started to fear that I had betrayed my own principles and followed the crowd.  "The 'average' American woman is now a size 14.  I'm above average!  I've always been a major over achiever...but this is not what I had in mind."  My thinking was finally starting to shift.

When my family visited Disneyland this past October, I realized that this particular venue probably held a pretty accurate cross section of America on any given day.  It was shocking and disheartening to look around and realize that, far and away, the majority (probably more like 90+%) of the people we saw were not just overweight, but more likely morbidly obese.  It made me sad to realize that this has become the norm.  Do you remember that one kid you went to elementary school with who was overweight?  Now I look at my kids' schools and notice the handful of kids who are NOT overweight.  Wow.  Check out this map put together by the CDC:  US obesity trends  I am proud to live in the one "blue" state that held on the longest though I did not personally contribute to that.  So my initial "why" was that I just didn't want to be like everyone else.  Weak, yes, but it was a start.  It's also one of the small parts of my overall "why" that keeps me going.  Not wanting my kids to become part of this particular trend is also pretty darn motivating.

But WHY did I need to lose weight?  I was not diabetic.  I did not have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.  I could climb a flight of stairs.  I could go for a hike or bike ride and often did.  I could walk many miles.  No problem.  Since I didn't have any overwhelming medical motivations, here are the little reasons (besides not wanting to be trendy) that added up:

• I hate (sorry kids!) plus size clothes.  They are ugly, not flattering and there is not much from which to choose.  I spent a lot of money on clothes.  Not clothes I loved.  Not even clothes that I liked.  Just clothes that I could stand to wear.  I was reaching the point where I was having to buy those clothes in the next size up.  Again.  NOT going to happen. 

• My kids LOVE to swim.  A lot.  My husband HATES (sorry again, kids.) to swim.  A lot.  So I take them swimming.  The little one can't go in the water alone.  So I get the wonderful privilege of wearing a swimming suit in public.  Talk about anxiety.  My small town friends know the thrill of seeing everyone they know at the pool in said (plus size, ugly, not flattering, can barely stand it) swimming suit.  Now throw in all the former students who are lifeguards at the pool.  Yep, not fun.  

• Photos don't lie.  Posting pictures of yourself on Facebook when so many of your friends are people you knew in high school and college when you were 25, 50, 75 lbs. lighter...well, if you are reading this post, you know EXACTLY how that feels.  I found myself avoiding, at all costs, posting pictures of myself.  Especially full body shots.  Sifting through pictures that I planned to scrapbook for my kids was a real eye opener as well.  But Christmas a few years ago was the last straw.  There was no denying that the person in that photo was me and that's really how I looked.  

As I started to lose a little weight, the reasons to continue changed but were even more compelling for me:

• I suddenly realized, not just how much easier it was to move, but how freely I was NOT moving before even though I would have told myself otherwise.  

• I never had blood pressure issues but after I had been running regularly for awhile, I had a check up.  The nurse was really stymied by my numbers so she took it again.  At another check up almost a year later, the same thing happened.  Honestly, it was pretty entertaining to watch them trying to figure out if something was wrong with their equipment.  Then I explained that I run.  "Ahh!  That'll do it!" was their relieved answer.  By the way, 100/61 if you were wondering.  I don't know anything about blood pressure but, apparently, that's pretty low.  It was also fun to watch them recheck my chart after they weighed me.  I guess they don't see weights drop very often or very much.  Sad, really.  Even though I didn't have much for medical issues before, it was really amazing to go to the doctor and have these experiences.  As a side note:  I NEVER ONCE had a doctor mention that I should lose some weight.  To reach the top end of the range of healthy weight for my height, I needed to lose eighty pounds.  EIGHTY! and not a single word was ever said.  I understand it's a sensitive issue for most people but we are talking about saving lives here.  

• Everyone asks me how I stay motivated.  The simple answer:  Now that I have seen how the 'other side' lives, I NEVER want to go back.  I have come to a very strange realization recently.  I am seeing life with a whole new clarity.  I'm not talking insight but literal clarity here.  Everything that I see is so much more crisp and colors are amazingly brilliant.  My only explanation is that my brain has changed.  Seriously.  I have noticed that the very way I approach life has taken a total 180.  For example, I used to get really uptight about driving (who doesn't?).  I would freak out about cars pulling in front of me or not letting me in or not getting a really great parking spot.  Now, I totally roll with it.  I don't stress about getting the boy to school at a precise time because we'll get there eventually, safely and it just doesn't matter.  I am happy to have the opportunity to drive him to school.  Whuck?! Those of you who have known me for decades would never believe this shift in me.  My own husband looked at me kind of strangely the other day and said, "You know, you're pretty funny (as in ha! ha!).  There was about a decade or so there where you weren't funny at all."  Maybe a little backhanded but complimentary none the less.  I guess I've flooded my body with enough endorphins from exercise that my crappy attitude just couldn't win out anymore.  I never want to live in that fog again.  Finally, after all that I've been through, it's a wonderful life!

