LUVVER

My weight has always been a real issue for me. I am a chronic dieter: I’ve been on and off diets since I was eight years old. Many of them worked; I’d lose weight, but after going off the diet, I’d slowly put the pounds back on again.

This time I’ve decided to try a slightly different approach. I’m going to live like the person I want to be. I’m going to create the habits of a thin person. I’ve gone online and looked up the BMR of a 125 lb, 5 foot 5 inch woman. It turns out that her basic metabolic rate is about 1300 calories a day. I’m going to add on 100 calories a day for exercise. That gives me 1400 calories. My plan is not to go on a diet, but to create a lifestyle based on how a healthy, thin person would eat and exercise within these parameters.

It’s my goal to eat 1400 calories a day, and go for a 4 mile walk every day. My 1400 calories will consist of fruits, vegatables, and plant proteins & carbohydrates (I’m vegan for both health and animal rights reasons). My diet will be under 10% fat.

I’m not going to worry about how much time it will take me to lose weight. I’m not going to worry about the scale at all. I’m just going to stick to a few simple parameters, and I’m going to do it for a full six months, then reassess.

This is not meant to be a diet, but a permanent lifestyle change. I’m going to live like a thin person. I’m going to BE a thin person.

And we just moved in together. Although this will always be a goal I’m constantly maintaining, I feel like I’ve accomplished getting into and staying in a long term relationship. Frankly, it was easier to get into than falling off a log, and although there have been a few bumps in the road here and there, we’re rock solid. My primary advice to those out there looking is to forget about everything you think you want in a partner, date EVERYONE, and practice being loving instead of critical.

This year I unexpectedly moved in with my boyfriend, and it definitely feels like my “own” place, but better. Not only is there no tension from the experience of having roommates, which is what I would have rid myself of by moving into my own place, but there’s this fantastic friend I come home to who brings me such joy. I consider this goal “accomplished.”