Why did I let myself get fat?

Why did I let myself get fat?

I didn’t even see myself as fat. It’s true, I didn’t see it coming until one day I looked in a full length mirror and WOW, which was a shock and wake up call. I was immediately embarrassed and really taken back by what I saw. That day was a changing day but nothing happened. I wasn’t ready to admit that was me and I wasn’t prepared to make any changes. So there I was, feeling weird about myself and not knowing what to do.

My wife, Kathy, had gain weight too. She was the first to make a move in a positive direction. Kathy answer was to get up at 5:30 in the morning and exercise for a half hour. Not me, I didn’t know there were two 5:30’s in a day! She got up everyday and exercised while everyday I stayed in bed. I had no motivation.  This went on for 6 months, literally, but that spring Kathy and I made plans to build a deck on our back area of the house. Two weeks of heat and work outside was what I needed. I had lost some weight and began wanting to lose more. I got up with her and the dog dragged me around the neighborhood while Kathy walked on the treadmill.  The dog walked me all summer early in the morning. One day I tried running and whoa, that was hard. My lungs, my heart and my body rejected me right them there! The following week I tried again, same thing, so I figured I’m too old to run and walking is people my age should do. As the summer passed I lost some more weight and I felt much better than I had in years. As the fall the came around, I moved my routine indoors and we bought an elliptical machine so we could each have a machine to use and to switch off every other day.  Man we worked that room every morning at 5:30 and it was OUR routine now and I looked forward to it and the days I didn’t want to get up but Kathy did and I felt guilty. She inspired me!

I knew I had to make better choices of my eating habits. Mainly, any changes had to be good since I ate anything and everything! And if it was sweet, I had 2-3-5 pieces. I didn’t realize I was addicted to food. Food an addiction? That was a new concept. I began buying books on foods and calories.  That was okay for a time and then I wasn’t losing any more weight and yet I was still fat! My BMI was still at 32 and my waist size was 44. A colleague of mine, Gary Thomas, told me about what he was doing and he was eating twice as much I and losing weight! I wanted to learn about that plan. It was Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman. It’s a great book that talks about food addiction and how to break that addiction in your life.

I began the 6 week challenge and found that the pounds came off and each week was journey of finding new foods and the more I ate the more weight came off. At the end of 6 weeks, I had lost 24 pounds and they have stayed off! (It’s been close to 2 years now). That was the motivating factor in completing my weight lost journey. I started eating more raw foods, hardly any processed foods and exercise was a way of life. I decided early on I wasn’t going for a certain weight but rather I wanted my body to determine what my ideal weight would be. That took off any pressure to reach a number (real or unreal). After several more weeks I landed and have stayed the same since. I have heavier days and I have lighter days but I remain the same in a given month. I’m trying new foods all the time, experimenting with tastes and textures, started growing sprouts, juicing veggies. Life is great and I’m excited about the life style Kathy and I now have. We share this journey together even though Kathy still eats meat on a regular basis. We respect each other’s needs and desires. In reality, Kathy eats pretty much everything I eat and doesn’t venture out of the program very often.  As a couple, this is our hobby, something we do together and exercising is a part of our daily lives. We live a healthy life together!

The bottom line here is that you too, can lose the weight. Over time I realized why I became fat, I was under stress and didn’t like where I was in life. Food suppressed the hurt I had inside. I had to make changes and fixed certain areas of my life. Some of those changes were very hard and took time to complete. It’s not an overnight fix here and it is not a diet and that do and then go off of, you are starting a new life of energy, fitness, and longevity. I look forward to future with no cancer, no aches and pains and arthritis, which is in my family and I have, does not hurt and stop me from becoming and doing anything I want. LIFE IS GOOD!

To your health,

Bill