New Goals

I spent some time last night thinking about my goals. I have two kinds of goals: life goals and actual weight loss goals. Today I'm focusing on the weight loss.

There are many ways to "attack" losing weight. I've been through this process more times than I can count. My blog is titled "never-ending quest" partially because I know that my fight against obesity will be a never-ending battle. But I also know that I have about 12-18 months of an edge. During this time, while my body is figuring out what in the hell I've done to it and before it can adjust itself, it will be easier for me to lose weight than it is "normally". I know this because I experienced it with the Band.

After that initial period of easier weight loss, but when my band was still working properly, I was just normal. It wasn't virtually impossible to lose weight like it was before. However, it was absolutely not easy. I see it as I was finally normal. Most people out there have to watch what they eat and be active in order to not put on weight. Very few people out there can just eat what they want and sit around and still be thin. So I don't mind work, I just want that work to pay off. For a few years, that was how it worked.

Last year, I put on a lot of weight as I struggled with my band issues and my brand new hernia. It sucked. But now I have an incredible opportunity to lose as much weight as possible while it is a bit easier. I made a commitment to myself that I will use this opportunity.

So, what should be my goal? When I got my band, I made a goal to lose 120 pounds. I fell short by 23 pounds and actually "settled" about 20 pounds above that. It was good, I felt great, in fact! I was active and strong. I was healthy. I'm currently now in the mid-range of where I settled. I need to lose 23 pounds to get to my lowest adult weight. My goal is to reach that before I go to the Olympics.

By the end of the year, it is my goal to be at my high school weight. I was always heavy, so weighing as an adult what I weighed in high school shouldn't be an issue. I have kept my prom dress for almost 25 years. It is a total bucket list item to be able to fit in it again.

It is my slightly aggressive goal to lose another 20 pounds after that by this time next year. I honestly don't know if I can do that. If I can't, I have promised myself that I will still see the success in what I do accomplish. But if I can, it would actually put me in the normal BMI category. To be clear, I haven't ever been in a normal BMI category. When I was the "right" weight, I was shorter, so the goal weight was lower. I know the BMI scale is stupid and that someone muscular and broad like me might never be "normal"according to it. But I decided that doesn't mean that I can't go for it!

My mom is the same height as me, but she has a much smaller build and doesn't have as much muscle. There was a point where we wore the same size and I was almost 40 POUNDS heavier than she. Think about that for a minute. We were the same height and same size, but I weighed 40 pounds more. Her BMI was "normal", but I was "obese". I wasn't even considered overweight...I was OBESE. Yet I wore the same size as a "normal" person. So, my point is, with my build, I don't know if it is feasible. But I do know that if I don't make it a goal, I definitely won't get there.

You can see details of my new goals on my goal tracker page. While trying to update my photo page, Blogger ate it. Hopefully I will get it back up again and updated soon.

I am less than a half pound away from my next goal, so fingers crossed I'm there my Monday! My reward is the new bedding I have been wanting to get for ages.

Hugs!