Down to the nitty gritty

Talk about being welcomed on to Stuff - thank you everyone for all your comments and feedback!

Because I've been on my eating plan since December 28, I have wanted to lay down a bit of background about some of the journey, and how I got to the point where I knew it was going to stick (there's nothing worse than starting something on a public stage only to crash and burn two weeks later!), I haven't been focusing on exactly what I've been doing and how it's working.

So here's a few nitty gritty facts. Before I started, my BMI was on the cusp between severely obese and morbidly obese. I could actually tell it was getting dangerous, even though I'm not a huge believer in BMI. I could feel my health dropping a little, and my energy levels dipping.

As I am one of those lucky people (I exercise, do a lot of pilates and yoga and therefore have a good amount of muscle mass) whose BMI is always going to look on the high side. But even with that persepective, nudging up to 40 was NOT good. (It's meant to be around 21-25, for me, I think it will probably be about 27. To be honest I'm not exactly sure. I'm going to get regular check ups and focus on losing fat, building muscle.)

I'n terms of what I'm eating: I'm NOT doing anything crazy. I'm eating around 1600 calories a day (on average) now. When I started I was eating about 1800. This sounds a lot, but it was enough to lose weight, without being hungry. In fact, if you go too low you can move into a starvation cycle, and stop losing fat, and you also have nowhere to drop to once you start to plateau. And this diet (which I prefer to call an eating plan, because that's exactly what it is, a plan for my eating) is all about long-term changes I can sustain. I'm not prepared to live a life of starving myself.

So.

I started on December 28. I've lost 5.6kg. (I've been saying six, but that's because it sounds better than 5!) Less than a kilo a week. I could lose it faster. But I'm not particularly enamoured with a quite fix. I want something I can sustain, eating foods I love and enjoy - I'm talking fruit, veges and meat here!

I think aiming for an end goal of 77kg. Actually to get there I'll need to lose quite a bit less than the fifty-odd I alluded to in my first post! Though it wouldn't have been three years ago when I first started this journey! I'm going to be honest with you. I find it really hard to put my exact current weight down on this blog. I'm happy to say I'm in need of weight loss, I'm happy to say where I'm headed, but it feels a little raw for me. Are you guys okay with that? I'm pretty happy to share my thoughts, my feelings, my track record and progress. But a number feels really scary.

Part of that is because of how people perceive weight. It's not just about a number. When I was 85kg, I was a size 12-14 and looked pretty good, but was heavier than a few other 12-14s around me. So I can't use that as my focus. To be honest I'm not all that hung up about weight. What I am hung up about is health.

I'M LETTING YOU IN ON THE FOLLOWING

I'm going to post my weight loss once a week so it's all open and ready. I accept some weeks I won't lose. In fact some weeks I might put on a little bit. I'm not concerned if that happens. I know from last time, the way my body works is I often go for several weeks without a loss, then in one week I see a big loss, then it plateaus again. I'm not sure why it does that but it does. And maybe, when I'm feeling a little more on the normal size, I will tell you - for those who haven't worked it out already through extreme cleverness and mathematical skills!

I've been measuring myself as well so from next week you'll see weekly updates from that, so you'll be able to track my progress with me. I always find it so interesting when I lose size on the weeks I haven't lost weight on the scales. Shows it's working!

I'm also happy to post before, during and after photos for you to see. I've got clips of me from when I'm on Breakfast every two weeks, so it's on public show anyway! I am just starting to see a difference myself but I'm looking out for it! I'll post a picture every 10kg- that sound okay? 

I wanted to talk about a few of the other comments I've had (thank you so much guys- you rock!).

EXERCISE

In terms of exercise, I have exercised pretty consistently for the last three years. I'll be talking about this in depth as the weeks progress. (So please don't worry that I'm not moving- I actually have grown to love getting my body moving.) One thing I want to talk about is what big girls and boys often find is hard with getting moving, and also some of the things that we bigger people are really good at in terms of exercise. I know it hasn't been mentioned yet - gosh isn't weight loss and exercise such a huge topic?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE

I do appreciate all the advice I've been getting. Most of it is something that I'm already doing, or I have investigated and found an alternative. If you want information on the latest nutrition and ideas for the best way to burn fat? Ask a big girl. We know all the tricks. If only that was all we needed to battle the bulge - MORE knowledge. But it's not the key to this. It can be a little more complicated. If it wasn't there wouldn't be so much of an issue with so many people.

THE HEFTY TOPIC OF WEIGHT LOSS

Maybe I'm the only one who struggles with information overload. I'm really hoping I'm not going to add to it. I want to make this as simple as possible. The fact anyone can do what I'm doing. I'm a single parent, sometimes with very limited resources. I can't afford to get a babysitter every time I need to get a first thing in the morning walk in, or to go to the gym (though my parents do help). I need to buy our food on a budget, and what I eat needs to fit in with that. So I'm focusing on a plan that isn't complicated, or restrictive. It really is a change of lifestyle.

So, let's get a feel for this with you. I think collectively we can solve some of the issues around obesity.

It's NOT just about eating right, and moving more. That is easy. Why do we put it back on? Why do we struggle to lose? What do you think is the reason? Do you think it is then? Greed? Laziness? Depression? Anger? Stress? What is the one thing that you think needs to change in your life for you to start your own journey?

(By the way, for those people who have just shared your story, you have had the most powerful impact on me and others. The power of one person's journey is such an amazing thing! THANK YOU!)

Rachel Goodchild is on Twitter.

Follow NZStuffBlogs on Twitter and get fast updates on all Stuff's blogs.