FatBloggers.net A little push to lose the tush.

but I was making good time.

When I started this transformation effort, I didn’t really have a destination in mind. The early days of the project had me meandering around without purpose or direction. This is a common problem for most people. Fat people are bombarded with the message that they should weigh less, add to that the constant drumbeat of ads on cable TV for magic pills and potions and the decision seems easier than the actual task. Psychology dictates that if we hear a message often enough it becomes a integral part of our being, without the knowledge to back it up. What you end up with are millions who try time and time again to diet, with no earthly idea how to accomplish long term success.

The epiphany that started me down the track I’m on has become a key part of my ‘testimony’, a story that I have told so many times I’m afraid its starting to sound well rehearsed. But the comments I hear from the people I talk to has become just as predictable. I heard it again from The Wife’s great aunt at a family get together last weekend. She was congratulating me on my progress and that lead to the required question, “How much more do you want to lose?”

When I started WeightWatchers the first time my weight sat at 402 lbs. I was told that in order to reach lifetime I would have to weigh between 165 and 180 lbs. I had NO idea what that looked like, or even if it were possible. I think the last time I weighed that much was in middle school. When I went back (new official start weight: 392), those goal numbers were still out there, but I was pretty sure I could never make it. I filed it away in the back of my mind. Occasionally I would think that once I got to around 230lbs, I would just quit and live the life.

Back in April when I crossed the line between having lost more than I had left to lose, I talked to my doctor about it. I was armed with the knowledge that I gained from the Weight Warriors contest, my actual body fat %. The report said that my lean body mass was around 210 lbs. That means that in order to get down to the goal WW set, I would have to lop off a leg. My doctor rolled out this special formula to determine my healthy weight. It started with a measurement of my wrist and elbow. This is done to truly determine whether you have a large, moderate or small frame. All those years of thinking I was “big boned” was a lie, I actually have a moderate frame. He did more calculations that included my age and blood pressure to arrive at the magic number. Surprisingly, my MAGIC number wasn’t that far off from the ‘goal’ I had been operating under.

My official, “Doctor Approved” goal weight is 225 lbs. According to my Traineo page I have 66 lbs. to go. I recommend talking to your Doctor about this, you may not have as much weight to lose as you might think.