Okay, this is the first week of new thinking. I went to the center for disease control site and they outlined a five step process for losing weight.  The steps are:

1. Make a commitment. This is why I wrote the contract so that I have the written down promise to myself to do my best at getting this done well.

2. Take stock of where you are.

3. Set realistic goals

4. Identify resources for information and support

5. Continually check in with yourself and monitor your progress

Well, step one is done.  Let's see what it says under step two.

Consider talking to your health care provider. He or she can evaluate your height, weight, and explore other weight-related risk factors you may have. Ask for a follow-up appointment to monitor changes in your weight or any related health conditions. 

Keep a "food diary" for a few days, in which you write down everything you eat. By doing this, you become more aware of what you are eating and when you are eating. This awareness can help you avoid mindless eating. 

Next, examine your current lifestyle. Identify things that might pose challenges to your weight loss efforts. For example, does your work or travel schedule make it difficult to get enough physical activity? Do you find yourself eating sugary foods because that's what you buy for your kids? Do your coworkers frequently bring high-calorie items, such as doughnuts, to the workplace to share with everyone? Think through things you can do to help overcome these challenges.

Finally, think about aspects of your lifestyle that can help you lose weight. For example, is there an area near your workplace where you and some coworkers can take a walk at lunchtime? Is there a place in your community, such as a YMCA, with exercise facilities for you and child care for your kids?

My doctor has already told me that I need to lose weight. One year I went for a check up and I was told that I was pre diabetic. If I didn't change how I was eating, I was definitely going to get diabetes. I was thirty six at the time. My doctor suggests that I go on weight watchers and that I start walking as an exercise, walking not running because with all this weight and my knees already being weak, running is bad for my knees. But I do enjoy running, so after I lose some weight, I will get back into running again. 

I am currently in the process of examining my current lifestyle.  I have been documenting what I've been eating every day this week. I've also thought about the times that I get hungry and what I do to satisfy it. Yesterday I ate some carrots.  I wasn't as starvy by the end of the day. I think that it's not so hard to get up earlier. I just have to work on getting to sleep earlier. I think that I just go online until I fall asleep, which is not a good habit. I'm thinking that if I do a stretching exercise just before I go to sleep, then I will fall asleep better. What I have noticed about my eating this week so far is that I eat quite a few sweets and quite a few carbs and I think that's why I'm so sluggish and hungry faster. Some things to think about.  People do bring stuff into work. I'm going to walk around today and see how much food there is left out on the counter tops. Okay, so my challenges are definitely not planning and not being informed enough to make some good vegetables. Carbs are easy to cook, but you know what veggies are just as easy if not easier. And fried food leaves such a huge mess. 

Okay, so I'm in the examining current life stage this week. In the next couple of weeks, I will look at the remaining steps. I just want to now write down the rules from the Joy Fit Club Book:

1. Get Your Head in the Game

2. Track Your Progress

3. Exercise Daily

4. Eliminate the Extras

5. Find a Support Network

6. Eliminate Liquid Calories

7. Get Comfortable in the Kitchen

8. Avoid Trigger Foods

9. Forgive Slip Ups

10. Set Short and Long Term Goals

My contract

Here is my contract for health. I did get up this morning and do some exercise, so that's a start.

My commitment to my health

I, Tanise Robnett, being of sound mind and body, promise to make my health a priority from this day, February 25, 2013, onward. I want to feel good about myself and to treat my body and my spirit well. I will be honest to the best of my ability. I will not take personally what people say to me and do to me, realizing that they are coming from their own place. I will do my best to always ask questions and not assume. I will do my best each and every day. I will forgive myself whenever I fail or do or say something to hurt another person.

Specifically, I commit to losing weight. I would like to lose 44% of my current body weight of 266.2.   That will make me 149 pounds which is a healthy weight. That is nearly half of my current body weight. Wow.  I would like to lose this weight by my fortieth birthday on January 13, 2015, which is two years and ten months from now, or twenty two months from now.

