New Year, New Me? Probably Not

Okay so it's 5 days into the great and wonder 2011. There's some sarcasm for you.

I have posted a picture of me on New Years eve 2007 going into 2008. I was 19 years old, 2nd year into college and I was flirting with 170 pounds. I'm 5'8, that puts me in the considerably overweight category, according to my BMI anyhow. I know that BMI charts aren't exactly accurate given a body builder with less than 7% body fat will be considered overweight with a high BMI, well I can guarantee you that I had a HELL OF A LOT MORE body fat than 7%. I probably had roughly 25 to 30%. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it actually is.

So anyway, here is my thought for the day:

I don't fully understand why people make new year resolutions. More importantly I really don't understand why probably 80% of American's new year resolutions this year is to lose weight/ get healthy/ be more active/ get fit... whatever you want to call it. Personally, I don't think that should be allowed for a new year resolution, because if someone wants to lose weight/get fit/be healthy, whatever they shouldn't have to wait until a new year. Most people begin to think about their resolution around Christmas, start formulating a plan of how to execute it properly, gathering information and probably buying some new work out clothes and shoes. So after they map out the resolution, Christmas happens. Christmas= mass food. Let's not kid ourselves either about Christmas food. Those sweet potatoes went from being low in calorie, naturally sweet, fluffy and wholesomely natural, to loaded with cinnamon, butter, marshmallows, and God knows what else people put in their sweet potatoes. Then there's the turkey/ham which again is good by itself but then we load it with thick brown gravy and calories and fat sky rocket.

My point here is, is that once most people decide on their resolution for the new year they will most certainly binge the last few weeks of the year. Thinking, "this is my last chance! Once I begin my resolution to lose weight I can't eat pizza anymore, or ice cream or baked potatoes! so I better load up now while I still can!!!"

There's the problem.

People try to relish every last crumb in the bottom of the bag before throwing it away, same thing with the new year.

I believe if you want to lose weight, start today. don't wait two weeks for the new year, start right now. Put the donut down and scramble some eggs. If you just polished off half a dozen glazed donuts and a large glass of chocolate milk, start at lunch. Rather than getting that double quarter pounder with cheese and a super sized fry and coke from McDonalds, run down to subway for a turkey sandwich, or shit if you really want McDonalds, get a hamburger happy meal. It will drastically reduce your caloric, sodium and fat intake and it will satisfy you just the same. But really, if you want to lose weight, bring your own lunch.

You know I read the other day on fitnessmagazine.com one way to really cut calories is to use an old Joy of Cooking cook book, you know the ones our moms and grandmas used back when we were little kids standing on stools to wash our hands in the kitchen sink... yeah, that one. It's calls for less ingredients, less amounts which leads to less calories and less weight gain.

Okay, enough of that observation. My point is, don't wait to change, change now, if that's what you really want.

For me, back when that picture was taken, I wasn't aware that I was that big. I certainly didn't feel that big. But I was. It wasn't under a whole year later, Christmas 2008 that I saw a picture of myself in a new coat and realized just how big I actually had gotten. I weighed my self and tipped the scale at 171 pounds. At that exact moment, once I saw that number I said to myself, no, no this isn't happen. I won't do it. And in that very instant I changed my lifestyle. I chose to be healthy and to lose the weight I didn't know I gained. I didn't wait until the new year only 10 days away, I changed right then. And of course I didn't instantly jump into a pool of broccoli, I still ate too much pizza at CiCi's, still had pasta and ice cream and donuts and everything else. But I was more aware of what I was putting into my mouth, and I joined a gym. Never was obsessed with calories or muscle mass, I just wanted to lose the weight. And somehow one way or another after about 2 and half years the weight fell off. Then when I moved last June I realized I gained weight again and didn't want it. So I joined a gym out here in Arlington. Now that I've lost the 30 pounds, I want to be fit. So I joined crossfit in October.

You don't need a new year to get a new you. Start now.

Make a change for a better you, because you want to do it for yourself, not anyone else. Don't wait to make the change either, start right now. Seriously, right now.