Miss Imperial is now a done deal.
Here are the entries
you might have missed over the past year.
Thanks for checking in, and if you're still looking for me,
try The Memory Aid.

06 January 2007

"As one who strives a hill to climb --"

Motherf***ing Bird on a Motherf***ing Plane, Dallas, TX, 28-Dec-06

"-- I am sure I'll come through."

A year ago this weekend, at a Windy City apartment with a bathroom scale, I discovered that I weighed a lot more than I thought I did. Upon returning home and checking the pound count against my height, I confirmed that I was actually overweight. I weighed about fifteen pounds more than I'd ever weighed in my life, which was over thirty pounds more than I wanted to weigh.

I decided to make a change, but at the time I was somewhat in the public eye; though I was not a celebrity by any means, I was nevertheless conflicted about how any weight loss on my part might be conceived. I certainly didn't want to give the impression that I was ashamed of my size, or that I had succumbed to some media-dictated standard of beauty. I wanted to make it clear that my goal was not to be skinny, but to be healthy.

Long story short: I determined my ideal weight and BMI and worked hard to attain it. It took nearly a year to shed the pounds, and there were many points along the way where I truly felt I could lose no more, but here I am thirty-five pounds lighter. I approached the whole thing as fun; I always made room for (sort-of-cheating) treats; and I never gave up, so I am proud of myself. Most importantly, I stopped dieting when I reached my goal weight a month ago. I know my weight won't stay exactly the same for the rest of my life, but I know how to stay fit and healthy, and I vow never to let that scale slide down another ten pounds, then another, and then another...

I'm happy. I know this sounds like one of those weight-loss testimonials you might see on television or read in a banner ad on the internet, but hey, it's what I wanted to write about today. It's such a relief to feel good, you know? Indeed, I feel better than ever, and I have a lot of thank-you notes: for my husband, who never let me feel anything less than beautiful; for a weight-loss program that I could follow no matter where in the world I went; for my "personal trainer"; for the Mateses, who readily let me borrow a highly valuable tool even though I was skipping town; for a gym that doesn't feel like a meat market (and can also be accessed away from home); for the c.c guys, who endured my pleas for hotels with exercise rooms and pools; and for Rob and Brendan, who generously indulged my biscuit-and-gravy cravings while keeping their fitness equipment on standby. I salute you all with cupcakes!


TRACK LISTING: Phoenix, "If I Ever Feel Better"

5 comments:

Simon Thibault said...

it's not always easy.

my weigh fluctuates. it has and it will.
i was a skinny kid, then fat, then skinny teen, then fat adult, then thin, now 15lbs overweight.

what do i need to do?

exercise. c'est tout.

and i haven't.

when i take responsibility for my body, it feels like i can control it again.

which is why i went for a run at 10:30 at night last night. i felt like it.

i would go now, but my legs still hurt.
so tommorrow.

good on you.

ps- oddly enough, i love boys with pudge. just not on m.

Nirmala Basnayake said...

Yes -- I'm definitely prepared for (and have experienced) the fluctuation. You're right, of course, that exercise is the key. Fortunately for you, you know what good food's about, so the diet part won't ever trip you up.

And yes! I love being in control of my body. It won't always be this way, so I must enjoy this now!

You're awesome, Simon.

Simon Thibault said...

btw, how wicked is it that you have your own wikipedia entry?

Nirmala Basnayake said...

I have to admit, there are days when I'm really proud of this fact, even though I feel like a total loser for embedding a link to the entry in this post. (I am also proud of c.c's All Music Guide file!) However, I sometimes wonder how excited I should be about Wikipedia -- even though I use it all the time -- do people take it all that seriously? But then I tell myself not to be such a drag. ha!

Nirmala Basnayake said...

P.S. It should also be mentioned that when controller.controller was first added to Wikipedia, the inclusion was contested by someone (or some people) who felt that we were unworthy. (Rightly so, perhaps.) It was very heartwarming to see others come to our defence! In the end, we were allowed to stay. yay!