Putting myself out there

Sounds scary just to type it. But, I have come to realize that I need accountability in this weight-loss journey, because it is not just going to magically happen on it's own. I have been blogging here since January, and though I did take off the privacy setting after about a month, I haven't really been telling people about this blog either.

But that's gonna change.

Thanks to Facebook, there are hundreds of people out there who check in on my life from time to time. You read my status updates and see my pictures, and you read my other blog which I do publish on FB... and now you are welcome to read this one as well. But be warned: this is my weight-loss blog, and I am going to try to blog in the good times and bad, in the time of healthy choices and the time of binges. I am going to try to be honest here. Because lying to myself isn't getting me anywhere.

There are a few facts that I must get out of the way up front.

Fact #1: I am not healthy.

Duh, right? I mean, anyone can tell by looking at me that I am not healthy. I'm pretty obviously overweight. It's not like I'm able to hide it from anyone. And yet, I have tried and tried in the past to convince myself that I'm really not that fat. Or that it's really not that big of a deal. But those have been lies that I've told myself to keep myself here. And I just can't lie about it anymore.

Fact #2: My health is not going to get better if I stay at this weight, it's going to get worse.

I already have insulin resistance. I don't want to get diabetes. Or have a heart attack or stroke. I know what it is like to lose a parent. My mom died when I was 21. And I don't want Nathan to have to go through something like that. Not if there is anything I can do to prevent it. I read once that obesity is now the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Preventable means that I can do something to change my odds. And I owe it to myself and my loved ones to make the changes.

Fact #3: No one else can do this for me.

With God's help, I need to learn to eat healthier, I need to exercise my body, and I need to change my habits for the rest of my life. I need to learn to see food differently, to use it for fuel and not to feed an emotional need, and to eat the correct portions and balanced nutrition for my overall health. I need to exercise, to move my body and make it strong. I have to do it.

Fact #4: I need people around me to encourage me and keep me accountable.

That's where you come in. If you have read this far and are still with me, thank you. Please pray for me, and encourage me, and ask how I'm doing if I stop posting for awhile. Please let me tell you about my successes and my failures. Please be gentle with me when I'm beating myself up, and please be tough on my when I'm making excuses.

Cause I need all the help I can get!