I did it, I have had enough of my frumpy looking body and I decided to get serious and do something about it.  Over the past year I have been working on making my diet more natural and eliminating processed foods from my diet.  I was hoping that this alone would help me to lose weight but being in the throes of peri menopause, well, my metabolism is on strike right now. I knew I needed to exercise more but when you are on your feet all day working as a nurse, the last thing you want to do is go to the gym.

For a period of time I had been going to the gym before work, but that went down the tubes when my writing career took off, that was the first thing to go since early mornings before work seemed to be the only quiet time in the house I could use to get things done.  I finally realized I needed to get serious, my health is very important to me and though I didn’t look or feel fat, I had put on about twenty extra pounds over the past 15 years and it was time to get rid of it.

Like I said, motivation is the hardest part for me, my life is so busy, sometimes exercise seems like the thing in my day that is easiest to drop off the schedule.  I had an idea.  Having a weight loss buddy is a great way to stay on track.  My dear friend and editor Vaughn Thompson had complained that she had a stubborn twenty also.  What better way to stay on track, than to team up.

My husband wanted to know what I wanted for Valentines day, I knew if I didn’t come up with something, he would buy me chocolate, which I love and I would end up eating it because it’s delicious and it’s available, and I would hate myself in the end.  I love techie gadgets, so I told him I wanted a Fitbit.  My husband hates techie gadgets so he totally had no idea what I was talking about.  He got online and read up on them and said, “Well, they’re probably made in China, but if you want one, I’ll get you one.”  That’s why I love the guy, he’s awesome!

I got the Fitbit charge and so far I absolutely love it!  You can pick a plan as to just how aggressive you want to be in your weight loss.  I went for the 1 pound per week plan which seems pretty doable.  It’s no secret that I love to cook and eat, so signing up for a more aggressive plan seemed like a prelude to failure.  What’s great about the Fitbit is it also tracks your sleep, which has long been an issue for me.  I always knew I was a restless sleeper but seeing it on the computer screen was quite an eye opener.

So the challenge is on, for the next 20 weeks Vaughn and I will attempt to lose 1 pound a week for a total of twenty pounds.  We will keep you up to date on our progress, so wish us luck!

Jean Marie Stanberry

jeanstanberry.com