The Beginning

As with most things, it's hard to figure out where to start. I immediately want to jump to the conclusion, but I realize the impact is lost without the journey. So, I will start from the beginning.

Since birth, I have had a condition called Lymphedema that causes my legs to be two different sizes. For years the difference was hard to see, but when I started gaining weight in 9th grade the difference grew as my weight increased (and it has mostly increased in the years since.) Right now, the difference in my legs is large enough that each leg is a different pants size. Since it is not possible to buy pants with two different sized legs, it is not uncommon for me to wear jeans that are snug on one leg and baggy on the other.

Lymphedema is not the only reason I find myself looking like I do today. Poor eating habits and lack of exercise have absolutely contributed to my weight problem. Every New Year I would decide to lose weight and every New Year's Eve I would wallow in failure and vow it would be different this time....starting tomorrow, of course. That usually started off well, but soon fell away when I started to rebel against the "confinement" of dieting. I resented the deprivation and restriction of my new food choices so I eventually sabotaged my diet with poor choices. I didn't understand it yet, but I was an emotional eater.

I never lost the dream of losing weight and over the years I was able to pick up some pointers and find some methods that helped me control my weight. The result, however, always remained the same: failure or short-lived success.

This New Year's Eve I found myself with the same goal AND I finally had a better understanding of how to get it. The years I spent struggling have taught me losing weight contains many elements:
1. Set goals with deadlines
2. Create an exercise plan
3. Figure out nutrition that works
4. Get the appropriate amount of sleep
5. Deal with the psychology that helped you gain weight
6. Find a way to be held accountable
7. Find a way to celebrate or be recognized for your successes

This is the first time all of these elements have been put together to lose the weight because I just recently figured out a couple of them. I may still be missing one or two, but if that’s the case, I’ll pick it up along the way this time.

My hope for this blog is that it will help keep me on the path of weight loss so I can achieve my goals. First, I am going to explain how I define each of the elements above in new posts and then I will give you weekly updates on my journey.

Are you ready? Me too. Let’s go!