Weight Loss Journey

I don’t know if the universe is trying to tell me something or if I’ve been on the internet more than usual, but in the past few weeks I have been overwhelmed by the number of articles telling me the importance of being healthy. Not just in terms of prevention of illness and alleviating physical and mental pain, but also in terms of boosting my brain power and chances of professional success. After almost five years of hanging around grungy college students (and graduates who refuse to let the college years ago) who rarely talked about weight and gorged on pizza and hoagies, I am facing the fact that I need to get my weight in order.

Perhaps this is the right time. Not only am I about to take a job with enormous responsibilities and potential, but also since I am moving in two weeks, I haven’t been food shopping and am left with all of the healthy crap I buy to feel good about myself. All of the cakes and cookies are gone and I will have to finish off the veggies and wheat products before it’s time for me to move back to NYC. So I already have a head start.

I’ll admit it; I’m not too excited about this. I know, I know—I need to have a positive attitude and change my relationship towards food and exercise to achieve my weight loss goals. Luckily for me the weather is warm and my habits seem to change on their own: it’s too hot to cook heavy meals, there are more fruits and veggies to choose from, and I love walking around in this awesome weather. Ideally, this behavior would be a 365-days-a-year kind of thing, but right now, since I lean towards healthy living during the summer months, I’ll try to be more conscious of it and start making it “normal” behavior so that it becomes second nature.  On the up side, my motivation is mainly health related. I actually think Im incredibly beautiful But I’ve gained weight to the point of slight discomfort and would like to get down to a size and weight that’s most comfortable for me.

I can already tell this will be a difficult journey. Aside from the fact that I am a food lover who not only eats for fun (how can you not in New York?) but also cooks huge meals to show my love for others, I’m not really surrounded by people with healthy eating habits. Sure I can eat healthy when alone or at home cooking, but what will I do when co-workers want to grab a burger and fries? Or when a friend has a party with not a piece of fruit in sight? These are certainly not major obstacles but they highlight how eating habits are often shaped by peers.

I think the first thing I will do is look up filling but healthy recipes and healthy alternatives to comfort foods (although there are some foods, like fried chicken, which truly have no alternative). I’m aware that the weight loss equation is rather simple: eat less, move more. However, I need to be a little more diligent in figuring out what to eat and how to move in a way that fits my lifestyle, body type, and comfort level. So a little research is in order.

What does that mean for this blog? Well for one, this will not become a weight loss blog. I don’t like those or the idea of telling folks what I ate that day and how I’m feeling about it. However I did feel compelled to share this with my readers so I can be held accountable. No I don’t expect folks to email me reminding me to exercise. Rather, once I make it public that I am trying to do something it’s kind of like making a promise.

I will provide an update here or there about how I’m doing and, most importantly, how I’m being treated. I can’t wait until my mom passes me a big plate of fried chicken and greens and I say no because the chicken is twice battered, deep fried and the greens have salt and pork in them (mmmmmmmmmm….). Once I told her I didn’t want bacon for breakfast and she asked if I no longer ate pork and if I’m changing my life. Seriously. Food is a big deal in the Jones family. Not eating soul food is offensive and often leads to an interrogation. This will add some humor to the process, I’m sure.

Here we go–Sunday, June 1st, 2008. The journey begins!