St. Joseph Pound Plunge

How many of us have looked in the mirror and said, "Okay, I'm really gonna do it this time." as we stare at the overweight person staring back at us. I can almost hear my mirrored me saying, "yeah, right, I've heard that before."


My self-conversations border on insanity when it comes to my weight. I have had success, and I know what to eat, how to work out and what not to do if I want to find and maintain a healthy weight. Unfortunately, I have found many ways to derail what I think I want, forcing myself to ask the question, what do I REALLY want?

Well, I really want to be healthy. I don’t want to be dependent on medication, oxygen tanks or daily doctor visits when I reach 70. And, barring the rapture, I would like to reach 70, or older. I also want to enjoy my life. At 43 I do enjoy my life. I travel, I spend time with friends, I have an amazing career, but as much as I enjoy life now, would it be even more fun without the extra weight attached to my body? The answer to that is, yes. It would be wonderful to fly without wondering if the seats on one plane are as wide as the seats on another, or if I will need an extender for a seatbelt that seems shorter than those on any other flight I have taken. It would be great to look at stairways with eager anticipation, rather than gripping fear. And, it would be wonderful to stand before an audience without wondering if they are hearing the message through the layers of fat before their eyes.

Yes, even confident, busy, energetic, ME has fear and self-defeat stemming from an ongoing struggle with my weight over the past 25 years or more.

I know how to cook, I know what to eat. I am practically an encyclopedia of nutrition. What I don’t know, I know how to find. I can make good choices and I LOVE healthy foods. So, what’s the problem? I need accountability to stick to what I know. It’s too easy to choose not to work out. It’s too easy to grab a quick burger and pop in a drive through on my way from one place to another. Before I know it, the weight creeps back on and I think “hmmm, how did that happen.”



Me with KC Wolf at the pound plunge weigh-in,



So, this year I went and weighed in at the mall. Yes, just this week, with sub-zero temperatures, I went to the mall, put on shorts and a t-shirt in front of hundreds of people and stepped on a scale in front of strangers. I knew what it would say, the one in my bathroom said the same thing that morning. I took a deep breath, realizing that the very fit, very good looking, never-seen-him-before-in-my-life, volunteer was about to see what I was hiding from myself.



The digital read out flashed a few times. I thought I broke it. But, once it got over the shock, it presented the numbers in bold. “Okay, you’re all set, you can go get your picture taken or exit to the right.” The volunteer sounded friendly, he wasn’t laughing and he never said, “Wow, you are really fat.” Which is what I envisioned as I stood in the short line for my turn on the scales of truth.



I was anxious for the rest of my team to arrive. Once they weighed in it was official. The Healthy Pantry Plungers are a team. For the next 12 weeks we will weigh-in with the Pound Plunge volunteers at the mall, we will eat healthy, exercise and work hard to bring our BMI to healthy levels.



You may be going through a similar process right now, and maybe you, like me, need accountability. I am going to put myself a little out of my comfort zone on this blog today. I am going to share the numbers with you. It is not easy for me to be so honest about something that should be nothing but a number. It does not define who I am, It does not change the way my friends or family feel about me, but it is the number that is holding me captive and it’s time to be free.

My weigh in on Tuesday was 312.8 pounds. Even writing it here makes me sick to my stomach. I will post my new weight after each official weigh in. I am anxious to see the results and to get the weight off again…this time, with the help of my team, and the support I am building around my self, it will be permanent.

Several people have asked for tips on meals etc. to appear on this blog. I am going to share more recipes and meal ideas, exclusively for blog readers. Like I said, I know what to do, and how to do it, but I need you, my readers, my friends, my family to hold me accountable.

Happy Healthy Eating!