Walking

I know I need to start doing some kind of exercise. Not only is it good for me right now, but it will help me build myself up before my surgery. I decided to start a walking regimen. I bought a pedometer (click the link) to help me achieve my goal.

I am using it tonight at work. I'm curious about how many steps I do in a night. At the end of my day, I will have a total amount steps to build off of. My goal is 10,000 steps a day, but it is going to take me a while to get to that number.

Can I do it?

Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same.

How Much?

I have been thinking about how much I need to lose (the big picture). I was able to find this horrible amount by looking at those lovely ideal weight calculators (Try it out). Of course, when I found out I had to lose 150 pounds, I searched for a new calculator because I figured their calculations were wrong. Would you believe they all said the same thing?

Here is a list of some amazing facts:

• One pound of fat is equal to about 3500 calories. 
• I have to do enough cardio exercise to burn 525,000 calories if I want to lose 150 pounds. Phew! That's a whole lot of exercise.
• 150lb person (yep, I have to lose a whole person) burns 429 calories doing 1 hour of vigorous exercise. Again I say, "That's a whole lot of exercise!!!!".

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
― Confucius

"MY" Weight loss surgery journey

I want to emphasize on "MY" in the title of this blog entry. This is "MY" journey. All though many may feel the same feelings, or go through the same issues, or even have the same surgery--everybody is different. What works for one, may not work for the other. Through out my blog entries, I will be coming back to this subject. I just think it is important to remember.

When did you decide weight loss surgery was right for you?

I have been thinking about weight loss surgery for years. I went to a WLS seminar about 10+ years ago, but I just was not ready yet. I turned 40 this year, and it just hit me. I was ready to make the changes I needed to become healthy (Probably healthier than I have ever been). I went to another WLS seminar and just new this is what I needed to do, NOW! I need this tool to help me succeed.

When are you having your surgery?

This I do not know yet. I meet with Dr. Lederman on October 23, 2012  for my 1 to 1 consultation. We will discuss everything at this meeting. He will explain everything to me in depth and then we will decide from there.

Do you know what surgery you will be having?

Yes! This I can answer. I have decided to have the Gastric Bypass Surgery. The WebMD site defines Gastric Bypass as:

" In a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, only a small part of the stomach is used to create a new stomach pouch, roughly the size of an egg. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine (jejunum), bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine (duodenum)." 

 

Where will you have the surgery done?

The surgery will be done in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is only a little over an hour from where I live.

Those are just a few questions I have the answers to so far. I am in the beginning stages. It is going to be a long journey. I hope at this time next year, this part will be a blur and I will be settling in with my new healthier body.

Until next time.....

"You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight."
-Jim Rohn

 

Revamping

This is going to be a quick entry tonight. I go back to work tonight after being out for a while because of an illness. I am a third shift worker. Not a great shift to work when you are trying to lose weight, but I love my job just the same.

For those of you who do not know, I have decided to have weight loss surgery. I do not have time to jump into the what's and how's right now, but I will come back and tell you all about it. I am pretty excited about this journey. I believe this is going to be the tool I need to finally conquer the beast within me.

Stay tuned.....

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a small step.

-from Sarah's fortune cookie

Choice? I think not!

It's been a long time. Almost 2 years ago, I started my weight loss journey blog. Here I am again, 50 pounds heavier than when I first started this blog.

Some would say, "Just give up! Be happy with who you are."

Others say, "You are just lazy. Try getting exercise and don't eat so much!"

I say, "People, it's not that easy! I do not choose to be unhealthy. Become educated."

Obesity is a disease. It's an addiction. It is the number one killer of Americans every year. If it was that easy to lose weight, the death rate would be a bit less, don't you think?

I have tried to lose weight in so many different ways. There isn't a diet out there I haven't tried. I will lose 30 pounds and gain back 50. I feel like a failure. It is the one thing in life I can not conquer. Trust me when I say, I don't enjoy being fat. I just want to be healthy.

I have decided to revamp my weight loss journey. I am getting older and unhealthier. I want to be around to see my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is time for drastic measures. Stay tuned for more about my revamping.

If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.
- Buddhist Saying

The Fat Kid

My daughter and I went through a bullying situation last year. Some kids can be really cruel. I guess it can happen to anybody. When it happened to my daughter, it stirred up some painful feelings inside me that I had hidden deep down inside underneath all my fat.

I didn't just become fat overnight. I have been overweight my whole life. When I was in school, I was the perfect target for the bullies. I went through hell and back with the kids in my school. I went through name calling, pen metal being rubbed on the desk and then put on my skin (burned me), and pig pictures put in my locker. You name it, I probably had it done to me. I can't help but think this part of my life molded me into a very insecure person (this wasn't the only thing that molded me but a part of it). I can remember going home some days and just crying my eyes out because I felt so alone. I was the type of person who just took it. I didn't go tell the teachers or tell my Dad. I just let it go. Inside I hurt! It was a hard time in my life.

As the years went on, I was less of a target and was a bit more accepted for being who I was. I ended up leaving high school with some wonderful friends that I still have today.

I do not hold what I went through against the kids who did this to me so many years ago. As I stated early, "Kids can be really cruel." I have taken the negative and tried to turn it into a positive. I have shared this story with all 3 of my children. I have tried to teach them not to put labels on anyone and to give each person a chance. It doesn't matter what any of us look like, it's what we have inside that matters. I was grateful the day my daughter came to me to tell me that she was being bullied. We faced it head on and it got straightened out immediately.

My point to this blog was not to put the "oh poor me" story out there. It was to share an awful story with hopes that someone reading this will share this story with their child and teach them that bullying is wrong. It can affect a person for many, many years. Also, if a child is being bullied, I hope this story will let them know it is 100% okay to tell someone. Do NOT hold it in. It will tear up your insides. Ask for help!

Until next time.....

Peace.

My 30 Day Challenge

After writing my blog post last night, I made myself a 30 day challenge. For 30 days, I am going to exercise 3 days a week. It doesn't matter what days, what exercise or at even what time. I am just going to do it. Of course there had to be a 2 hour delay for school today, so I had to wait even longer to start my new challenge.

As soon as I got everybody off to where they needed to be, I tackled my VCR tape cabinet. It has been a long time since I have been in there. You should have seen the dust. It was scary. I must have gone through about 60 tapes to find what I wanted. As I was digging, I found 10 different exercise tapes. I laughed to myself and thought, "Man, if I had only stuck with these tapes. At this point, I would have had "Buns, Abs and Legs of Steel". I would be a great "Tae Bo boxer" because Billy Blanks would have taught me, and I would be one relaxed person because I would have known how to do "Pilates" and "Yoga" tapes. If only I had used them.

The tapes I found, that I know I did use (and used today) was my "Sweatin' to the Oldies with Richard Simmons". I use to have so much fun with those tapes. This is what I decided to start my challenge with. I put the tape in, listened to it start and immediately remembered how the tape went. I haven't done this tape in years. Before I knew it, I was sweatin' in my living room. I couldn't remember the ending of the tape though. As I was doing the monkey, twist and pony--I was praying it was coming to an end. I stuck with it though, all the way to the end. You gotta love Richard Simmons. He takes you through the exercise routine without you even knowing it. I can't wait until tomorrow. I already have a time blocked out just for Richard. Let's see how long I let Richard stay in my living room.

Until next time....

Peace.