10 steps to show that the first 40 lbs IS about the food

mjfhorsey

How do you finally come to terms with the fact that losing weight and overall body composition is about 80% food?

1) Get older and don't change your life style, exercise, eating habits

2) Uh oh I am gaining weight (getting to 200 pounds at 5' 3") what is going on ? I must exercise more

3) Mid 30's ...start running. Woo hoo! 5k runs are fun once you get a trainer! Good I get to eat how I like and not gain! Hmm...why am I not losing with all this running?

4) Mid 30's continued...keep running. Must add miles...Now do 10k and half marathon! Dang my hips and thighs are TIGHT! Too bad I still weigh about 190! What the heck is going on I thought all this exercise was going to burn off this fat.

5) Hmmm....move away to another town that has lots of HILLS....nope not running up and down all those hills. Ok try the better eating and stick to the gym exercise machines. Besides....my knees in my late 30's are starting to make crunchy noises.

6) Ok now this stinks...I don't have enough time to go the gym so many days in a week and running is not as good of an option anymore. The doctor where I get a physical says "you are going to get too old to be running like that anyway". Not very encouraging for a doctor, huh.

7) Late 40's (10 years later now!)...do a low carb eating plan. Very strict, no more than 40 grams carbs a day. Get used to it after having to give up on the junk food. Cry over the fact that I cannot eat crap like food anymore and have enough time and energy in the day to be good at everything I want to be able to do. Also concerned that in the work place, fat women are not necessarily well thought of. Subconsciously of course...no one deliberately says you are over weight so you must be a low energy, low contributor but they may think it.

8) Lose 30 pounds on the low carb. Hey! I actually like looking at my face in the mirror! I stopped avoiding the mirror because not only was my face fat, but it is starting to look older so it was not me who I thought I was looking at every day.

9) Get noticed at work. Lose 10 more pounds. Get a promotion. I kid you NOT! Yes, Virginia, the very same person doing the same job, now getting recognized. Why is that? I am not going to worry about it...I like the way I feel in my clothes now and having to buy a new wardrobe including belts and underwear and coats which is really crazy.

10) Ok now try living on this plan forever because I don't want it to come back. Yes, my food routine is boring. Yes, I don't get the goodies I used to eat. I try to look at it like I got 40+ years to do that, now it's time to be good to the body. Steps 8, 9 and 10 my activity level was largely unchanged - no extra gym days, no running. All I changed was food.

Those were my 10 steps but took about 15 years from start to finish and now I believe it when someone says it's mostly about the food!

paygep

great post, good perspective. and congrats on your success