So I realized that I had been fairly generic with what I’m wanting to accomplish on my journey to feeling lighter. Yes I want to lose weight, but how much weight? And by when? I’m not even positive on what my final goal is. I just googled “what’s a healthy weight for a 5’10” male?” Apparently it’s anywhere between 149 – 183 lbs. That’s good news! So back in the 10th grade, when I was still this same height, I was at a healthy weight! Never mind that this was during a different century…
I guess I’m not too worried about the final number. What I want most is to just feel comfortable with myself again. That may not fully reflect those numbers, but I imagine it will be somewhat close.
So first and foremost, focusing on a short-term goal. My first goal is to get myself under 300 lb.
I just wrote a very personal number… because if my goal is to get UNDER 300 lb., then my actual number is ABOVE 300 lb. It’s alright…I’m okay…vulnerability, right? I’m not going to get into the EXACT number because that doesn’t truly matter right now, AND because my scale will give me about four different numbers if I step on it four consecutive times. Suffice it to say that this is a doable goal in a generally short amount of time.
The time line is tricky for me. I know that individuals who are *ahem* larger normally are able to shed some easy pounds fairly quickly to begin with. That being said, I would hate to be the exception to that rule and not be able to make my goal. Another consideration is that I am not going to be going full-out hardcore exercise/major diet while I’m working on this goal (baby-steps!) So I’m going to go ahead and put the goal at September 30. If I hit it early, great, I’ll re-assess then.
I titled today’s post as “I am not a number.” It seems to be one of our biggest cultural taboos to talk about weight, especially for those who are significantly above or below where medical professionals say that number should be. But our weight is really just a number. It is something that constantly changes, even multiple times a day. How can that be used to define who I am?
I am not a number, but my number is important to me. It motivates me. I want to know that my number represents that I’ve worked hard to earn it. The number of others many not be as important to them, and it may not represent hard work. Some people are blessed to just be at an average size without putting much work into it. I used to be jealous of them before. Okay, honestly, I’m still a little jealous of them. But, I’ve come to gain a greater appreciation for the uniqueness of my body. If I want to be in shape (other than a round shape) I am going to have to own everything that goes into that. That in turn will make it so much more awesome when I finally do achieve my goals.
Own your goals, people! Make goals that you truly have to sacrifice and work for! Anything less will not be as meaningful to you in the long run!
-Ian
I think you are wise to work this is doable steps. For the beginning, the scale, while not perfect, will give you the feedback you need. Right now, at the beginning, though, I would take a bunch of measurements & pictures. Then, when things seem to have stopped changing, you can assess them better because you’ll have a record.
As always, if you’d like more info, I can send it your way.