Sunday, May 17, 2015
About Me Monday: I Always Thought it was a Secret
Hi everyone!
Thanks sooo much for joining me for the second of my three part series, "About Me Monday." My first installment where I shared my lost year really struck a chord with many of you and I appreciate all of your sweet comments and emails.
Today I am dipping my toe into scary waters and talking about a subject that is very uncomfortable for me to share. Like, "breaking out in hives and hyperventillating" kind of scary. It is an area of my life that I have always, always, always kept very private.
Ssshhh....don't tell anyone, but I am fat. Yes, I have kept that a secret. No one else has ever known that about me. Except for my family, friends, co-workers, strangers and any one I have ever met in person or who has seen a photo of me. Ok, I guess the only person who thought my obesity was a secret was me. I think I believed if I didn't acknowledge it no one would know........
But I am obese. Morbidly obese according to all the health charts.
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So why I am I sharing this personal and for me, incredibly embarrassing, topic with all of blogland? Well, besides possible insanity, I think I may be able to help and inspire those of you who may need to lose weight but have found it difficult to do so.
After my year long health issues I shared in my last post, I had been feeling so much better once I found the right doctor and the solution to my problems. Although I was no longer suffering from my illness, I still felt stuck in my armor of fat and my quality of life was really lacking due to the limitations and general lethargy I felt from carrying so much extra weight. Even though I was well aware my weight was affecting my life, I had resigned myself to living my days with sore feet, ill fitting clothes and limited energy. I believed it was my lot in life.
Enter again my amazing chiropractor. Yep, the chiropractor strikes again, lol. Here's the story:
While waiting for my appointment with my chiropractor to begin, I noticed a sign for a weight loss program he offered through his practice. It was a six week plan that promised a 25 to 40 pound weight loss. Intrigued, I asked him about it and long story short, I signed up that day and have not looked back.
Now, to back track a bit, like most people who are severely overweight, I have tried many weight loss programs in the past: Diet Center, Nutri System, Medifast, Slim Fast, juicing, etc., etc., etc. All with some success, but never lasting and in fact,they were the catalyst for gaining even more weight.
I had a daunting task ahead of me. I was a good (is that an oxymoron?) 150 #'s overweight. And of course, what self respecting weight loss plan doesn't start with a weigh in on the scale. Ugh! It was shocking and heart wrenching to see the reading on the scale: 297.4 pounds. Talk about heartbreaking...not surprising, however it sure was humilating to see it up in lights. But, I went in with a determination - after all it was only six weeks. I can do anything for six weeks. Well, this program has clicked for me. Totally clicked. Maybe it's the right "diet" or maybe the stars were aligned or it was divine intervention. Regardless, the pounds and inches came off. I was also never hungry - no cravings, no growling stomach. None. Nada. Zilch. I started at the end of October and I am down about 103 pounds.
The difference I feel in this particular "diet" is that it really isn't a diet in the way a person normally thinks of a diet. There are no artificially flavored shakes or bars, no processed foods. You eat healthy, whole foods - veggies, chicken, fish, fruit. Nothing that comes from a factory or has factory made ingredients. I do not have the "when I'm done, I can eat _______" mindset anymore. The phrase, "when I'm done with my diet," always meant, "when I go back to the foods that made me fat." Once I no longer am losing weight, I will still be eating the same foods, just in a higher quantity. I think that is what's made the difference for me.....I have completely turned about what types of food I like and want to eat. By eliminating the junk and eating food in balance with one another, my brain no longer calls out for sugars or fats. It has truly been a miracle for me and quite possibly may have saved my life.
I am not here to promote the particular weight loss program I am on. If you would like to know what it is called and where to get more information on it, feel free to leave me a message. I also would be happy to answer any questions you have about my experience. There are plenty of programs and methods to lose weight. My purpose for telling you my journey is similar to my experience with searching for a doctor who could help me with my year long mystery illness. I want to urge any one who has excess pounds to lose - and who wishes to lose them - to keep looking for the "right" weight loss program for you. I had all but given up, but finally found a plan that works for me and one I feel I can use throughout the rest of my life.
