Getting In Shape

This is an example of what I don't want weight-wise. I was at my modeling weight in this photo above--ghastly underweight and unable to even have periods and tending to faint when I stood up. How did I manage to stay thin? I have no freaking idea! I ate potato skins, ribs, Mud Pie... I was still young and getting used to my height. Tall people have it worse because we get used to eating anything and everything we want and never thinking about weight. Then, reality sets in. I don't want to be scrawny, but I do want to get back to being able to wear anything I want and not worry about if it makes me look "fat." I just miss being a clothes horse!



My goal weight (above) is about 30 pounds more than the top photo. Yeah, being tall has its advantages!

I also look at my family history of deaths:

1. Father died at 59 of heart disease, was obese and had high cholesterol, ate tons of meat and no exercise, loads of stress and traveling lifestyle.
2. Mother died at 74 of emphysema, had high blood pressure, smoked, no exercise.
3. Brother died at 43 of alcoholic cirrhosis.
4. Sister died at 50 of complications of gastric bypass.

As the baby of the family, I have the perspective of looking at what elders did wrong and avoiding it. Luckily, my numbers are great, very low cholesterol, vegetarian lifestyle, much more active than other family members. Still, I know what our genes can do with a bad lifestyle, but what can our genes do living an optimal lifestyle? Well, I have a very independent aunt about to turn 91 that proves where you can go with that.

I realized a few things about wanting to get to a certain goal weight:

1. It should not cost a damn thing!
2. It means a commitment each day of 2 hours until weight loss goal, then 1 hour after.
3. Health is the ultimate goal and weight loss will come with it.

With those three things in mind, I proceeded to do my research and decided to use the doctrines of a dense nutrient-based diet from the book "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. The basis if plants; veggies, fruits, beans and legumes, nuts, whole grains. I can absolutely do a plant-based diet. In picking a lifestyle for yourself, you have to keep in mind your parameters-are you fast food dependent? Consider Subway diet. You want something simple with a few rules-consider "You On a Diet" (the Dr. Oz one). Since I grow my own veggies, go the the farmer's market and love beans, veggies and fruits--I'm set!

I plan to do 2 hours of exercise a day. Sometimes, the exercise is not extreme. For one of those hours, I put my laptop on the bar counter and march and dance in place while editing my books, but this means one less hour sitting on my ass with a computer and since from 7 am until about 11 pm I'm usually on the computer, this helps. The other hour I use my elliptical machine or hip hop dance. Considering I work 8 hours a day and then do writing another 6 hours a day, doing 4 hours like Biggest Loser folks, ain't gonna cut it.

I plan to keep y'all updated on what I'm doing. What I'm eating, how I'm making it, the scheduling of my life, and the results. It's that time of year we're all thinking of getting our shit together and really doing it this time. I'm hoping to blaze a path myself.