Gimme SumO

I’m trying to remember the last time I weighed less than 250 pounds. I know it was before I returned to college in Fall of 2004. So it’s been at least four and a half years, that I’ve been in the 250+ category, and for most of that, I was morbidly obese. Now, I’m ‘only’ severely obese, at least for awhile, but thank goodness, I’ve left that side of 250 lbs. I certainly have more energy now. I’m able to not only address my weight through proper diet, but through thorough exercise. My pace with walking is at least 3.0 mph, and I can go up to 4.2 or so and not fall over on the treadmill.

I still have high blood pressure, but it’s loads better than it had been, and as I get more fit, as I lose the fat, it is steadily returning to normal levels. I’ve already seen a difference in my pulse count, though. It used to be so fast. At least 114 beats per minute, at rest. Not good at all, that. Now? Well. Let me see… 60 beats per minute. How awesome is that?

I’ve lost 45 lbs! (Plus, really. I stopped weighing myself at 295, and didn’t weigh again until well after I had corrected my diet for two weeks… Apparently, this is a common practice for those who are just under one of the big round numbers like 200 or 300 lbs.) I’ve lost this much weight. It’s a third of what I have to lose before I get to my long-term goal of 175 lbs. I’ll be using that weight as a benchmark to cut and bulk around, until I have a better idea of just what my body can handle.

The fact is, I like being a big girl. I like the feel of knowing I could launch myself at someone if the need arises. Even though attacks can happen to any woman of any age or size, I’d like to think that any would-be theif or worse would think twice about taking me on, versus some waiflike girl who could be blown away several miles with a slight breeze. This is why it’s difficult for me to imagine myself weighing less than 175 lbs. I’ll be smaller, when fit. Muscle is more dense than fat, of course. But I’ll still feel that sense of assurance and strength, and what’s more, it will be more of a truth. Having started lifting, I know how weak I truly am, now. I can measure it by the weight, sets, and reps of each exercise. But I also can see how my strength is increasing, little by little, week to week. And I like the feedback I see when I jot it down on paper.

It’s been a long journey since 295 lbs. Tomorrow, I measure myself. Tuesday, I go to Georgia Tech to get my body fat measured via bodpod. I don’t know what my true body fat percentage was in the beginning. It didn’t seem to matter then. I knew I was grossly fat, so what good would it do to know my BF%? But since then, seeing how my body has changed through the measurements, and now needing to know my lean mass numbers to accurately define my macros for my diet, I need to know the truth. Is my BF% anywhere near what the calculator says? I doubt it is as low as 38%, but we shall see.

Now I have 200 lbs in my sights. It’s only 49 lbs away. I’ve come nearly that far, already. I’ve done it. I can do it again. Onederland is not a fantasy, and I will make it a reality someday. And then, I’ll only have 24 lbs to go, once I’m through the 200 lb barrier. How cool is that?!

First up: 240. I was hoping to be 225 lbs by the end of the year. It’s unlikely now. However, I do think that if I just keep up what I’m doing now, it won’t matter if I’m down to 240 or 230 by the end of the year. I know I’m doing it right, and the fat will go while I maintain muscle mass. That’s really the main thing, right? I have to be diligent, yet patient. I can do this. Heck! I AM doing this! ROCK ON!

Take care, dear readers; I wish you well in your own endeavors.

xx

-K