Plan: Take off weight slowly

This year, my New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. It’s the same resolution I make — and fail to keep — each year, but this year I’m serious. No, seriously. You see, I’m fat. Anyone who knows me can testify to that fact, but — although I hate to admit it — I am really fat. I think the technical term is morbidly obese, which means 100 pounds or more over my “ideal” weight. So, basically, I’m so fat that I’m killing myself. I hate admitting it. Except for moments of low self-esteem (and clothes shopping), I don’t think of myself as a fat person. I’m just me, with my faults and my strengths, with my hopes, dreams and fears. Just me. I believe I should be accepted for who I am, and I strive to accept others regardless of their appearance. But certain events this year have forced me to take a harder look at my health. Earlier this year, I had my tonsils removed, along with my uvula and part of my palate. Because of my size, I had to spend the night after surgery in ICU because I was more at risk for certain complications than thinner people would be. Then, in October and November, I was dealing with a pinched nerve in my back. That was extremely unpleasant, and while not directly related to my weight, it’s possible that if I weighed less I wouldn’t have had the problem or could have recovered from it faster. Then, in December, I twisted my knee while walking on snow and ice. When I stepped, the snow and ice beneath my foot cracked, shifting my weight, and my knee tried to bend backward instead of forward. Again, extremely unpleasant. I have had bad knees my entire life. I have a condition in my knees that causes the cartilage to degrade faster than normal. So I’m used to knee pain, but this latest injury has caused much more pain than I’m accustomed to and has forced me, at the ripe old age of 29, to walk around with a cane. That’s not embarrassing in the least. Now I only have to use the cane when I go outside or when my knee is really acting up, but I know my recovery would be swifter — and much less painful — if I was carrying around fewer pounds. So now you know why I need to lose weight. The real crux of the problem is how to go about it. Well, I have dieted on and off my whole life and know one thing for sure: Crash dieting does not work. At least not for me. I cannot immediately flip a switch and eat only foods that are healthy for me and in quantities that would not even begin to fill my overly enlarged stomach. Also, exercising is a bit of a problem. Not only is my exercising at the moment limited to limping across the office and straight-leg raises to build strength in the muscles around my knee, but my asthma also prevents me from doing much. (Another problem not specifically caused by my weight but not helped by it either.) My plan is to take things slow and steady. That is how to win the race, right? After all, I didn’t put all this weight on overnight and it won’t come off quickly either. It’s time to cut out excess snacking, pay closer attention to what I eat and try to make healthier choices. Just by eating a little less at each meal than I normally would, I could lose a few pounds. I plan to spend the whole year working on losing weight. And while I might not make my ultimate goal of losing 100 pounds in just a year, I am committed to shedding the excess fat. Here’s where you, the reader, come in. I know there have to be others out there in a situation similar to mine. There also must be people out there who have lost weight and know at least one way that works. On the first Saturday of each month, I plan to publish column about my weight-loss journey and my progress so far. I invite those who read my columns to write to me at Christine’s column, c/o the Sentinel, 64 Downtown Plaza, Fairmont, MN 56031, or e-mail me with Christine’s column in the subject line at news@fairmontsentinel.com Well wishes and advice would be appreciated, and I may include reader comments in my column. By putting my thoughts and details of my journey on the printed page, I hope to inform, encourage and possibly even inspire those who read the column and may find themselves in a similar situation. By reading my columns and responding, and with me reading your comments and responding, we may even be able to create a community of support for those in the area who want to better themselves and make 2008 a happier and healthier year all around. Christine Rupp is the Sentinel’s city editor.