Month: January 2017

I thought of something that I had been able to put out of my mind since losing 115 lbs. It’s something I haven’t had to do in a long time, and it hadn’t even crossed my mind until I was making a video talking about my weight loss, health, and fitness journey: the embarrassment of the amount of food I ate.

When I would go to lunch with co-workers or a boss, I would often order far less food than I was hungry for because I was embarrassed by the amount of food I would eat in comparison to other normal people. This would often leave me hungry after a meal, and I would then eat a second smaller lunch away from the other people.

The same would hold true when we went to eat with friends, whether it was at their home or at a restaurant. I would often under-eat because I didn’t want them to know just how much food I could go through.

I now eat far less than anyone else I typically eat lunch or dinner with. It’s kind of funny being the person who eats the smaller portions. Now, people ask me if I’m actually full after eating so little, to which I truthfully reply that I am. It’s nice to not be embarrassed by the amount of food I eat anymore.

I was asked to buy some chocolate for a charity today by someone who I’ve known for about a year. Granted, they didn’t know me when I was overweight, so they probably don’t know that I no longer eat candy anymore. I told them, “Sorry, I don’t eat candy anymore.” Before the conversation got weird and Paleo, I asked how much the chocolates cost. She told me $2, so I just gave her $2 and told her to give one to the next kid she sees.

I know; giving candy to children isn’t great, either. However, as kids are more active and growing, and as these were chocolate, I figured it’s the lesser of the possible evils. I guess I could have bought one and just thrown it away, but that’s a waste of chocolate, and even if I’m not going to eat it, I can’t justify throwing it away. I have a long past with chocolate.

Fortunately, I wasn’t tempted by the chocolate. I no longer get triggered by seeing, smelling, or being around foods that I no longer eat. I enjoy the smell, actually, but that’s about it. The closest I’ve come to being tempted was yesterday at lunch when the waiter brought out some amazing artisan breads with duck grease spread. That was hard to resist, but I did. Chocolate? Easy-peasy.

There’s no point in being difficult when someone is selling snacks I no longer eat. If it’s just a few dollars, I figure donating to the cause is probably the right thing to do, and heck, without taking product, their profits should be larger thereby helping the cause more. They are free to sell what would have been sold to me to someone else or, in the case of the chocolate above, at least give it to someone who otherwise couldn’t afford it themselves. Either way, it’s a win-win in my book.

It’s funny to me when people say I lost weight “So quickly.” Actually, 10 lbs a month is a pretty decent/safe weight loss with an average of 2.5 lbs a week. My weight was lost by eliminating added sugar, soy, carbs, dairy, and legumes. I did no exercise. Those of you who have been reading for a while know all this; I state it again for newcomers.

I peruse the progress pictures subreddit regularly for motivation as I have since before I began the Paleo lifestyle (even before I did my first Whole30) and I am continually impressed by people who have lost 100+ lbs in under a year. One person who posted today lost over 176 lbs in 11 months! Now THAT is impressive!

I never treated my weight loss as a race, and you shouldn’t either. Weight loss will happen if you do the right things: eliminate the foods that cause you to be overweight, control your portion sizes, and get 20 minutes of exercise a day (which could be as simple as walking). Heck, I lost my first 100 lbs without any exercise, so if that’s too much for you now, skip it. That’s right; skip it. It’s not necessary to lose weight.

The rate of weight loss is dependent on many factors including your starting weight. Someone over 300 lbs will lose weight more easily than someone who is only 20 lbs overweight. It comes down to percentage of total body weight, total body fat to be lost, and your ideal weight. I’m very close to my ideal weight now, and my weight loss is very slow (actually, it’s stagnant again right now). I’ m not concerned about hitting any goals in a set period of time. I’m just working toward the goal without stopping.

Yes, quick weight loss is impressive, and we all want to reach a goal with as little effort or time as possible. But the reality is that sometimes, it will take more time. Don’t worry so much about how fast you lose the weight but with the fact that you are losing or at least doing the work to lose weight. If you’re doing the right things, it’ll come. If you’re not losing weight, analyze what you’re doing and make adjustments until the weight loss comes back.

It’s not okay. It’s not the new normal. It’s not something you are doomed to for the rest of your life. I used to feel like there was no way out of being overweight. I thought that since everywhere I looked there were fat people, I just fit in. I began to believe it was normal. I told others and myself that I was okay with it. That was all until one day that I decided that enough was enough.

It came after months of people talking to me, imploring me to do something about my health. These little tips came from all directions: family, friends, and even gaming friends online I’ve never met in person (thanks, Johan!). It came after being uncomfortable, being embarrassed over not being able to sit in a booth in a restaurant, or feeling the stares of the “normal” sized people around me. It all came crashing down and I finally decided to do something about it.

The bottom line is that I stopped accepting being overweight. I began to set my mind to getting healthy. The best benefit of eating healthy is that my weight came down naturally, and surprisingly fast. I wasn’t in a race to lose weight, yet I lost weight quickly. I set aggressive goals for myself, but these were more of a means to an end than a single goal. I knew that losing size was just as important as were getting better results on my blood tests at the doctor’s office and getting fit (after I began running).

If you are overweight, unhealthy, or unfit, then it’s up to you to stop accepting your condition as okay and normal. Only you can change your habits and lifestyle to get healthy, to lose weight, and to get fit. Being fat is not normal. Being fat is not okay. Being fat is not conducive to having a long life.

Fat people need love too. They need someone to tell them like it is. They don’t need people sugar coating things (ha!) or making false promises. They don’t need quick-fix promises. They need to know that nutrition is the key, and that exercise is what gets the heart healthy.