Weigh-In Wednesday

I know none of you want to read about someone else’s weight loss strategies but I’m desperate. I’m good at keeping weight loss goals for about two weeks and then I flake out. My most recent venture was a nifty application for the iTouch called Lose It and believe it or not, I did lose a couple pounds. My problem, however, is accountability. I can’t be accountable to Doug because I just get witchy with him and begin the I bore your three children, stay at home all day, make dinner, and NO I wouldn’t rather take a walk, I’d rather watch Monk reruns and eat dark chocolate” rant. So,I thought maybe it would work to be accountable to my friends in the blogging world. You don’t see me everyday and it’s most unlikely any of you will tempt me with late night ice cream runs.

Here’s the plan: Every Wednesday is Weigh-In Wednesday. It’s the day I report on the blog how active I was in the week. There won’t be much about food or eating other than perhaps a tasty lower calorie recipes I discover. I have a simple “diet” philosophy. INPUT vs. OUTPUT. It has never worked for me to restrict certain foods or only eat this or that. Freaky restrictions unleash the rebel (or control freak) in me and I find myself eating the whole bag of Oreos in one sitting because I know I shouldn’t. I want to avoid some B&P urges that occasionally surface, if you know what I mean.

As I rediscovered on the iTouch application, Lose It, if I want to lose weight I have to cut down on the caloric input. For my height and weight, in order for me to lose 2 pounds a week I can input around 1260 calories per day. Not too horrible but for every pound I lose, in order to maintain that rate of weight loss, my calories per day drops in proportion. A heavier person burns more calories in everyday living than a lighter person. Does that make sense? So basically by the time I’m nearing my ideal weight, I’d only be a able to eat like 500 calories a day. Not possible.

Woman cannot live by lettuce and hummus alone. She must have chocolate…and occasionally Oreos dipped in milk.

That being the case, I must increase my OUTPUT. In other words, I must increase my exercise. (Hah! What a novel idea! I should write a book on that concept. I’d make millions.)

Fortunately, I actually really like to exercise. Until motherhood exhaustion and preoccupation, I was quite athletically inclined. I’m also a social exerciser. Running in solitude, not my favorite. Slapping bums and high fiving with a team, much more fun. Since social exercising is greater motivation for me, perhaps social weight loss will motivate me too. Wait—Won’t that make me a social loser?

Oh, well, who cares. Here are the specs and my goals of which I will be accountable to all my blog friends to accomplish.

Current height: 5’7”
Current weight: 185 lbs (11 lbs for James, 11 lbs for Daphne, 13 lbs for Nathan, 15 for Doug’s dissertation.)

Goal height: 5’ 9 3/4”
Goal weight: 135 lbs

Exercise Goal for this week:
1. Take children for a walk around the block everyday. (One block in our neighborhood is just under a mile.)
2. Play one awesome game of soccer (I’m on a city league team. Sooo nice to feel like a washed-up has-been.)
3. Lift hand weights and do Pilates for 30 minutes three times.


YOU MUST CHECK ON ME!
YOU MUST CHIDE ME, DERIDE ME, OR ENCOURAGE ME IF I FAIL TO FOLLOW-UP ON THESE GOALS!
IT MAY NOT BE PERFECT BUT I MUST MAKE AN ACCOUNTING!


Okay. Ready. Set. GO!