DAY 16: Refreshed!!!

Feelin' much better. Now for short-term Goal Number 1, as posted in my first Health Overhaul blog entry:

WEIGHT GOAL 1: 260 by 3-17-11
EATING GOAL 1: ATKINS INDUCTION DIET (Meat, fish, vegetables, water, and vitamins)

Thirty-one pounds lost in 3 months isn't bad for an obese person on a controlled eating program. Looking back at my math, I realize that this is a very reasonable goal for me. I'll lose an average of 2.5 lb a week or less. The first two weeks will see my most significant initial drop because of shedding water weight, so the later low numbers will even out.

Around January 25 (DAY 30) will mark the end of the two-week-drain cycle that the Induction causes, correcting one imbalance with another. The good news is that, with the fleeting exception of my recent miraculously-found chocolate stash, I have been free of caffeine for... well, I forgot how long it has been. 

PREP: I baked and lightly seasoned 5lb of chicken. I have veggies in the freezer, ready for sautee or steam treatments. I have plenty of bottled water and a vitamin stash that Richard Simmons would find impressive.

WHY: Losing 10% of my total weight lowers my risk of heart disease, diabetes and other things significantly. (30lb loss is just over 10% of my total weight, right?) I don't do statistics, but it'll be a great start. Not dying or having to live with disease is as good a reason as any. Feeling better and having the glow of good health are good...

SUPERFICIAL WHY: But daily, I'm going to need more than the lofty "Live Longer" mentality. There are also superficial reasons, and I'll man up and admit them. As an artist, I do like to observe things, after all.

1) I'd like to be a woman who doesn't have a gut. :) Lookin' slightly or heavily pregnant is not pleasant if you're not.
2) I'd like my thighs not to rub together when I walk! I would save pants AND therefore money...
3) If I ever have to wear formals again, I'd like to wear a size that doesn't have double digits and start with a 2. A flattering, non-cube silhouette, if you will! :)
4) Prepare for the worst nerd reason ever... I want to have a greater, more flattering range of costumes for Halloween, Cons and Ren Faire.

There! You managed to drag the REAL, root reason behind my body overhaul! Other than the obvious health reasons in which I sincerely believe... it all boils down to the Creative within me. And it's no coincidence that my last goal winds down in mid-September. I need plenty of time before Halloween to costume the new me! :-D