REASONS I WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT:

1.    To get into better shape, running up stairs without running out of breath, having more energy, being able to do more things in life

2.    Fitting in the airplane seat

3.    Riding the Batman ride

4.    Wearing the cute clothes that I own that I love

5.    Avoiding diabetes and other such diseases

6.    Confidence to pursue my dream careers

7.    Confidence to not be desperate with men

WHY I DON’T WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT:

1.    I’m afraid of failure

2.    I’m afraid of change

3.    I’m lazy

4.    Emotionally - food is comforting, food helps me escape, food makes me feel like I’ve got some money, food is celebratory, cooking for people makes me feel like people like me

5.    If I’m fat, I can avoid being hurt in relationships.

Healthy eating:

I make some changes to my food choices. My weaknesses are sweets, french fries, fast food, overindulging at restaurants and buffets, too many carbohydrates and emotional eating. I also do not eat enough vegetables, though I love fruit.

•  I commit to exploring new healthy options with food.

•  I commit to eating a lot less of my weakness foods.

•  I commit to cooking more.

•  I commit to enjoying all the food that I eat and not eating mindlessly without loving everything I eat.

•  I commit to planning ahead regarding my food options.

Exercise goals:

I want to spend time every day doing physical activity. I’d like to get up every week day morning and do some form of exercise for twenty minutes.  All of the exercising will start with stretching.

Monday - ABC exercises

Tuesday – Fountain of Youth exercises

Wednesday - Arm exercises

Thursday - Thinner Thighs in thirty days exercises

Friday - Dance

Other exercises I would like to do:

Yoga

Walking

Running the Hot Chocolate 5K

Implementation of the goals:

Start off slowly with the morning exercises. A little every day and then add more reps per week.

Go to the yoga classes that I’ve signed up for with groupon starting the week of March 3, 2013.

Starting the week of March 3, 2013, walk ten minutes every day. Then add to it week by week until walking is at thirty minutes a day.

Start training for the 5K on August 3, 2013.

Continue having exercise projects for the rest of my life, especially since I am project oriented.

_____________________________________________

Tanise Aida Robnett

February 25, 2013

Time for Change

I woke up this morning with a pain in my stomach. And yesterday, I walked, not ran, up forty steps to get to my CTA train. It felt like my lungs were going to squeeze the life at me. At 270 pounds, it's time for a change.

I love to travel, but feel so embarrassed when my fat pushes into the seat of the poor passenger who has to sit next to me. I feel so inconsiderate and it's painful.  It's time for a change.

I love roller coasters. I always have. But three summers ago, I went to Six Flags and tried to ride one of my favorite rides, the Batman, and I couldn't fit into the seat and couldn't ride the ride. I had to get out of my seat after waiting in line. I love that ride. It's time for a change.

My clothes are too small for me. There are pants suits that I adore wearing that I can't fit into anymore. There's a pair of Calvin Klein shorts that I bought too small, promising myself I'd slim down into them. I can't fit into any of my jeans. I like wearing jeans. They're cute. It's time for a change.

Diabetes is in my family. And cancer. And I hate the way it feels to walk as slow as I do and have my friends complain about it. Or to not be able to walk up stairs without feeling terrible. I want Angela Basset arms. I don't want to get sick so much, like I am sick today. I want more energy. I want to be able to do more things. I want to run a 5K. I want to dance in a dance competition, and get score of 5 just like in Silver Linings Playbook. It's time for a change.

I want to have confidence. Confidence enough to pursue my dream careers. Confidence enough to talk to an attractive guy and not be thinking that he has no interest in talking to me. Confidence to say what I want and to go after what I want. I want to really and truly like myself. And I know that comes from more than just weight loss, but caring about myself and taking care of myself will certainly build this confidence. It's time for a change.

I could dig deep and go over all the issues that have made me fat. I could dwell on my past. How I used to be thin. How I have gained one hundred and twenty pounds in the past twenty years. I could analyze  why why why. Or I could take action, one step at a time and make change.

Things have got to get better. And I'm sick and tired of feeling sorry for myself. It is time for me to make change.

Losin' it with love,

T