The Journey Begins

I am starting this blog for myself and anyone that would like to read it. My hope is to inspire both of us on my weight loss journey. I "met" an individual on the YOAD message boards name Rich. He has a blog and is keeping a photo journal of himself (The Incredible Shrinking Man). I have decided to do both. It will help me record my thoughts and the changes to my body as I travel on my weight loss journey.

I began taking steps towards health in the end of April 2007. My family & I joined a local gym to get in better shape. A side benefit of that plan was to also lose some weight. On April 29th, my husband and I took a "fit test" as part of the orientation to the gym. They weighed us, had us walk on the treadmill for a specific time, took a few measurements and did some flexibility testing. Needless to say, the results were NOT impressive. They were actually really sad and a hell of a wake up call.

Here are my results from 4/29/07:
Weight 255 pounds
Height 5'4
Body Mass 43.8 (considered Obese Class III)
Max VO2 26.3 (considered Low)
Bicep Strength 68 pounds (considered Good)
Sit & Reach 9.4 inches (considered Poor)
Body Composition 41.8% (considered Very High)
Overall Fitness 29.6% (considered Fair)
Actual Age 37
Body Age 46

About 1 or 2 weeks later, I saw a special on the Discover Channel called "You On A Diet". Doctors Oz & Roizen followed four people in New York for 12 weeks and put them on the YOAD plan. I was amazed. The following day I went to the book store and purchased the book. The journey began........