so, the friday before my big run, i had a healthpass appointment at work to check just how out of shape and unhealthy i really am. yesterday i got the results. they’re depressing, to say the least.

i knew i was ‘overweight’ because i see myself in the mirror everyday, but also because my doctor told me so a while back. clearly he didn’t really put in terms that i could really digest, because i didn’t think it was that big of deal, or that i was that fat. clearly, i miss understood.

ok, so here are the figures:

height: 5’6″
weight: 179
bmi: 28.7 (that would be my body fat percentage)

that’s right, i’m apparently nearly 30% body fat. add on the 70% water and that leaves 1.3% muscle, bone, hair, etc. i almost fainted. maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but i was definitely shocked.

given my short stature (slightly below average?) i’m supposed to weight somewhere between 115 and 145 pounds. that means to reach the middle of that range i need to lose in the vicinity of 50 pounds! that’s a tiny person! a midget, a mini me!

in an effort to reach that goal, i’ve started looking at what it means to eat healthy (balanced diet, proper portions, etc) and what kind of regular exercise i need to be doing. 50 pounds! the task seems so daunting and the thought of it depresses me. i can’t imagine losing that much weight….

we’re talking about a major lifestyle change here and i don’t even know where to begin.

in all honesty, it’s the change in my eating habits what will be far tougher than adding more exercise to my routine.  i’ve already been trying to exercise more, though it’s clear to me now that the months of training for the run have done nothing for me in the way of weight loss.  more is obviously needed.  more running, more swimming, more… i don’t even know.

i’ve started looking into exercise programs, joining a gym, or even getting a personal trainer.  i simply don’t know what to do or where to start with this stuff.  then, of course, there’s the eating healthy bit.  i knew i could eat better, but i honestly never really thought i ate that poorly.  i mean, i don’t eat a lot of sweets, i’ve cut back on fast food (though still break down occasionally), and i don’t eat nearly as much junk food as i used to.  and still, i’m carrying around a mini me on my frame.  what do i do?  get a cook book?  confine my meals to salads?  get myself a nutritionist?  i just don’t know how to begin….

so now i’m stuck with this feeling of relative helplessness and a clearer understanding of just how unattractive i must be (wallowing?  yeah, maybe just a bit).  while i have some doubts about my ability to turn all this around, i’m fairly confident i can succeed; all i need to do is figure out a plan and where the hell to start….