It’s been quite a while since I started my blog – which originally began as a small side project to share my challenges and achievements along life’s path.
One of those challenges is weight loss (or the lack thereof) which has been something I’ve struggled with for years. Like many people, I have become subject to the yo-yo trend that sees big losses for a while followed by big gains. It’s something that I’ve tried to fix – but the weight loss, weight gain, and freak out cycle has just continued. So much so that I’ve come to know it as weight loss acrobatics – essentially the inability to maintain a healthy weight, healthy lifestyle, and eating habits along with it.
Over the past five years, there have been three significant yet separate instances where I focused on weight loss and achieved serious results. Twenty plus pounds lost, 30+ pounds lost, and most recently (last year), about 30 pounds lost again. Unfortunately all of that weight was gained back and then some…
This past week, on January 1, 2018, I weighed in at my heaviest ever – a whopping 268 pounds (whopping because my ideal weight, given my 6’2″ height, is 190-200).
This time, for whatever reason, something clicked. Perhaps it was a culmination of the numbers on my scale in front of me, my doctor’s high cholesterol diagnosis, and my general unfitness in everyday life. Perhaps it was also the realization that I could no longer run the 5, 10, and 15Ks I had in the past – in fact, even a walk through the park was challenging. Or maybe it was just the right time in my life’s journey to assess, understand, and do something different versus reliving the insanity of the past.
And so that was the impetus for a shift in my approach to weight loss. Keep in mind it’s been only a week, so while I have started changing habits and altering my approaches, I’m nowhere near done. In fact, I’m focused on the change of lifestyle itself, not the latest dieting fad or exercising myself to death. What comes from this change of events must be sustainable and continue for years to come.
I’ll be chronicling my journey on my blog – on a weekly basis – intent on covering the ups and downs, successes and failures, and ultimately the learnings and experiences taken from the journey. Feel free to comment and share along the way…