Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Shorts

What does a relatively healthy 40-something foodie do when she can no longer fit into her favorite shorts and can’t stand the skin she’s in?

She re-evaluates and comes up with a new plan. I am very experienced at creating new plans. But this is a new, new plan. What makes it new? I had some new help in crafting it (instead of on my own) and I have new support to help me (Paul).

Instead of trying to keep up with my friends who are doing a million things at once and still have time to party, I am focusing solely on my health. I have been overweight all my life. When I tried to put on my favorite shorts to welcome the warm weather they didn’t fit at all, like they were a couple sizes too small. These used to be my favorites that emphasized my curves and made me feel just that much more confident. It was the last broken cheese straw.

My helpful cohort in this plan suggested I do just one thing at a time. My first translation read: Get a good weight loss plan, stick to it 100%, workout 2 hours a day, walk 10,000 steps a day, don’t drink or eat anything “bad” and also do everything else on your to-do list. I was lost.

What she really meant, in her chuckled manner, was eat more of the healthy stuff, less of the not-as-healthy stuff (about 80/20), get moving in fun ways and forgive.
The patience factor kicked in and I wanted to fit in those sleek, black shorts now, but realized that it took a while to put on these pounds and it will take a while to get them off. This was the turning point, because instead of being sad about it, I also realized that if I did make an occasional slip-up, that it wouldn’t matter since it took more than a slip-up to get me here.

So I am taking it slow. Baby steps. And I am starting with these shorts. They are a size 14 and would look great with a cute black top, a snakeskin belt, flats and my tortoise-shell look sunglasses. The perfect summer date night outfit.

I’m not stopping there. This is a 60-pound journey, but it begins with those hot shorts. Each day will be the adventure and it already has been with getting back into the flow at the gym (the elliptical for 30 minutes), eating more veggies and drinking more water, and accepting myself as I am now. It also helps to have wonderful friends and a great lover around to make you feel like you can do anything.

Note: Yes, I know it seems like I am starting over again, but this time I will stay focused. I promise.

1 comment:

callenstewart said...

A healthy attitude is a huge first step!