Getting Started - To Do List

Healthy Weight - Getting Ready To Do List

OK, so you've heard this all before. But in order for it to work, you have to do it! I remember hearing Dolly Parton say that she "loved exercise videos and could sit and watch them all day!" As funny as it was, it is also true of many of us. Watching the videos or thinking about exercise won't do it. You have to move your butt. There are other things you also have to do. Here is a checklist to help you get started.

Clean out the refrigerator, cabinets, and pantry. If it's not in there, you can't eat it. Get a friend to help if you need to. Donate the things that you can't eat to the local food bank or offer it on a freecycle group. Put it all in bags and put it somewhere so it's out of sight until you can get rid of it.
Decide on which food plan you are going to follow. There are many ways to do this. The one I highly recommend is to find a bariatrician. A bariatrician is a doctor who specializes in medically supervised weight loss and control and will be your main support during your weight loss and after that for maintenance. The office staff will be there to help you with insurance needs (more on that later), and other paperwork. Your doctor and possibly a nutritionist on staff will be there to help with problems you encounter and helping you to overcome them. There are many food plans available today and you will find one that will fit your lifestyle. And please do not refer to it as a diet. You are making a total lifestyle change. The plan you choose has to be one that you can follow and stick to for the rest of your life. The idea here is for you to get to a healthy weight; not to lose weight so that you will gain it back when you go off your plan. You can find a bariatrician at the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. Click on Locate a Physician to find one near you.
You have to make the decision to do this for YOURSELF. If I had a dollar for every time I'd lost weight because I wanted a new dress for a wedding or because I liked a guy and thought he'd like me if I was thinner, I could buy a tropical island and staff it with Chippendales! The biggest part of my personal epiphany in August was the realization that I had to do this for ME and ONLY ME. Tell yourself over and over that YOU ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR LIFE AND THAT YOU LOVE YOURSELF!. And know in your heart that you are worth it!
Be realistic. Yes, we'd love to stick to a food plan for 2 weeks and go from a size 24 to a size 12 in two weeks, but that's just not practical. When you sit down with a bariatrician, they will go over with you how long it will take for you to accomplish the weight loss you are looking for. If you have (as I did) more than 100 pounds to lose, you have to know that you are looking at a time period of at least a year. The weight didn't come on overnight (even though it may seem that way) and it won't come off overnight either.
We all have issues. If you are going to lose the weight, you need to take a good look at yourself and find out why you gained it in the first place. If you are not happy, find out why you are not happy. People often think "when I'm thinner, I'll be happy". No, you won't. Losing weight will not make you happy inside. It will make you feel better about the way you look, but if you have unresolved issues (which is the reason most of us overeat to start with), find a good therapist or psychologist and get to work. You will be so happy that you did this!
You aren't going to do this without exercise. But exercise doesn't have to be boring or something you hate. Find an activity that you like. Go for a walk, go skating, bowling, swimming, whatever it is. Once you start losing weight, you'll want to do more things, but for starters, just find something you like. If it's a rainy day, go to the mall and do a mall walk. Where there is a will, there is a way. No excuses! :-))))

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