I still have a way too go in my weight loss journey, but not nearly as far as I had to go when I first started in late October. I no longer shop in the plus size aisle. I don't wonder if I will fit comfortably in a theater seat or look for the closest parking spot at the mall. I am looking forward (sort of!) to getting into a work out routine. One thing I use daily is a little exercise bike that I can use when I am at the computer or watch TV. I try to get 20 minutes in the morning before work and another 30 or so in the evenings. It really has strengthened my legs and is a great way to get my "steps" in for the day.
Believe me, I know "dieting" is personal - I'm hyperventillating as I'm writing, lol! I've told you I'm fat, how many pounds I've weighed (and if you are good at math, you know how much I currently weigh) and disclosed I'm on a diet. Yikes! But, I hope by sharing, I may motivate some of you who feel it is hopeless to look for a plan that works for you and you can start improving your health as well. Like me, you have people in your lives who love you (no matter what your size) that want you to be happy, healthy and around for a long, long time. I encourage you to take that first step. Or second. Or tenth. Or, like me, it took countless steps to find something that worked.
Thanks sooo much for joining me for the second of my three part series, "About Me Monday." My first installment where I shared my lost year really struck a chord with many of you and I appreciate all of your sweet comments and emails.
Today I am dipping my toe into scary waters and talking about a subject that is very uncomfortable for me to share. Like, "breaking out in hives and hyperventillating" kind of scary. It is an area of my life that I have always, always, always kept very private.
But I am obese. Morbidly obese according to all the health charts.
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2011
After my year long health issues I shared in my last post, I had been feeling so much better once I found the right doctor and the solution to my problems. Although I was no longer suffering from my illness, I still felt stuck in my armor of fat and my quality of life was really lacking due to the limitations and general lethargy I felt from carrying so much extra weight. Even though I was well aware my weight was affecting my life, I had resigned myself to living my days with sore feet, ill fitting clothes and limited energy. I believed it was my lot in life.
Enter again my amazing chiropractor. Yep, the chiropractor strikes again, lol. Here's the story:
While waiting for my appointment with my chiropractor to begin, I noticed a sign for a weight loss program he offered through his practice. It was a six week plan that promised a 25 to 40 pound weight loss. Intrigued, I asked him about it and long story short, I signed up that day and have not looked back.
Now, to back track a bit, like most people who are severely overweight, I have tried many weight loss programs in the past: Diet Center, Nutri System, Medifast, Slim Fast, juicing, etc., etc., etc. All with some success, but never lasting and in fact,they were the catalyst for gaining even more weight.
2013
The difference I feel in this particular "diet" is that it really isn't a diet in the way a person normally thinks of a diet. There are no artificially flavored shakes or bars, no processed foods. You eat healthy, whole foods - veggies, chicken, fish, fruit. Nothing that comes from a factory or has factory made ingredients. I do not have the "when I'm done, I can eat _______" mindset anymore. The phrase, "when I'm done with my diet," always meant, "when I go back to the foods that made me fat." Once I no longer am losing weight, I will still be eating the same foods, just in a higher quantity. I think that is what's made the difference for me.....I have completely turned about what types of food I like and want to eat. By eliminating the junk and eating food in balance with one another, my brain no longer calls out for sugars or fats. It has truly been a miracle for me and quite possibly may have saved my life.
2014
April 2015
I still have a way too go in my weight loss journey, but not nearly as far as I had to go when I first started in late October. I no longer shop in the plus size aisle. I don't wonder if I will fit comfortably in a theater seat or look for the closest parking spot at the mall. I am looking forward (sort of!) to getting into a work out routine. One thing I use daily is a little exercise bike that I can use when I am at the computer or watch TV. I try to get 20 minutes in the morning before work and another 30 or so in the evenings. It really has strengthened my legs and is a great way to get my "steps" in for the day.
April 2015
Mother's Day 2015
