My Top Ten Keys to Weight Loss Success - #1: The Motivation to Start
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dksmith20110
Posts: 35 Member
Hey all,
Today was a big milestone for me: loss of 75 lbs. so far. Yay!! It has been a long, long journey, but I still need to lose at least another 125 lbs. I have been pondering what the keys have been to my success so far and thought I would share what has been working for me. Hope it may help someone else. I started at 386.8 lbs. and now sitting at 311.4 lbs. If you are in this group and are over 300 lbs., I get it. I understand you because I am you.
I could talk or write about this first topic a long time because it is the beginning and the ultimate key. Without it, your journey will never begin. That first key is the motivation to actually start the weight loss journey as well as the motivation to keep going. Let me get real here folks. We just keep plodding along, making excuses, and/or procrastinating (I'll do it tomorrow). We always have good intentions, but at some point, we have to get out of the gate and do it because if not, frankly we will die way too soon.
The key is that there has to be a point, a crisis experience, where we finally KNOW we MUST do it NOW! I wish now it had not taken me so long. I have been overweight for more than 20 years, and over 300 lbs. for at least 15 (probably more) of those years. In 2012, a cardiologist told me: "You are a ticking time bomb." And it still took me until April 2015 to finally reach my crisis moment. I had even gone to many health seminars offered by my company over the lunch hour about topics ranging from diabetes to healthy eating to stroke prevention. I acknowledged the facts I was hearing and even learned some new things, but still did nothing. Meanwhile my own health metrics got worse and worse: pre-diabetic, then diabetic, escalating A1C numbers, rising blood pressure, increasing weight, inflammation and pain in my joints, edema, poor circulation in my legs (venous insufficiency as it turned out), and more.
I had watched several episodes of the show "My 600 lb Life" saying "oh, those poor people" and it started to dawn on me that could be MY future if I don't do something. The big and tall store did not stock pants at the next waist size I would need, and I was barely squeezing into my 60 inch waist pants and 4x shirts. Besides my obvious health crisis (the numbers never lie and here is good reason they call diabetes the 'silent' killer), there were numerous quality of life issues caused by my obesity. I could write a book about those. These issues ranged from avoiding friends and family for years because they had last seen me at my normal weight (and I would not want to be embarrased to have them see me obese) to things like not being able to fit in a restaurant booth or a normal seat of any kind or a coach airplane seat. I'll save the extended list for another post. Anyway, despite all of this, I still lacked the motivation to start. However, I was right on the edge. I was ready, but I needed a push.
THANKFULLY, a nurse in my company's wellness center had not given up on me. I had not seen her in a while, or vice versa, then one day she saw me and mentioned they were having an 8-week diabetes seminar., once a week at lunch time. She probably mentioned it was a weight loss seminar with weigh ins, but I don't think I heard it. I thought I might as well go and check it out. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was primarily for weight loss to prevent or improve diabetic health! Anyway, that was the push I needed. I started my weight loss journey at that point, and also continued going to our wellness center every week to get weighed in. (Hint: accountability will be one of the other keys.) Anyway, that was the first step: realizing that it was no longer an option, that I MUST do it NOW! Staring death in the face and wondering if I would even make it to retirement in 10 or so years was what pushed me over the edge, and fortunately, someone was there to spur me on. Initially, I could not even exercise much due to my health issues, so had to start with diet alone. I was making a permanent lifestyle change which I know may sound insurmountable or overwhelming to some of you. But it isn't, especially when the alternative is (can I be this frank and honest here?)...death.
Maybe this will encourage you to start? If you have not started yet, please do it. If you have started, great! Let's support each other via this group.
I know it's hard. And you will have to develop a strategy and pace that works for you. There are ways to make this bearable. You don't have to eat beans, greens, and carrots all day long, though I recommend incorporating some of those into your plan.
Today was a big milestone for me: loss of 75 lbs. so far. Yay!! It has been a long, long journey, but I still need to lose at least another 125 lbs. I have been pondering what the keys have been to my success so far and thought I would share what has been working for me. Hope it may help someone else. I started at 386.8 lbs. and now sitting at 311.4 lbs. If you are in this group and are over 300 lbs., I get it. I understand you because I am you.
I could talk or write about this first topic a long time because it is the beginning and the ultimate key. Without it, your journey will never begin. That first key is the motivation to actually start the weight loss journey as well as the motivation to keep going. Let me get real here folks. We just keep plodding along, making excuses, and/or procrastinating (I'll do it tomorrow). We always have good intentions, but at some point, we have to get out of the gate and do it because if not, frankly we will die way too soon.
The key is that there has to be a point, a crisis experience, where we finally KNOW we MUST do it NOW! I wish now it had not taken me so long. I have been overweight for more than 20 years, and over 300 lbs. for at least 15 (probably more) of those years. In 2012, a cardiologist told me: "You are a ticking time bomb." And it still took me until April 2015 to finally reach my crisis moment. I had even gone to many health seminars offered by my company over the lunch hour about topics ranging from diabetes to healthy eating to stroke prevention. I acknowledged the facts I was hearing and even learned some new things, but still did nothing. Meanwhile my own health metrics got worse and worse: pre-diabetic, then diabetic, escalating A1C numbers, rising blood pressure, increasing weight, inflammation and pain in my joints, edema, poor circulation in my legs (venous insufficiency as it turned out), and more.
I had watched several episodes of the show "My 600 lb Life" saying "oh, those poor people" and it started to dawn on me that could be MY future if I don't do something. The big and tall store did not stock pants at the next waist size I would need, and I was barely squeezing into my 60 inch waist pants and 4x shirts. Besides my obvious health crisis (the numbers never lie and here is good reason they call diabetes the 'silent' killer), there were numerous quality of life issues caused by my obesity. I could write a book about those. These issues ranged from avoiding friends and family for years because they had last seen me at my normal weight (and I would not want to be embarrased to have them see me obese) to things like not being able to fit in a restaurant booth or a normal seat of any kind or a coach airplane seat. I'll save the extended list for another post. Anyway, despite all of this, I still lacked the motivation to start. However, I was right on the edge. I was ready, but I needed a push.
THANKFULLY, a nurse in my company's wellness center had not given up on me. I had not seen her in a while, or vice versa, then one day she saw me and mentioned they were having an 8-week diabetes seminar., once a week at lunch time. She probably mentioned it was a weight loss seminar with weigh ins, but I don't think I heard it. I thought I might as well go and check it out. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was primarily for weight loss to prevent or improve diabetic health! Anyway, that was the push I needed. I started my weight loss journey at that point, and also continued going to our wellness center every week to get weighed in. (Hint: accountability will be one of the other keys.) Anyway, that was the first step: realizing that it was no longer an option, that I MUST do it NOW! Staring death in the face and wondering if I would even make it to retirement in 10 or so years was what pushed me over the edge, and fortunately, someone was there to spur me on. Initially, I could not even exercise much due to my health issues, so had to start with diet alone. I was making a permanent lifestyle change which I know may sound insurmountable or overwhelming to some of you. But it isn't, especially when the alternative is (can I be this frank and honest here?)...death.
Maybe this will encourage you to start? If you have not started yet, please do it. If you have started, great! Let's support each other via this group.
I know it's hard. And you will have to develop a strategy and pace that works for you. There are ways to make this bearable. You don't have to eat beans, greens, and carrots all day long, though I recommend incorporating some of those into your plan.
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