Losing weight...a tough problem for anyone! Statistics show that over 50% of the American people are overweight, and, I didn't want to be part of that club, so I had to lose weight!
Growing up, I was always a skinny kid, so weight was never a problem. I was so skinny that I would have to run around in the shower to get wet! (just kidding)
I come from a skinny family of four brothers and five sisters and none had a weight problem and neither did my parents who were also average build. Later in my adult years, I was always of average build and stood about six feet tall and 170 pounds, and I kept that weight for many years. During my lifetime, I have never been a heavy eater...once in a while, I would just throw down a heard of cattle here...or a bakery there! (Just kidding)
But for a few weeks, I noticed something was not right with me! I didn't feel right...I felt listless overweight bloated not sleeping right weary and just pain awful! My clothes were not fitting right I was a little short-tempered...something was wrong, and I had to find out what it was! And, I found out what the problem was alright, when I went to my doctor to take my annual physical examination...and boy, did I find out!
One of my big concerns, were the clothes not fitting right. Clothes are not cheap in this greedy society, and I didn't want to buy a whole new wardrobe!
For years, I had weighed about 170 pounds...and when I got on the scale at the doctor's office, I weighed in at a whopping 209 pounds! I was shocked! I was astonished! Forty pounds over what I had weighed! The first thing that hit me between the eyes was the feeling of depression! How could it happen? How could I weigh so much? Awful thoughts began to cross my mind, and psychologically is where I felt it most right away, and awful thoughts like the following:
* I was going to have to buy two tickets on the bus...maybe three!
* When I dived into the ocean, and all the water would come out!
* The post office would now give me my own zip code!
* Instead of me jogging around the block...neighbors would jog around ME!
* I would now answer to the nicknamces of fatso and lard-ass!
All this was terrifying to me, and I had to do something fast! I never weighed this much in my entire life...not even close! 209 pounds? I felt like I had just been hit in the stomach...a VERY large stomach! There are those who read this account that may think that 209 pounds is small potatoes...but, it was large potatoes to me, and before I got off that scale, I knew the weight was going to come off, and I didn't care if it took a year...two years...three years or longer!
But, how? How was going to lose 40 pounds? I knew nothing about diets...I knew nothing about weght loss! After I left the doctor's office, my first stop was to buy a bathroom scale, because I have never needed one. And, sure enough, when I got home, I jumped on that scale and it read 209 pounds! I was sick! I thought to myself that people would be looking and talking about me...calling me names! For the first time, I knew what overweight people go through!
There are millions of books on the shelves on weight loss! I had no idea where to start. I had to take a couple of days to think things out! I got a yellow pad and started scratching down some ideas and I listed the following:
Attitude: Attitude is everything! I thought attitude could be the most important issue in all this. I must stay away from my cry-baby attitude, and stay motivated and enthusiastic about the business at hand. I knew it was going to take some time, so I had to stay inspired. Like anything else, it was going to take, patience determination discipline comittment sacrifice and lots of agony and crying on my part.
Patience: The next decision was to be patient from beginning to end. Losing all this weight was going to take time...I thought it would take over 6 months for sure. I quit smoking 30 years ago, and there was no magic dust, so there would be no magic dust losing weight either. Once I decided on patience, I could settle down a bit, because I was ready to take-off!
Books pills malts, etc. Next, I decided to make my own rules. The thought of books, pills malts and magic dust were thrown out the window. Like quitting smoking, this adventure would not be easy. (With the money saved, I could go out and have a nice dinner...just kidding) If my game plan didn't work out, THEN I would go out and buy the things necessary to lose the weight.
Moderation: Next, came the idea of moderation. I would eat everything I ever ate...but less of it! I would cut all portions in half! Instead of eating two eggs for breakfast...just one. Instead, of eating two slices of pizza...just one slice. Instead, of eating a whole apple...cut it in half and save the other half for a rainy day, etc. Like my mother, I have a sweet tooth, and I love sweet things like candy cake pies and all these things were going to have to be cut in half, too! (boo-hoo). By doing it this way, I would maintain the quality of life I always came to enjoy, only I would now have HALF the enjoyment I had before. (boo-hoo) This way, I could have my cake and eat it too! (forget I said that)
Water diet: Years ago, I heard something about a water diet of some sort, but I knew nothing about it. Parents usually will not let their kids eat candy or sweet things before a meal, because they will fill themselves with water, and won't eat the meal. Sounds logical to me. So, I decided to drink a full glass of water before a meal, so I would fill up and eat less.
A pound a week: The thought of losing 40 pounds was overwhelming to me! So, I decided to get rid of that thought, which I think is important. Instead, I would think of losing a pound a week, which sounds much better than losing 40 pounds! I'm only an aspiring rocket scientist, but if my math is right, it would take 40 weeks to lose 40 pounds! (is my math correct?) That's about how long it took me to quit smoking, so the tough journey would begin! (boo-hoo) Diabetes: I am scared to death of diabetes! I have known two people who have died from the disease. Before they both died (in their early 50's), they both had a leg amputated and they both were blind when they died! They were both in their early 50's. And, as I learned a little about diabetes (see Diabetes On The Rise), it all starts from being overweight and diabetes is 95% preventable, according to the article! I was going to get this weight off...period!
Over the next weeks and months, the bathroom scale became my best friend and I got on it all the time, checking to see if there was any good news! There was! Just think, I lost a pound right away after I got a haircut (just kidding) I couldn't wait to get started. This was going to be the mother of all sob stories...but, I was ready for the challenge! Discipline! I remember back when I quit smoking...it required discipline! So, I got started...
Everything I ate would be cut in half, and by the end of the month, I lost three pounds...YAHOO! I started making progress right away, and I was enthusiastic and I couldn't wait to get on the scale each day! A few weeks later, i went under the 200 pound mark and I was jumping for joy! I thought my game plan was working!
I have a big advantage over many people, because I have been walking and jogging about 15 miles a week for over 20 years, so I knew this was helping me to lose weight! If I pigged out one week, I would just add about five miles to my work-out and sweat out the good times! Week after week, I stayed with it...a pound here and a pound there...it was slow going, but I was now feeling pretty good about myself! It was a long roller-coaster ride...190 pounds...back up to 192 pounds...down to 188 pounds...back up and so forth! But, ever so slowly, I was winning the battle...and, it was also the attitude that was also so important! I knew I could do it!
At the six month mark, I was down to 185 pounds! And, getting down below the 180 pound mark was the tough part...it took me over three months to do it! Up and down...up and down...up and down...frustration set in! I FINALLY got my weight down below 180 pounds, and and kept it there...I couldn't be more proud...a pound a week for forty weeks! I DID It! Hooray!
When I went back for a physical exam the following year, my doctor asked me, "You've lost a lot of weight over the past year...was this due to illness or did you lose it intentionally?"
I JUST SMILED!
NOTE: The weight was lost in the year 2000, and in the year 2006, I still weigh about 165-170 and I have never been over 180 pounds. And, I think that's because it took time to get the weight off, as the body adusted.
Jerry Aragon Copyright 2006 humordoctormd.homestead.com |
