Friday Weigh In, 1/12/07

All right. Moment of truth time. I'm fat. Seriously.

I wasn't always fat. I was always, as someone put it, "stocky." That is, even at my fittest, I was short and muscular. I was an athlete. I had never really monitored what I ate, but I worked out a lot, so it all balanced out.

But I quit working out. And now I'm fat. And I'm not happy. An argument could be made that being unhappy actually preceded the fatness, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm currently fat. And unhappy specifically about that. I feel gross. I get winded easily, and the thought of walking any sort of distance makes me whiny and resistant. No clothes are comfortable, and none of them look good. I've gotten in the habit of coming home from work and planting myself on the couch, either for a nap or for watching television most of the night. Folks, it ain't pretty.

So, that's why this week I started Weight Watchers. Yes, I am officially one of "those women." You know the women I mean. The ones who count points, who say "I wish I could, but I'm dieting," the ones who inject diet talk into nearly every conversation. I used to kinda pity those women, mostly because most of them a) seemed unhappy and b) were dieting for vanity reasons. I found that to be, well, unfeminist. So that is why I must declare that vanity is only a small part of why I joined their ranks. That's right. My new diet is all about not dying. I will enjoy a newly-shaped, patriarchally-approved body, for sure. But I'm mostly interested in avoiding a heart attack. And diabetes. And joint pain. The shiny new vessel will just be a perk.

I will officially weigh in on Friday mornings in my bathroom, and I will report the results directly to you. And so you know that I won't be lying to you, I'll start with the brutal admission of this morning's weigh-in. 210.5. After admitting that, I don't have much reason to lie about the rest. I thought about reporting my weight as XX0.5, XX9.0, etc., but realistically, how many people are reading this? Two if I'm lucky, and one of them is likely to be Partner, who weighs in right alongside me. The other one just might be my mother. And she's dieting, too, so she understands.

When I find a recipe that's low in points and tastes like Regular People food, I'll post it. I already have a couple in mind. One for chili and one for meatloaf. Look for them later. I'll also review Weight Watchers brand food so, if you care about such things, you will know which ones to avoid.

I gotta say that after five days of eating on this new plan, I'm feeling pretty good about the plan. Waaaaaay better than after five days on South Beach. And better than after the ten hours I lasted on Atkins. I had a real feeling of dread on both of those. This one seems much more manageable, and I'm not craving anything. I dig it.

See you next Friday!