Thursday, July 29, 2010

It's Official. Gross.

I've long refused to step on a scale for fear of what I might find. My clothes get tighter and tighter, and at some point enough has to be enough.

I'm committing to weighing 170 pounds by the end of this school year. I've bought a scale and I'm going to track this daily in a spreadsheet--which I've also set to calculate my body mass index. Yes, I know there are arguments over whether or not BMI is a good measure, but it's better than the nothing I have right now. And whether or not it's accurate for everyone, it told me today what I already feared--I'm within 1/4" in height of being considered obese.

I joked a few weeks ago about being a beluga--a big white whale. I don't want to be a beluga anymore. Please offer periodic encouragement, as I'm known to "fall off the wagon" when I try to do this.

Update: My diet, for lack of a better term, will rest on 4 main points:
1. Eat better
2. Move more
3. Track and document
4. Moderation
I'm not going on bread and water here, I'm going to try moderate changes and see how that works out.

Now, some of you may be interested in what a beluga looks like. Much like the beluga, I, too, have a very cute face :-) The rest of us, though, is white-colored blubber.

Check out BelugaCam! (I'm having trouble connecting right now but have contacted the aquarium webmaster for details)

13 comments:

Rhymes With Right said...

If you are a beluga, just call me Moby! Aquatic mammals of the world, unite!

scott mccall said...

i should probably do the same....i'm 6ft, and approaching 200 pounds.....and it's not mostly muscle

Greenpeace said...

Hey. If you where to fall off the wagon at least you'll bounce.

That's encouraging.

Anonymous said...

Follow the only diet that works: Eat less, exercise more.

Elaine C. said...

I'd recommend NOT weighing yourself every day. You're supposed to only weigh once a week at most, because your weight fluctuates from day to day - things like water retention, etc. (Also, it's supposed to help more with motivation...)

At least, that's what they told me when I was pregnant - and supposed to gain 40(!) pounds... and for afterward while I'm now trying to lose some of that baby fat!

Darren said...

Yes, I've read that too, but knowing my own lack of self-discipline in the eating arena, I need to monitor as closely as possible. I'll weigh myself each morning just before getting on the elliptical trainer.

Unknown said...

A spreadsheet! Are you serious? Are we just a TAD OCD? :0)

Darren said...

A tad, yes, but how else would one track it?

Viki said...

Hey Darren I've lost 12 lbs. in the last 2 months just by eating less processed food and not drinking ANY soft drinks. If it has HFCS in it I don't eat it.
If I actually exercised I'd be in good shape.

Darren said...

I already don't drink soft drinks or beer, so the easy ones to cut out aren't there for me. I've been paying attention to HFCS and try to avoid it.

Doug said...

Darren, I have lost 15 pounds in the last 5 months by just eating less (literally smaller portions), and trying to eat smarter. I think your plan to track your progress is good, but you might even throw in there WHAT you ate that day. Good Luck!!

Anonymous said...

escape from obsity is an excellent blog-well written and inspiring-has kept me in the right frame to have lost 50 in 2 years-good luck to you!

Linda Fox said...

There's a free web application, that also has a component you can download to your phone - for Blackberry, $2.99, there's also an Iphone version.

It's at www.livestrong.com

Tracks food, exercise, weight. You can track your progress over time. I've lost weight using it, and it really makes the job easier.