T is for Tuesday

FAT Tuesday, that is.

Yup, it's been official for awhile - I'm Fat as this Tuesday is.

I've been wrestling with this issue for a number of years from a number of perspectives. My early 30s were spent trying to recover my body from the fluctuation of pregnancies and lactation.

The latter 30s were spent worrying about my looks - I never did fully recover that pre-pregnancy body. But my doctor wasn't too worried about me as I weighed in at normal ranges and was pretty active.

Then 40 hit and I noticed differences in all kinds of things, including my eye site, my bladder, my uterus. I also started gaining more like two pounds a year rather than my more gradual creep of one pound per year during my 30s. My employment situation called for more sitting and less moving. My hormones caused my metabolism to shift. My stress levels as the mother of teenagers and leader of various ministries allowed me to give myself permission to consume my stress-relief beverage of choice to excess - Coca-Cola.

And now, according to the Mayo Clinic, I have no choice but to acknowledge that I have tripped into territory I never would have imagined, especially as a relatively athletic human. I am officially obese.

I know that you can't turn back the clock of time. I don't even covet the body I once had at 20-something. But I do not want to follow the current path of neglecting my over-all health. I'm already on a low does of high blood pressure medication. I've been battling an issue with my neck shoulder and back for two months. My energy level isn't what it used to be. And I am not yet 50!

So my Fat Tuesday confession, as I enjoy my normal diet and activities, is to publicly acknowledge my issue and to pledge to do something about it. It is time to name the demon and take control. I don't want to trudge along by default. I want to live a long, healthy, full life.

To gain a baseline I have been counting my calories for the past two days with no attempt at limiting my intake or trying to steer my choices to healthier habits. Monday I hit 1961 calories. According to the Mayo site I only need 1700 calories a day to maintain my current weight given my current activity level. Some of those calories were pure sugar, too; Coke, Thin Mints, you know the delightful stuff. I also skied pretty hard for an hour and took a dance break at lunch time. Minor trade-offs.

Today, as I author this post, I have already hit 1497 calories consumed. It isn't even dinner time yet, and I am hungry (partly because I am thinking about FOOD!)

My goal is to gradually turn the train around and I intend to use Lent this year to do it. Less sugar, more activity. I'm not going to bite off more than I can chew (pun totally intended!), but I hope to use the season of Lent to work on more conscious and healthier habits. My goal is to steer toward a maximum of 1500 calories per day plus 30 minutes of strenuous activity.

So that's my story for the day, and I'm sticking to it! If all goes well I be less than obese by my next birthday so I can enjoy my second 50 years! Wish me luck!