I am a contradiction. I weigh a little over 200 lbs. I am 5'6" tall. I am obese by any chart that look at. My stomach and inner thighs are where I carry all my weight. My calves and quads are solid. When I flex, my biceps and triceps are impressive. I teach Zumba and water aerobics. I run half marathons. People pay me to help them exercise and lose weight. People look up to me. I have helped people lose weight and develop healthy habits.
Let me be clear that there is nothing wrong with being a curvy, fit girl. I know and admire a lot of them. Being skinny doesn't mean that you're healthy and being thick doesn't make you unhealthy. But I know that this weight is unhealthy for me. My joints are dying under the excess weight. The typical injuries that I used to experience from working out are taking longer to heal. Granted, my training isn't what it used to be (another thing I'm working on) so I'm more susceptible to injuries but the weight isn't helping.
My blood pressure is normal. I don't have diabetes. I have never had a bad stress test, blood test or any other major medical condition to push me into a lifestyle change. I know that this is because of luck. Almost everyone in my extended family has diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or another obesity related ailment. I have seen them suffer because they refused to make changes in their lives. I know eventually my luck will run out and my genes and my bad habits will win out. That should be enough to motivate me but it hasn't been in the past.
I am a very anxious person. I obsess over what other people think of me all the time. My anxiety gives me panic attacks and heart palpitations. As I have gotten older I have become more nervous. I know that this is because I am not balanced. That if I were happy with myself and my life that no one could shake my confidence. I think back to a time when I did yoga every morning and planned out my day. When I wrote in my journal every night and stretched and practiced deep breathing exercises before bed. I would plan out my day, my week, hell sometimes my month. I was prepared for life and being prepared made me relaxed enough to enjoy it. I didn't stop being this person all at once but gradually, I lost her and became that basket case that I am now.
I recognize that I might not be able to fix everything on my own. That if I don't start to feel better emotionally or if I feel like I continue to stand the way of my own success that I might need professional help. I am ready to say that it doesn't make me weak to need help from someone else. My number one priority is me. Whatever shame I have previously attached to professional help is gone now. It is more important that I become healthy; my pride is going to have to get over itself.
I have gained about 30 pounds in the past nine years. My husband has gained about the same amount during that time. Normally I go on these life changing missions on my own with the support of my husband but not the participation. But this time he feels as bad about himself as I do about myself. He misses the healthy body that he used to have. So when I mentioned buying a diet book and trying to change our lives he was on board.
I have bought celebrity diet books in the past. I have done Nutri System. I was on Weight Watchers. But all of those offered short term success. I eventually went back to my old habits. I never tried to make any big changes. After I saw a few pounds drop off I gradually went back to my old ways and put the weight back on. All of these diets/plans work great for other people. There is nothing wrong with any of them. The problem was that I wasn't committed to changing my life. That is why I wasn't successful. I am ready now.
So I picked up Dolvett's 3-2-1 Diet book this week. And tomorrow we start the rest of our lives as a healthy couple. I'm not going to get pre-packaged food delivered for the rest of my life. I'm not going to count points. I'm just going to change my habits and pull it together. Easy right?
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