New beginnings

Starting weight: 327.4

OK, so I am pretty excited about getting back on track. Setting a date to start over and giving myself the time to get my head in the right place really helped. I feel very positive about the coming days, weeks, and months, and look forward to getting back into feeding my body healthy, yummy food, and just plain moving around more! Hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow and I will be able to start my Couch to 5K plan again. And I have those pilates DVDs waiting to be played and used...

Though I think that reader battyhelen had it right about not looking back and saying "what if", and instead looking forward and saying "what if", I couldn't help but revisit my old blog and see where I was at this time a year ago. Turns out that I weighed just about the same -- I had been in a plateau and playing with the same five pounds for most of the month of March 2008. So, even though it's a wee bit sad that I ended up gaining about half the amount of weight I lost last year, the good news is that I only gained back half, you know? I was also happy from a psychological viewpoint that I remained in the 320s.

The one thing I didn't do in preparation for today was do the grocery shopping. For breakfast I had eggs and toast, for lunch I'm going to have some canned tomato soup, and for dinner, some roasted chicken breast and some veggies. Overall certainly not bad, but I do need to stock up on some fruits, veggies, and dairy (particularly yogurt). I'm drinking lots of water and green tea today, and starting to take a daily vitamin again.

Maybe one of my mistakes last year was to set a really big goal for myself. I had been hoping, believe it or not, to lose 100 pounds in a year's time. I may well have been able to do it, but honestly? I think I set myself up for failure with such a big number to live up to. This time instead, my main goal is to get under 300 pounds and stay there (preferably under 290, for a little cushion), and to maintain a running and walking regimen for the year. That is totally doable, and once I reach that weight goal I can see how things are going and think about setting a new one.

But for now, that's what I want to achieve. I'm not aiming for skinny or anywhere near it. I just want to be comfortable, maintain normal blood pressure and chip away at my cholesterol numbers. I want to have no problems going up and down stairs, putting on my socks or tying my shoes, or fitting into restaurant booths and movie seats.

Most of all, I want to be the best version of me I can be. I just haven't been the past few months, and it's really taking a toll on my well-being overall -- physical, mental, and emotional.

So, welcome back -- it's going to be a fun, interesting ride! I hope you will hop on along with me.