Walking Walking Walking

My doctor yelled at me for years to drop some weight. 'Just eat better and get a little exercise...walking is great!' he tells me.

So in 2008, I finally said OK. I started with a BMI of 32.1. Anything over 30 is considered obese. I was obese?! To put this in perspective, I’m 6 feet 4 inches tall and I weighed 264 at the time (back in Jan 2008). Did I need to get healthier and drop weight? Sure. But obese?! Lawdy be!

So, using Weight Watchers’s point system as a baseline to figure things out, I managed to drop 45 lbs. This mainly based on portion control, eating more healthfully and walking. That was my exercise – walking. I started with just a mile of walking twice a week and then slowly increased this to 4-5 times a week and eventually got up to 4 miles a go. I actually did feel better and generally had more energy. Nice!

But then I fell off the wagon for the end of 2008 and in to 2009. I slowly got back on the wagon in fits and starts, but it wasn’t really working. So, after having gained back 24 of those pounds, I recommitted to things in 2010 and have been able to peel off about 15 of those lbs again. Again, all due mainly to portion control and walking. I walk about 3.5-4 miles 4-5 days a week – even in the sweltering summer.

So, I’m about 227 now. My BMI is 27.6. I am still overweight! Not obese, just overweight. Well, that is an improvement, but WTF?! So it got me thinking about what was considered the ‘normal’ range of BMI. So I referred to the BMI widget I’d found and it seems the ‘normal’ range of BMI is 18.5 to 24.9. So, I played with the numbers to see what this meant for someone of my height and was rather shocked. The normal range is 152 to 204 lbs. This means I would have to lose another 23 lbs just to get in to the normal range. I’m sorry, that is pretty crazy. Maybe when I was 20, sure, but at 42 going on 43?! OY!

So, I am choosing to ignore BMI and any other real measure other than weight and how I feel going forward. I still don’t think I am in shape. Let’s face it, I am not building muscle anywhere except my legs and I am nowhere near being toned. I hate exercising. I could drop some more weight, but I figure that as long as I stay under 230, I am doing OK. Under 220 eventually…even better.

During all of this dieting, it has not been that hard. I let myself go on from Friday night to Sunday night, eating pretty much what I want and then I eat better during the rest of the week. I figure this is my way to deal with moderation. I get to eat some good stuff with some regularity. I go out to restaurants without thinking I can only eat a salad. I drink wine with dinners with some regularity. And it all seems to work itself out.

So, walking and eating a bit better really does seem to work. Who knew?