I am an emotional eater.  I eat when I am depressed or sad, especially.  Something happened this morning- or should I say-- I found out this morning about something that would normally make me run and drown my heartache on the shoulders of Ben and Jerry.

I was sad and hurt and depressed about this and I didn't stuff my sorrow with donuts or chocolate.

That in itself is progress for me.

That is not a huge amount but so long as the number goes down, I am happy.  And motivated to keep going!!!!

Why do people get fat, do you think?   I mean really?  Obviously it can happen when people eat too much.  Or don't exercise.  Or take in more calories than they burn.

For myself, I don't really eat too much, although I do eat more now than I ever used to, but it is more what I eat.  Give me a bag of chips and I could polish that baby off, no problem.  I could hoover any kind of chocolate without a breath!  But I think it is carbohydrates that are my real problem- bagels, breads, donuts, muffins, crackers- all those yummy things.  So I think it is not only how much I eat but what I eat.

Or is it more exercise, or lack of, that makes people fat?  I know that I exercise more than a lot of people I know.  I ride my bike a lot and walk when I can't ride.  My skinny sister couldn't keep up with me on a bike.  I sure don't ride very fast but I get where I am going.  So that is my exercise.  Am I likely to go to a gym to workout?  Nope.  I don't like exercise and I am too cheap to pay for a membership.  Kudos to the people who have a steady workout routine.  I know lots of chubby people who exercise more than anyone would think by looking at them.  And most people know that just because a person is thin, doesn't make that person healthy!

Calories in and calories burned- that is the basis of weight, at least that is the common thought.  Trying to research Why Do People Get Fat? is like wading into a dark, muddy pit: every time I think I have the answer, I get bogged down with different opinions.  So many different views!!!

Besides food and exercise, other factors that affect weight are:
Lack of sleep
Certain medications
Hormone problems
Stress
TV
Obesity gene
Intestinal bacteria
Lower income

I think I will try to tackle each factor in separate posts!

I think for me, it is about the number!  The weight.  It also it about how strong I get, how my clothes fit and how I feel, but right now it is about the number.

Short Term Goal: So, I would like to lose 30 pounds by the end of June.  That is roughly 10 pounds a month, which is realistic right now because of how much I weigh.

Long Term Goal: In the end, I would like to weigh about 145 lbs.  Yep, I felt really good the last time I weighed 145.  But truthfully, I would settle for 170 lbs.  That is still a huge amount of weight that I need to lose!

Hard work ahead!!

Sausage, celery, carrots, spinach, cabbage and parsley.  Yummy!!!

I made some oatmeal for breakfast then decided I would make the asparagus that I had in the fridge!  I cooked it for about 4 minutes, put a tablespoon of Becel on it with lemon pepper.  Yummy!!

I am not full but I am not hungry- the key is to eat until I am not hungry anymore!

My guess was close as I hadn't weighed myself in awhile but I still guessed 10 lbs less.

You have to have a plan.  With just about anything, a plan makes things run smoothly!

Here is my Weight Loss and Fitness Plan (subject to change and modification!)  Hereby shall be know as The Plan.

Exercise (which I really hate!):
Walk
Bike
Resistance band for toning
Yoga to build strength
Keep track of exercise on SparkPeople.com

Food and Nutrition:
No junk food!!!  (this is major for me)
Portion control (as opposed to a deprivation diet.  I think this will work better for me, at least in the beginning)
Low carbohydrates  (I am a carboholic!)
Less wheat (I may revise this to no wheat, I am not sure!)
Drink more water

Weigh-In Wednesday:
Check weight on Wednesday, for no other reason than they both start with W.

Spark People is a great site for weight loss.  You can keep track of calories in and calories burned with exercises.  There are lots of motivational articles and recipes.  Plus it is free.

I am ready.

Ready to lose the weight and get healthy.

Let me backtrack a bit.

I have been chubby or fat most of my life. It started when I hit puberty- not that it was a big deal back then.  But even when I wasn't overweight, I always thought I was.  At the beginning of high school, I weighed 117 lbs. One hundred and seventeen pounds!!!  And I thought I was fat.  That comes from having a best friend who was 98 lbs at the most!!  I slowly gained weight through high school.

During the three years that I was in college, I gained weight.  The two years after college, I lost about 45 lbs without even trying.

It wasn't until I moved away, that things went downhill.  When a person's habits change or one is hit with a major lifestyle change, it is hard to keep on track.  My downfall was getting on the scale after a few months.  I had gained 5 lbs!   Instead of saying: "Oh shit, I gained 5 lbs," my thoughts were "I only gained 5 lbs!"

I didn't get on a scale much after that.  I fooled myself into thinking I was okay.  I got married and gained weight.  I had a baby and gained more weight.  Having a baby changed my metabolism- for the worse.  I slowly gained more weight, lost a bit, gained even more.  That all depended on what was happening in my life.

I was not a slug through all this by any means.  I am not lazy.  I walked a lot.   That was the single thing I did to lose weight after college- walking everywhere.  For the past 10 years I have ridden my bike any where from 1 km to 10 km a day- depending on what was happening.  I ride slowly but I ride.  I just need to fine-tune the eating and exercise so it is balance at the same time.

I have been on a slew of different diets. Some have worked-- for a while.  I have purchased exercise programs off infomercials with the complete intent of really doing it!!  And, again, I did them for a while.  And they worked-- for a while.  I have spent countless hours counting the caloric value of the food I have eaten. 

I eat far too many carbohydrates.  I love chocolate.  I drink too much diet Coke.  Chips and cheese- my best friends.  I know what I do wrong.  I just have to correct these things.

Why now? 

Because I am approaching 50 and although I am still very healthy, feel that if I don't do something now, it will be too late.  I don't want to have crippled knees and hips.  Or suffer a heart attack too young.

Why here, on-line?

I think it will give me a bit of a check to myself- a bit of accountability, which for me will be a good thing.  A diary of the journey.  My journey.

Will you join me??