Mission

I know I said I wouldn't be focusing on weight, per se, with my diet and exercise. The theory is that if I eat well and exercise, the weight will go down in relationship to my effort. It's hard because I have to weigh in every Friday, so I do keep an eye on the scale - even if it's just for the spreadsheet.

When I puttered around with BMI charts, I was pleased to find out that I'm about 7 pounds away from being classified as NOT overweight. 7 pounds. That really doesn't sound like a whole lot. I remember when into my first OB appointment (at the weight I am now), and the doctor told me I was overweight and had to limit my weight gain to 15 pounds. At the time, I was so crushed because I felt like a beluga whale who was told to eat a shark and only gain a pound. Come to find out that while I was *technically* overweight, it was only by 7 pounds. I suppose it depends on what chart you're looking at, but all the ones I could find said the same thing.

7 pounds. That seems like a very attainable goal in, say, 2 months. I know how much I can eat mathematically to lose 1 pound a week. I think that I should mark the event with something cool if I achieve it. I've been wanting a DSLR camera for a while. I'm thinking that if I make it to a healthy weight (i.e., not overweight in the eyes of that chart), I should get myself the camera.

But I don't want to make it about the weight, per se. Because, heck, can't you take one of those cleanse things and be down that much in a week just to gain it all back? I want 7 pounds of "real" weight gone before I reward myself.

So to get around the not focusing on weight thing, I'm trying to conjure up a challenge that focuses on diet and exercise and not the weight. But if the weight is the ultimate measurable goal, how should I go about that?

Mission: not be considered overweight by that BMI chart
Strategy: eat 1500 calories or less per day & exercise 30 minutes (on average) per day