Goals

I currently weight 100kg, give or take 2-3kg either way. This is the first time I've ever admitted that, even to myself. My BMI is 37, putting me in the ‘obese’ category.

Generally, I dislike BMI calculators as I don’t think they are very accurate or tailored to individuals. At my fittest, I weighed between 68 – 74kg. I would like to eventually lose 30 kg to get down to a goal weight of 70kg. How awesome would it be to break the 70, and see 69kg on the scales?? This would put my BMI at 26, which is still overweight as a healthy BMI is between 20 and 25 (give or take. Although I’m short, I have a large frame, and I think the recommended 60kg is an unrealistic goal for me. Now, I’m not saying that it would be unhealthy for me, because I’d probably look fantastic, but 70kg would still be a huge achievement, so I’m going to aim for that. I think it’s silly to aim to lose almost half my body weight when I’ve NEVER in my adult or adolescent life weighed 60kg. When I get to 70kg, I’ll see how I’m looking and re-evaluate.

I know the key to weighloss is to make small goals, so by this Christmas, I would like to break the 80s – I don’t care if it’s 89.9kg, but I have to be below 90. This gives 4 months to lose 10kg – 2.5kg per month. I would love to weigh 70kg at Christmas 2011. That means I have 12 months to lose 20kg, 10kg/6 months – about 1.5kg a month. I think these are realistic goals.

The boyfriend and I were discussing last night what out goals are. He doesn’t think I should focus too much on weight because if I gain any weight, I’ll get disheartened which I tend to agree about. His target is fitness; he wants to get to the same fitness level he was when he represented New Zealand.

When I was younger, my mum did a weight loss program called ‘Natural Way’, where you take herbal supplements to aid your weight loss. They also were very big on recording measurements and charting progress using actual measurements. I think this is a great option for me, as I will be able to see the physical changes as I go along, so even if I don’t lose weight, I still may lose a cm here or there, so I know my efforts are working.

I would also like to set some fitness targets; I think I’ll follow Marcus’ lead and aim to be able to successfully complete the NZ Women’s’ training program. I used to be able to do it, and a couple of months training should get me into shape to do it again.

Foodwise, I have some goals also. I want to drink 4 bottles of water a day (750ml bottles). That’s 3litres. Research (well, okay, google) has told me that adults need to drink approximately 2l of water to replace what they lose a day. I also know that people who drink 2 cups of water before meals lose more weight because they feel more full, so this can only be good, right? I tend to drink quite a lot, so I’ll go for 4 bottles a day and see how that goes. Probably, once I’m properly hydrated, I will be able to reduce my water drinking, although it is a great alternative to keep my hands busy rather than snacking.

I also want to get my 5 servings of fruit or veg a day. It sounds pretty silly that I’m an adult who dislikes veges, so I think I should make this a priority.

I'm sure I'll come up with some more goals as I go along, but for now, I'll just focus on these three things:

• drink 4 bottles of water a day
• Eat 5 servings of fruit or veg a day
• Lose 10kg by Christmas