Just a few weeks ago, I was thirty-nine about to celebrate my fortieth birthday. At five feet six inches and 298.5 pounds, I was the heaviest I had ever been. EVER. My clothes are, for the most part, a snug twenty-four. Yes, they fit, but they could be looser.
As a couple, my guy and I planned to start a family. Healthy? Yes. Happily, all is well with me. Perfect blood pressure, good sugar levels, pretty much a clean bill of health.
Two things are a health concern. In my youth, I tore the ligaments in my ankle and it still swells and hurts from time to time and now more frequently. Secondly, when I sleep my chest hurts. Doctors tell me that I was in a major car accident and damaged my spine and sternum (chest bone). I don’t remember any accident, and neither do any of my friends or family. Yet I have had at least three different doctors tell me this (pre-weight also). My heart got a clean bill of health.
When they looked at my food diary, the conclusion was unanimous: eat more. Apparently, I had starved my body fat. Together with a lifestyle that consisted of long days on the computer and phone, my metabolism was shot. If I was going to have a baby, nutrition was key. If I was going to feel comfortable carrying a baby, I wanted to lose weight. Doctor’s orders: eat five to six meals a day. Small, healthy meals. Take a prenatal vitamin. Exercise regularly.
Eating so much was driving me crazy. I was use to a coffee at 9:00 a.m., my first meal at 4:00 p.m., and a late snack or meal at 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. Five meals was no easy thing. Even if they were small. Now I had to find time to exercise as well.
Dress up, show up, and shut up. That is the phrased used in a book gifted to me by a friend. If you don’t feel like something, look the part. Show up and don’t complain. The point is simple. Do it until doing it is natural. I was all excited to tell my friends my plan. I was going to do ninety workouts in ninety days. I knew from the past if I was going to work out regularly, I had to be consistent. Working out boosts your metabolism and makes you hungry. Perfect for increased healthy meals. I took a page from recovery groups, which ninety have meetings in ninety days. Twenty-one days make a habit, so by ninety days I would be well into a new lifestyle.
I have told a few friends. Some have joined me for their own reasons. So, will you? Are you ready for ninety days to a healthier body?
