I'm going to lose weight.
I'm currently overweight and, according to my BMI, obese. This isn't something that greatly concerns me, I've always been overweight and it hasn't stopped me yet. However, it is something that I know I need to do something about.
The ideal BMI for pre-pregnancy is 20-25. So that's my aim. I'm going to use this enforced time to focus on becoming healthy so that when we are ready, I'm ready.
My reasons for choosing to do this are simple:
1. I will get something productive out of this excruciating time.
2. It is a choice/restriction *I* am placing on myself and it's something I have to do for myself. This means that if, by some miracle, my SO should change his mind or biology overrides medical science, I can ignore it. Unlike the constant obstacles placed in front of us by life, loved ones and responsibilities, this is a choice, and one I'm happy to break if I need to.
3. That leads on to the third reason I like it - this is something I can control. I can choose to eat less, exercise more, get to my goal. No one else is telling me I can't get X because of Y.
Of course there are dangers. There will be days when I say to myself, you don't deserve a baby because you're still fat, but I do that any way. At least if I'm trying then I can feel like I might get to the point where I can't say that, and even more reasons on my side as to why *now* is the right time for us.
If I'm in the best possible health, the risks (and therefore one of the fears and reasons against) are at their lowest. It's just a little something I can do with this time, to work towards the future I want.
It's not controlled by jobs, money or something both of us need to do. I can do it all by myself.
Wish me luck.
Firstly hugs, yays and luck!
ReplyDeleteSecondly this -> "you don't deserve a baby because you're still fat" is complete bullsh*t, please don't tell yourself that.
I'm trying something along these lines. My current goal is just to get out of the obese section for bmi. Between November and February I lost 25lbs from eating more sensible portions, cutting down snacking and reducing the amount of fizzy drinks (plus cycling to and from work, but that's only 1.5miles each way). I plateaued out and have spent since then maintaining that weight, neither gaining or losing anything. It was only a couple weeks ago that I got the momentum to get going again and I've started the couch to 5 k jogging program (which I've been talking about on G+ if you're curious at all).
I've another 25lb to go to meet my first goal (yep, America made me fat!) and get out the obese category. Then I'll reevaluate how I'm doing and how I'm feeling and go from there.
Much luck and best wishes to you!
I have been following, in a creepy stalker way. I'm hoping to join a hula hooping group as I really enjoyed that when I tried it out a few years ago. Work is 18 miles away; I think I'd have to work up to that, and I'd need a shower at the other end!
ReplyDeleteStalk away, I don't mind ;-)
ReplyDeleteHula hooping sounds lots of fun, I hope it works out well.
In a final piece of advice, I find that having a strict time/day to weight myself helps. Of course, I have all manner of issues regarding weighing myself and will obsess over it, so I restrict myself to once a month. But try not to focus so much on the weight as the fitness levels/feeling better/clothes size.
I don't even have a scales. I don't actually have all that many issues with my weight, and I'm more likely to focus on clothes size. The only reason I know my current BMI is that the school nurse was doing free health checks. :)
ReplyDelete"this is something I can control" I can relate to this feeling.
ReplyDeleteBMI is rubbish though. I'm not quite so skinny as i was when we last met up but still slim yet BMI claims I'm bordering on overweight. Eating well and exercising is sensible, but try not to get tied into worrying about your BMI.
On a tangent, I've been thinking (generally when I'm struggling to finish a meal) that part of the reason there are so many people overweight is that certainly my generation was raised with the attitude that you had to finish everything that was put in front of you and it's a difficult habit to break. I don't want to instill that into my children so I'm trying to remember how my parents did it. I think I'm just going to tell them they have to try everything that's on the plate but not penalise them if they can't finish or simply don't like the food - as long as they've tasted it.
I think that's a good idea Fern. I've heard theories that the "finish everything on your plate" motto comes from the times of rationing, which I know my mum experienced the end of. The idea that you might not have anything on your plate the next day meant that it really was a sacrilege to leave anything. That seems to make sense, but we clearly need to break that cycle now.
ReplyDeleteI know the BMI you get done at the GPs is bunk. It's a lot more than height and weight, it's supposed to go into detailed mathematics of body shape, fat to muscle ratio, weight distribution and many more. When done properly it is a very good indicator, however it rarely is done properly. Sadly it's just become the latest fad. Having said that the idea that you could possibly be overweight... that boggles the mind! How thin do they want you to be!
Portion size was my main problem moving here, I never realised how ingrained it was that I clear my plate until I was trying to figure out why I was piling weight on. It goes on fast when portion sizes (eating out at least) are two good meals all in one.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of teaching it to children I agree with making them taste everything even if they don't eat it all, I've heard good things in terms of baby led weaning, but I've not done research on it.
Re: my BMI - it's skewed cos I have bigger bones than most people (which is why I laugh when people say they're not fat, they're big boned) and bones are a fair weight. It's also skewed cos i have a good amount of muscle between cycling to work and doing jitsu. My sister is actually over into 'overweight' despite being skinnier than me because she's shorter and because she does so much exercise.
ReplyDeleteBaby lead weaning makes sense to me, especially if you breast feed and make sure to eat predominantly healthily whilst doing so - too much sugar and other foods that came into our diet later could lead the baby craving the wrong things but generally the baby will be after the foods it needs. Or at least, that makes sense to me. (Sorry, it's very late and I'm a little tipsy so not as coherent on this as I would like to be).