Jean's New Year Post

My long-term goal is to weigh between 165 and 180. That means I have between 80 and 95 pounds to lose. I'm going to start working toward the 80 pound goal and worry about that "last 15" later -- presumably much later.

I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol -- both controlled with low doses of medication (diet didn't do much for the cholesterol, so part of that is hereditary). I have osteoarthritis in knees, ankles, feet, and hands. I've had arthroscopic surgery to repair meniscal tears in both of my knees -- the left one looks like 70's shag carpet inside. I take Osteo Bi-Flex (a glucosamine chondroitin product) and Tylenol Arthritis to keep the knees and other joints functioning with minimal pain. Until the recent bout with pneumonia, I walked or walked/jogged five days a week. I'm nearly ready to resume that.

I've recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Losing weight will help reduce the impact of each of the medical problems I've mentioned.

I have twenty-eight years of being hassled by my employer about my weight (even when I was one hundred pounds lighter, it wasn't good enough for them). As a result of 28 years of nothing I do being good enough, I have a bit of an attitude about the whole weight loss thing. I realize this impact of this attitude only hurts me, so there is value in changing that attitude. At this point, I refuse to deprive myself of something I want. So how do I effect change?

I'm going to take baby steps, because the impact of carrying this extra weight is beginning to "outweigh" the benefits being rebellious. My husband has suggested reducing volume as a significant effort I could make. This would not deprive me of anything I wanted. I should just eat less of everything. This makes a lot of sense and will be one of the things I strive to achieve this year. I have several other things I'd like to do to eat and live healthier. First, I'm going to return to eliminating carbonated beverages from my diet. I did it while deployed in 2004, and I believe I can do it again. When I run out of colas, I won't replace them. I do, however, drink Minute Maid Light sometimes. Water has a lot to offer, and I can guzzle it rather well.

So here it is. New Habit for January: Eliminate carbonated beverages. (This will contribute to eating fewer chips, crackers, and salty foods, because I've noticed I tend to choose a beverage based upon what snack food I want to support -- if I eliminate that beverage, there's a good chance I'll eat far less of that type of snack food.)

Year-long habit to develop: Reduced portion sizes. To encourage this without feeling deprived, I'm going to allow myself to eat as much as I want, as long as I slow down and eat a smaller quantity at any given time. I will also continue drinking plenty of water and discipline myself to wait between servings.