Day One: Let the Journey Begin!

While I was in Malaysia, I decided to make a commitment to myself: to lose 35 pounds by my 35th birthday (July 11, 2011). So here I am, back in DC-Land, with 210 days to go to reach that goal. Doing the math, that leaves me with 30 weeks to lose 35 pounds, or 1.17 pounds a week. With 1-2 pounds being a medically-safe weekly rate of weight loss, my goal is completely reasonable.

Here are my vitals on Day One: At 5'4", I currently weigh 174 pounds.

This makes my goal weight 139 pounds.

According to the National Institutes of Health's "Standard BMI Calculator", those vitals indicate that my current Body Mass Index (BMI) is 29.7, which puts me at the high end of the "Overweight" category (which includes BMIs of 25-29.9). For those of you who don't know about the whole BMI thing, it is a measure of body fat based on weight and height; to be at your healthiest, you want to fall into the "Normal Weight" category (a BMI of 18.5-24.9). At 29.7, I am perilously close to "Obese", which includes all BMIs over 30.

According to the NIH's BMI Table, I need to weigh 110-140 pounds to fall into the "Normal Weight" category. One caveat about BMIs is that they don't take into account factors like a person's frame size or amount of muscle, which can seriously skew what is considered one's "healthy" weight. Point of fact: at my lowest weight - 122 pounds - I was disturbingly thin (to put it frankly, I looked kind of gross), yet had a BMI of 20.9, which is considered "Healthy".

My 35 by 35 goal would put me at 139 pounds, or a BMI of 23.9; I would have gone from the high end of the "Overweight" category to the high end of the "Normal Weight" one. Losing 40 pounds - my ultimate goal - would put me a little lower on the BMI spectrum at 23.0.

Let's be honest, though. Weight isn't about numbers as much as it is about being healthy. Along with losing weight, I also intend to get into better physical shape; muscle weighs more than fat, which means I will likely add some weight in the process of becoming more fit. I remember getting really frustrated the first time I did Weight Watchers, because I was getting thinner but the number on the scale just wasn't moving (for weeks and weeks and weeks) - I was putting on muscle mass!

When push comes to shove, 35 by 35 isn't about looking better, although I will admit I am not the biggest fan of the "fluffier" (my way of saying "fatter") version of me I currently see when I look in the mirror. It's about taking control of my eating and fitness habits, about making my body as healthy as possible: on top of every other physiological reason not to be toting around a bunch of extra weight, Lyme Disease wreaks havoc on your joints - stands to reason my joints would be happier overall if they weren't so weighed down. It's also about preparing my body for a healthy pregnancy - I haven't given up on giving birth - or to be the best mother I can be to any children I adopt.

I am beyond thrilled that my dad wants to join me on this journey. I am going for 35 pounds lost by the time I turn 35; he wants to go for 61 pounds lost by his 61st birthday (which, incidentally, is one year from today - Happy Birthday, Daddy). I know how important it is to have people supporting you during any major life change; I welcome my dad's support, and the support of others who have offered to do so, either in spirit or, in some cases, in joining me on a journey to weight loss and fitness.

Let the journey begin!