Says who?!

Sometimes I do things backwards.  Case in point?  Choosing right now to embark on a weight loss mission.  Right before family visits.  Leading up to, and during, the holidays.  What the hell is wrong with me?!  When I get an idea in my mind and decide to commit, there is no stopping me.  And if committing to something as simple as losing 10 pounds is wrong, then baby, I don’t wanna be right!

Now, telling my entire weight loss history in a nice, tidy blog is something I intend to do – but not today.  That tale is definitely another blog post in it’s own right, but I will give some very basic background.  Almost six years ago (six years exactly, come the first week of December!), I underwent RNY Gastric Bypass surgery.  Prior to my surgery, I was almost 300 pounds (and almost 5’5″).  <insert gasp here>  YES, this is really me.  REALLY.  Circa 2004:  

In my first five months post-op, I lost nearly 100 pounds (though, unfortunately, didn’t gain anything in the height department).  One, two years later, I lost almost 30 pounds more. 

Great story, Amy.  When are we supposed to make sense of a weight loss goal now, then?  Well… As many bariatric patients do, I got complacent after a few years of skinnier-dom.  Lest I actually call myself “skinny” – never that.  You see, my surgeon had put the absolute fear of god into me.  I followed her directions and post-surgical plan to an absolute “T” for a LONG time.  I wanted to be successful and healthy, and I wanted to do everything humanly possible to not let my parents down (more info for another day – but they footed the bill for my surgery and resulting care, after three different insurance plans wouldn’t touch it).  It is far too easy to have a mindset of “Ehh… I could still lose a few pounds, and if I gain a couple (but not many), that’s fine too – I’m just happy to be ‘normal’ and nowhere near the size I was when I started.”  Worst mindset ever.  Cue the creeping on of two pounds here, three pounds there…

Hearing someone say “I’ve gained 26 pounds in three years!” may not have you batting a single solitary lash.  Sadly, in a country as obese as ours, 26 pounds (gained or lost) isn’t what many consider to be a massive number.  For me, it’s more than massive.  It’s humongous.  It’s horrendous.  IT’S COLOSSAL!  I absolutely plan to combat those little bastard pounds – all 26 of them, and maybe more – and I plan to start today.  No, I plan to start this past Tuesday… I just also plan to not getting around to writing about it as quickly.  My bad!

When in doubt, go back to the basics!!  I realize this isn’t a viable option for everyone, really I do.. But when I get stuck or particularly inspired, I circle back to a more strict, under-a-year-out, post-surgery eating plan.  Before I give tons of details (in an upcoming blog) or get tons of “That’s not healthy!!!” responses, please note:  The steps I take and guidelines I follow have all been recommended to me by my post-surgical dietitian, as well as my surgeon.

In any case, I absolutely wanted not only to get the ball rolling, but to put more of myself out there in doing so.  Being so public about what I do (no matter what it is) makes me feel more accountable.  I realized when I initially posted on Twitter “Dear Everyone, I have a goal to lose 10lbs by 2012. I feel more accountable having said it. Please feel free to help me hold myself 2 it.” that I have tons of awesome people following me (I already knew that) that also wanted to maybe lose a few pounds here and there (that’s the part I didn’t already know).

My goal is to lose 10 pounds by 2012.  Yes, I want to lose more than that overall.  BABY STEPS, PEOPLE!  I say that somewhat jokingly, but it sincerely is the way to do it.  Saying to yourself “Self, I want to lose 50 pounds” is entirely too daunting, and a goal that you’ll likely feel you’ll never reach no matter how successful you may be in the early stages.  My secondary goal is to check in here, at least once a week.  Please, please, I encourage you – if you’re someone that said they wanted to “do this with me” or “be my weightloss buddy” or “get back to it too!”, don’t be shy!  Feel free to post anything you’d like in the comments section!  Anything – questions, concerns, encouragement, criticism, personal victories, good days, bad days, you name it!!

Lastly… While I haven’t yet worked up the nerve to post my actual weight (how silly, right?  Actually, if I told you, you’d probably all say “Nuh uh! You don’t look it!! Dang, you carry it well!”), I do intend to post each week how much I’ve lost.  Perhaps when all is said and done, I’ll post all of my stats from beginning to end.

As always, thanks for reading!  And don’t just sit there and think “I wish I could do that” or “I want to do that, too!”, take the first step!!  Come be a loser with me!!  I’m absolutely FULL of ideas – little tweaks to every day routines, small food swaps, easily healthy cooking methods – I’ve had to go through it all.  If you’re not comfortable tweeting or posting to me in public about something personal, weight loss included, please feel free to email me: amesactually@gmail.com