If I asked you to carry 10 standard car tires for me, would you do it? Carry them all day, every day. Even at night when you’re sleeping! It’s only ten tires. How hard could it be?
No, no. You can’t put them down. You can’t pile them somewhere to give your arms a rest. You can’t stack them neatly and walk away. You have to carry them. All day. Every day. Even when you’re shopping, cooking, cleaning the house or pulling weeds outside. Carry those tires!
How long would you last? Unless you’re The Hulk, you probably wouldn’t last too long. After all, it would be hard to do. Physically, it would hurt. You’d get tired. Very, very tired.
This is what I do every day. I am over-weight. Not just over-weight, but I am what the medical community describes as “morbidly obese.” My weight interferes with basic things like breathing and walking. We won’t even talk (yet) about the social end of it and the adjustments I make because of my size. I have high blood pressure, depression and heart disease. I carry 10 car tires of excess weight with me. TEN freaking car tires!! Two and a half cars worth of tires! It is not pretty.
There is no one to blame but myself. I’ve had to come to terms with that fact. There wasn’t another person force feeding me potato chips. I picked up the fork. I picked up the cookies. I went for hefty second helpings at dinner. I ate that whole bag of potato chips mindlessly watching TV or chatting on Facebook. I ate to fill a void in myself that had nothing to do with hunger. I did it all sitting on my ass, not moving. Over time, that adds up. It adds up a lot. It adds up to 10 car tires.
I’ve got to tell you, sharing this with you makes me nervous. Like throw-up, butterflies-in-my-stomach, sweaty palms type nervous. I’m committed though. It’s time to step out of my shell and start heading towards a healthier tomorrow. I want to be here for my grandchildren. I want to travel this big, wide world. I have to be healthy in order to do those things. I know it’s not going to be easy and frankly, I’m scared to death. I’m afraid I’ll fail again. I’m frightened you’ll call me names or smile triumphantly if I have a bad day with an “I told you you couldn’t do it!” look on your face? Well, if that happens, I’ll be Ok with it. Do you know why? Because the only thing that matters is getting healthy. It’s a journey. A marathon, not a race. My only competition is myself. I have a lot to learn and a lot of bad habits to break. Little steps, add up though. They add up to losing all those stupid tires!! So, what do you say? Do you want to join me on this journey? I could use a few friends.
I’ve read that having a goal and adding a behavior to reach that goal, increases the chance of success. You can’t just say “I want to lose ten car tires!” (Though I really, really do!) There has to be an action to go with it and a positive spin on it. “I will lose ten car tires by reducing my calorie intake and getting up off my ass to walk around the block every day.” Obviously, those goals will change as time passes, but you get the idea. Did you notice the “I want” changed to “I will” too? Saying “I want to have a healthy life” is much different than “I will have a healthy life.”
I really hope you’ll join me on this journey. It’s a going to be a long one, but a good one. I will have a healthy life. The best adventure I’ve ever had is staring me in the face, so let’s get started! Meet me back here every Wednesday (hence forth to be known as “Weigh-In Wednesdays.” I’ll let you know how it’s going. We can share and when I get really brave, I’ll show you pictures of what I’m doing to get rid of the tires. I need to be around for my family and for myself. If I don’t do this, I’m not going to be here much longer. So it’s time to take action and get started!
Here we go! Week One is ahead of me. Look out world, here I come!
P.S.Realistic perspective makes a difference. Imagining those ten car tires on my body, made a huge difference to me. Seeing what something weighs and thinking about carrying that weight… scary and motivating, all at the same time! What are you carrying? What’s weighing on you, every day, 24 hours a day, day and night? I found this on a weight-loss web-site and wanted to share.
1 pound = A package of butter (with four sticks)
1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts
2 pounds = a pineapple
3 pounds = a two slice toaster
4 pounds = an ostrich egg
5 pounds = a two liter bottle of soda
6 pounds = a human skin
7.5 pounds = an average newborn
8 pounds = a human head
10 pounds= a large bag of potatoes
11 pounds = an average housecat
12 pounds = a Bald Eagle
15 pounds = A 19-inch flat screen TV (Imagine carrying that around all day.)
16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain
20 pounds = an automobile tire
23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year
24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream
25 pounds = an average 2 year old
30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year
33 pounds = a cinder block
36 pounds = a mid-size microwave
40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg
44 pounds = an elephants heart
50 pounds = a small bale of hay
55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner
60 pounds = an elephants penis
66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year
70 pounds = an Irish Setter
77 pounds = a gold brick
80 pounds = the Worlds Largest Ball of Tape
90 pounds = a newborn calf
100 pounds = a 2 month old horse
111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year
117 pounds = an average fashion model (and shes 5’11″)
118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica
120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month
130 pounds = a newborn giraffe
138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year
140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year
144 pounds = an average adult woman (and shes 5’4½”)
150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary
187 pounds = an average adult man
200 pounds = a typical refrigerator
*** If you’re running 100 miles per hour in the wrong direction it doesn’t matter the speed, you’re still going the wrong way. If you’re strolling at a snails pace in the right direction .. you’re succeeding by leaps and bounds. ***
Hi, I want to advise you to try swnmmiig for weight loss over walking, since it’d be so much easier on your joints, whilst still being a nice all body workout to burn a decent amount of calories
Hi! Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to a pool. I agree 100% that it is easier on the joints and certainly a great resistance workout as well!
Bravo to your courage, Sara!! I know that post took guts. I have faith in your journey, for it is a journey for sure–on many levels, too. I’ve been carrying one tire, and it has been hard to get rid of. I’ve gotten ridden of one bag of potatoes in the past 6 weeks (love that list you gave), all by willfully changing habits. Emotionally, I want to keep my habits that do nothing but fill an empty void, but I got to a point of just wanting to pursue this change. My biggest tool has been myfitnesspal.com. It has opened my awareness to my habits and what I can do to change them, all by inputting what I eat and seeing it mapped out for me. That awareness has changed what I eat and how much I eat. The rest has just been a combo of desire and willpower to minimize and reduce the foods that contribute to the pounds. I cheer you on, Sara!! Many many many hugs!!!
Hi Maria! Thank you so much for your comment! I’ve heard good things about myfitnesspal and will have to check it out. Congratulations on getting rid of the bag of potatoes! That’s great! Good for you getting healthy and staying aware! <3
SARA!!!! It had to be scary to hit publish on this post, and I commend you for it. I know exactly what you mean about eating to fill a void – I do that too – a lot. I’ve gotten to the point where I recognize when I’m doing it even, and STILL EAT! To me, that has a lot less to do with food, and more to do with figuring out what void I need to fill (in a healthier way)!!! I’m with you on this journey… and I’m going to be looking forward to these posts especially!!! <3 <3 I LOVE YOU!!!
Oh Natalie! I’ve been hyperventilating all morning and didn’t sleep well knowing this post would publish and that I HAD to do it! I’m in tears over your kind comments! Thank you so much! It’s time to do things healthier. I’m so glad you’ll be with me on this journey. I love you too, friend!!