As you recently found out, this girl is on a diet. I’ve been on a diet ever since I was at my Mom’s house, where I wasn’t really on a diet, per say – I just ate way less than I did normally, or before.
Because of my pain levels shooting through the roof recently with school, the cold, and now this pinched nerve/herniated disk in my neck, as well as that lovely friend stress, I used to eat as a way of comfort. I am sure every single person reading this can relate to my saying this. And I am not proud of it. When I was in the military, and even for a period of about two years afterwards, I had rock hard abs, a defined back, arms that could have competed with Serena Williams (seriously – I still have mad arm muscle even now, and I do absolutely nothing to work them out), and an ass and legs that could crack walnuts (or heads, depending on who wanted to piss me off that day 
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But now? I have a 33″ -34″ waist, and I am not proud of that. I feel my abs underneath that inch or so of fat, and they are screaming, “Give me freedom!” I’ve been feeling that for months, but with this recent streak of not eating much at all at my Mom’s house, I decided to make a diet of it. Just like in high school and before the Marine Corps, I eat only 1500 calories a day. That’s a big difference from what I am assuming was a calorie intake of 3000 or 3500 a day. But it is proven that if you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. Even bedridden hospital patients need 1200 calories a day, so I figured 1500 was good for me, and what has worked for me in the past.
I also got “semi-cleared” for exercise, which is somewhat a mix of joy and depression; joy for the fact that I can now work out, but depression for how incredibly limited my exercise regimen can be. No running. No push ups. No pull ups. No lateral pull downs. No elliptical (my favourite! My buddy!), and no treadmill. I can speed walk to the extent that the pain from the RSD in my left foot can take it, and no push-ups and stuff of that nature because of my shoulder and particularly because of my herniated disk/pinched nerve situation. I am limited, but I am sure there are other ways to work out these groups of muscles without potentially causing more harm than good. I have a good friend Kim who is a physical therapist (we became close friends when I was in high school and she was my PT for all of the 10 times I went to physical therapy. She’s a workout aficionado, and she knows her stuff. I will ask her what alternative things I can do.
Why am I doing all of this? Because I realized I need to get healthy. I’ve been in an unhealthy bunch of habits for months, if not years. For instance, the over eating has been since mid 2012; I have been smoking (again) for nearly two years in June; and I have been drinking diet soda for easily over 20 years (yes, you can cringe now). These are all things I want to taper off on and cut them out. The worst will be the soda. I have absolutely no love for water, and it has no taste and does not quench my thirst at all. Only soda does that. And if I go for more than six or eight hours without soda? I get a raging headache that only soda and Excedrin will cure. That’s horrible, isn’t it?! And let’s not mention the bloat that soda gives you – I’m sure I’ve got a few extra pounds of water weight just from the soda. Then when the red river is nearing breaking the dam, I puff up like a balloon. It’s horrid. I feel like I should be the girlfriend of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man some days.
These are things I need to remind myself to gradually cut down on. I got two bottles of flavored seltzer water, so we will see how that goes. I need to buy caffeine pills for the inevitable headaches and migraines that will ensue (Did you know the best treatment for a headache or migraine is caffeine? Just look at Excedrin – caffeine is in it! That’s what makes it really work), and I need to buy the nastiest cigarettes they have at the store as opposed to my usual Camel Crush – that usually helps in cutting down. Who wants to some some nasty Maverick smokes that taste like stale tobacco from the colonial era? My point exactly. After that, I start my speed walking. Now, back in the day, I could run a half marathon no problem. Now? I’m not sure I can even run because of the RSD nerve damage in my foot. I pretty much figure if I can’t wear higher heels then I can’t really run. But the speed walking? You bet your ass I’m gonna hit that ish out of the park! And there are a lot of hills here too – perfect 
So what else is motivating me for weight loss? Well, I have about four gorgeous vintage 40s and 50s dresses that have a 32″ waist, meaning I need a 31″ waist or below to fit into them. I also got a fabulous pair of Freddie’s of Pinewood ’40s work jeans from the Ohh La La! Vintage Swap on Facebook that has a 32″ waist also – meaning I need between a 29″ to 31″ waist to fit into them. Each of these pieces are shown above. I also hope to lose some boobage (I never thought I would ever say those words!), because my bust is often too big for even the dresses that do fit my waist. These DDs are rather cumbersome, and hurt my back rather frequently. Sorry guys, you may have to just deal with a D gal (not that I have a hot dating life lately to begin with, but I digress…), but they will still look the same size if my frame is a tad leaner. Which I hope will be soon 
I know weight loss doesn’t happen overnight. I’ve been on this diet for two weeks just about and since I lose weight first in my face, I can see more definition of my cheekbones and less of a double chin (thank GOD – that really bothered me something fierce). I am taking more in the line of measurements of my weight loss, since that is more of what I am after. And also, like I learned when I joined the Marines and first went to boot camp, you will drop weight initially, but you will find it going back up, despite your size staying smaller – that is the muscle building up my girl! And muscle weighs three times more than fat per volume, and also burns additional calories even at rest. There are absolutely no negatives for a girl having some muscle! 
I am on MyFitnessPal, which is an app you can find for free on iPhone, Android, as well as using it on your PC (although the mobile versions have UPC scanners and all that cool stuff to help you). I have set my calorie limit at 1500, and I try to stay at or below that level. Yes, sometimes I go over my limit, but luckily I’ve kept it to about 100 – 150 calories max, which is not so bad. I can also plug in my walking to and from school, as well as my vigorous cleaning spells – it all burns calories, ladies! Hell, even when we sleep we are still burning calories (20 an hour if I remember correctly). It is the best tool to help in weight loss. I already have a platoon of fellow rockabilly/vintage people that are doing exactly what I am doing – losing weight and getting healthier. And we cheer each other on! Having that support is priceless and makes things so much easier and so much more fun. If you happen to be on MFP, or are going to join, feel free to add me as a friend: RockSteadyUSMC.
I really want to fit into those dresses and those Freddie’s, but I also want to be a lot healthier. I know it is a journey, I have been in this position twice before, so I know that it can be challenging, but also very rewarding. And I am so ready for it.
