I'm not taking this sitting down!

For starters I HATE set points... and ANY talk about set points. My Body's set points have screwed me up in the past. I'd start out strong in a healthy regime of diet and exercise. I'd see some early success, then a plateau. Anticipating feedback from a scale I would get frustrated, hang on a short time and then grow indifferent before settle back into unhealthy routines.

What I hadn't taken into consideration until now is that my body IS adjusting. It's rebelling... but adjusting none the less. I look for other signs of success like being able to take two flights of stairs without requiring oxygen when I reach the top. Clothes fitting differently or better is another good indication.

So, with my awakening a month ago, I refuse to take my body's set point sitting down. I started out jogging for the first couple of weeks but because I have problems with shin splints and heel spurs... I rapidly discovered that walking a distance was better on this improving frame. I have a pedometer that is calibrated and records the distance i travel in a day.

I use a program that tracks my calories as honest as I enter them. I am committed to the accuracy of this because its for my own good. (I am also an engineer and calculating things appeals to me) It also keeps track of my exercises. The first couple of weeks I found moderate success in the form of feedback from an inanimate object know as a scale. But the 2 pounds that it said, remained unchanged for two weeks as I maintained a caloric budget in my target for my goals. I fought back the indifference and exasperation. Instead of jogging I focused on walking 2-3 miles a day. Then I increased it to 3-4 miles a day. Shin splints and heel spurs still surfaced. But about half way into the second week, I stopped getting shin splints and I just walked through the pain until my heel stretched itself out.

I wasn't going to let my body win. Finally I jumped on the scale and I saw 5.5 pounds off! I ran the calculations too, and discovered that given the delta of my RMR and the calories I consumed and burned, I was right on target! The scale didn't seem "broken" any more. I am continuing my daily walk and have increased my range to 4-5 miles a day. I have sworn off elevators at work and other places I frequent. I feel healthier and that is my ultimate goal. By mid summer I want to be walking 5-6 mile a day with out pain.

The weight will come off if I ignore that inanimate object and my body's rebellion. I will not take this sitting down.