With the theme of "why", I'd like to tell you why I chose Weight Watchers.  I live in a large metropolitan area with every weight loss program known to man available to me.  Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and Slimgenics are all within one mile of my house.  Not to mention the availability of quick fixes like Alli, Slim Fast and HCG (PLEASE don't!).  I'm sure there are many more that I don't even know about.  I chose Weight Watchers because it works.  No food is off limits (though I honestly didn't know that before joining).  The support system of the meetings, leaders, message boards and online tools is incredible.  There is something for everyone.  Most importantly for me was the fact that I would be eating my own food.  No awful transitions back to the "real world" and no separate meals for my family.  As mentioned in my last post, I also found it to be affordable (It's about $40 per month but varies).  The really cool thing about Weight Watchers is that once you hit your goal weight and maintain it for a period of time, you can still be a member completely for FREE!  What other program offers a deal like that?  I'll let you know just how cool that is when I get there ;-)  I wanted to join for years but didn't have the guts.  Living in a small community before, I wasn't comfortable with the lack of anonymity in that particular meeting room. I was a WW member for exactly one week in high school.  However, after a mortifying first meeting where I bumped into my junior high PE teacher as well as my best friend's mom, I just didn't have it in me to go back.  The beautiful thing now is that they have an online membership where you never have to set foot in a meeting room if you don't want to.  It can be done, quite successfully, completely online.  One suggestion I have is to try different meetings with different leaders if you have the choice.  I tried three different leaders before settling on one whose style I liked.  The connection that I made with her, I believe, was key to much of my success.  I knew that she really cared about me and my success. Unfortunately, she got a promotion and moved on so I am starting over but I now have the skills and faith in myself that I didn't before.

Spend some time in the next few days considering why you should bother to be proactive about your health and wellness.  Maybe you do have a very real medical concern that makes it imperative.  Maybe you don't have the medical issues yet but a family history makes it only a matter of time if things don't change.  Maybe you would love an excuse to buy a new wardrobe that you LOVE!  Maybe you are just tired of being tired.  Consider what makes you worth it and write it down.  Attach a goal weight or clothing size to your bathroom mirror.  Hang a "skinny" picture of yourself on the refrigerator door (even if it's a shot of you when you were ten years old.  That's how far back I would have to go for a skinny one!). Or buy some smokin' hot outfit that you are determined to get into.  Even better, share your "why" with us here in the comments because we totally think you're worth it!

Colorado friends:  If you are ready to climb aboard this crazy ride, head over to this site Weigh and Win.  Kaiser Permanente is PAYING Colorado residents to lose weight.  You do not have to be a member of their insurance program to participate.  All you have to do is weigh in at one of their kiosks and continue weighing in at least once per month.  Rural friends will have to drive but you're making those shopping runs anyway and can stop in on your way.  It won't make you rich but if you're going to do it anyway you may as well get paid for it!  I only wish I had signed up when I first started all of this business!  A weight loss of just 5% will earn you $15.  10% lost is worth $30 and will be buying my celebratory mani/pedi for reaching that goal!  The program is very thorough and has support for exercise suggestions, menus, weight tracking, daily e-mails and a newsletter.  Very cool.

EXCUSE TIME!  I can't exercise because my knees hurt.  Honey, this is exactly 'why' you should exercise.  My knees hurt, too.  Until I lost about 20 lbs.  Then lo and behold, they magically didn't hurt anymore.  Hmm...  Now I do realize that some of you have real joint pain that is not weight related and is, instead, the result of an injury or arthritis.  There are ways around this.  I'm definitely not calling anyone old here, but there are more 'seasoned' people in my Weight Watchers meeting who swear by the swimming pool.  The buoyancy of the water relieves stress on the joints.  Swimming laps isn't necessary.  Even just walking in the water offers enough resistance to burn some serious calories.  Of course, water aerobics type classes can be a lot of fun, too.  One caveat:  you will probably be required to wear a swimming suit.  If swimming isn't for you, check out an elliptical machine.  There is no joint impact involved and many offer a wide range of built in programs to keep it interesting and challenging. (I did have a little knee swelling and stiffness due to the large range of motion on this machine. For some reason, I have this same problem on a bike.  So I only do the elliptical 2-3 times per week.)  I'm all for exercise that you can do while watching television!  Don't discount walking, either.  It truly can be just as effective as jogging.  Better yet, try it all and mix it up to keep your body guessing.  Ideally, you would be doing some form of cardio for 30-45 min. 3-5 times per week.  Maybe something nice to shoot for a little further down the road?  Everyone has to start somewhere.  I used to do a whopping 17 minutes on the elliptical...and I had WORKED UP to that amount of time!  The key is simply to start.  That first step may be the hardest but it's the most important.  Now get out there and don't look back!