Hello!

January 2012 - Time to stop being a fatty.  This isn't a New Year's resolution; this is when I got fed up with looking in the mirror and being grossed out by what I saw.  The "affair" I need to forget is the one I have with food...and drink, for that matter.

I am 26 years old, and as of this morning I weigh 205 pounds.  The good thing is that this is roughly 15 pounds less than I weighed in January 2011, but it's also about 80 pounds more than a 5'3" female such as myself should weigh.  Here I'm going to chronicle my journey, which will hopefully end at my ideal body weight, 125.  Whether I make this public or not will probably depend largely on the level of success I see.

I don't want to lose this weight quickly, as a matter of fact if I write in here January of 2013 and I am 15 pounds lighter again I will be happy.  As long as the numbers are going down, I won't be greedy.  What I don't want is to lose it too quickly and end up gaining it all back, and in a perfect world I'd like to avoid the loose skin & such that comes with quick weight loss.

That said, I know that the sooner I am thin the sooner I will feel healthy, and that is something I want very much.  I've been having severe abdominal pains for the last 3 years or so.  In November 2011, this culminated in a 2-week period of vomiting and paralyzing pain almost constantly.  After being in the hospital for 8 of 14 days, and having a huge assortment of tests performed, they decided to remove my gall bladder.  For the first few weeks it was like heaven.  I couldn't remember the last time I'd gone so long without feeling shitty one single day.  Now, the pains are returning.  Not as severe, nor as often, but I'm hoping that losing weight will help get rid of this mystery pain & illness.

I've been slightly overweight since about 8th or 9th grade, and with few exceptions it's gotten worse year after year.  This was especially the case when I went to college and started drinking, and eating poorly when I couldn't afford to buy groceries.  Now I am (mostly) established, and (slightly) more determined, so I think my time has come.

I've been doing Zumba for over a year, and at times it has been really difficult and caused flare-ups for me, but I love it!  In addition to that, I'm starting small with 2 simple diet rules: 1)  no fried foods, and 2) no seconds!  I will also walk my dogs at least once a week.  This doesn't sound like very much, and I should realistically walk them every day, but I know if I set lofty goals I will begin to fail, and stop trying.

So, now to the disclaimer:  I am going to have a 'splurge' for dinner.  My parents have invited Andy (my wonderful boyfriend - more on him later, you can be sure) and I over for some fresh, local T-bones.  There is literally no way I can say no to that.  Willpower is definitely not my strong suit, but I hope to see that improve as all of this goes on.  Putting it in writing will help me, even if it is for my eyes only.