So this is working--right?

At this point, I've been working on the weight loss thing for about a month or so.  Even though my plan is to keep a good, steady pace at the weight loss (2-5 pounds per month), it's hard not to get discouraged that I'm not seeing much of a result on the scales.  At that slow of a pace, it's tough to see the change among the small weight fluctuations that happen day to day.  However, I have seen lower lows than I have in the past, and my "peaks" are lower as well--a good sign, I think.

I haven't seen much of a waistline change yet, either, but I have seen (or felt) at least one small change.  Since one of the parts of my plan is weight training, I can definitely see (and feel) improved muscle tone.  I'm nowhere near one of those guys on the P90X commercial, but I can finally see some limited definition in my shoulders, chest, and pipe cleaner arms!  Also, I can feel that I'm a bit more "solid" than before.

SO--even though the progress is slow, I'm OK with that.  If I lose 2-5 pounds per month, that could be as little as a 25 pound loss over the entire year.  Like I said, tough to see that day to day...

BUT--and as odd as this seems in a blog entitled "From 270 to 200", my goal is really not to lose weight.  My primary goal is now to change myself into a healthy person.  Frequent, regular exercise.  Better food choices Now, if I do that correctly, I will lose weight, but my goal is not to lose the weight but to change who I really am.  That's much harder than merely losing weight, but the payoff is much greater.

You see, if someone were to hand me a pill that caused me to lose 70 pounds over the course of a month, and I found myself looking at a big "200" on the scale in March, that would be great--except for the fact that I would immediately begin gaining that weight again.  The reason diets don't work is because dieters focus on a number (their weight), not on what got them there.  When (and if) they reach their goal weight, it's as if they say "game over" and go back to their "old lives."  If that's what got you fat the first time, it'll sure enough do it again.

Instead, by changing habit patterns, we change the road we walk that gets us where we are.  By turning myself into someone who doesn't hate exercise, that becomes a lifestyle--not a goal.  There's no "finish line" to distract me.  I won't look forward to the day when I can "get off this diet", because I'm not on a diet--I'm rebooting myself. 

I'll let you know how it goes...