Well, now I've gone and done it!

I'll just come right out and say it.  I'm a good 50 pounds overweight with a body mass index of 30. For my 5'4" frame, that makes me obese. Not obese in any debilitating way, or really so much so you'd call me that to my face (or behind my back, because you're polite that way), but I'm not comfortable in my skin - or my clothes for that matter! So, what am I gonna do about it?  

A Google search yields headlines like:

Top 10 Foods NOT to Eat

Top 5 Exercises for a Flat Belly

Yoga

Zumba

Just Call Jenny

Spray Your Fat Away

OK then, what DO I eat? When? How much? I'm over 50, will those top 5 exercises really give me a flat belly? Will yoga help? How about Zumba? And the last one is just silly. It's all so confusing!

I've got to take control and start doing some kind, ANY KIND of exercise.... That Wii Fitness program that was going to change my life? Where is it? It's gathering dust in the basement. And the treadmill I made Downtown Dad haul upstairs so it would be more accessible? It's fulfilling its destiny as, what else? A clothes rack. 

Motivation - I don't got's any.

It’s the first month of a new year. I’ve started a new job, as well as a new phase of my life.  I've got a clean bill of health.  I’ve got no excuses left – now is the time to make my health, and well-being this year’s priority. 

Here's exactly what I'm gonna do about it:

I have committed to a 13 month non-surgical, healthy lifestyle weight loss program, sponsored and facilitated by my employer – Sanford Health. Their motivation is healthier employees = better work force. My motivation is the refund of 50% of the program cost if I successfully complete it. I'd say its a win-win wouldn't you?  

This program is scheduled to start at the end of January, and is structured around a balanced three-legged stool approach.

• The first leg is a support group made up of the people who have made the commitment, and led by a licensed counselor.  
• The second leg is a personal trainer/coach who will make sure the fitness aspect of the program is covered.  
• The third leg is a dietician who will assess my individual dietary needs and monitor what, how much and when I eat. 

The whole key to becoming fit (which is the goal - the weight-loss will be the bonus) is changing my lifestyle.

It will be hard. 

I will want to quit. 

I will complain - a lot.

It will be fun!  

My biggest fear is that I won't make any progress, or that I'm just too old for this to make any difference. My second biggest fear is that I'll fail, but I've told just about everyone I know that I'm doing this, so, you know, at least I've got the peer pressure working for me. 

I'm stepping WAY out of my comfort zone on this, because not only will I be blogging here about my experience, but since I work in the marketing department, I've also agreed to do some video blogging in the hopes that I can maybe inspire others to this, by honestly relating my pain and progress.

So, check in every once in a while and follow along with me on my journey. I promise there will be embarrassing pictures - tasteful, but embarrassing.  Oh yeah, and video... yeah, video.