I Still Have Chronic Obesity (even a year into maintenance . . .)

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Replies

  • New_Heavens_Earth
    New_Heavens_Earth Posts: 610 Member
    Excellent post! I'm finally accepting that weight management is lifelong and takes time, not "get it off now so we can be done!". There is no done, just keeping the condition under control.
  • ministeramsee
    ministeramsee Posts: 2 Member
    Hello, MFP!

    So my one year anniversary for maintaining my 63 pound weight loss was back in August. I meant to post a "woohoo" post, but couldn't think of anything that I hadn't really said back when I originally hit maintenance. However, my husband is gone for work this month, and on Sunday night I went back to poor habits and pulled out my old friend, the tub of ice cream, for comfort. Half a carton of Blue Bell (don't believe the food logs, they only tell the story of my first go with the carton), a couple of days, and a couple of pounds of water weight (and not water weight . . . ) later, I began thinking about what happened.

    "Chronic obesity" is a phrase I've heard a number of times, and it has become a critical mindset me in order to help me maintain my weight. When I lost weight back in college, I thought of the weight as gone. But it wasn't. It was lurking. Waiting for me to let my guard down (which I did almost immediately, FYI) and then it sprang back in full force. This time around, I repeatedly make sure to tell myself that the weight may be gone, but the obesity isn't.

    I will always be obese.

    I will always need to weigh myself daily in order to monitor the trends in my symptoms.

    I will always need to count my calories in order to prevent my obesity from gradually building up like in the past.

    I will always need to eat mostly fiber-rich, protein-rich foods (and tons of veggies) in order to keep full so that I won't have a relapse.

    I will always need to watch for signs of flare-ups (such as the binge-session with the ice cream . . .) and respond accordingly by keeping an even closer eye on my symptoms.

    I will always need to exercise in order to allow myself to eat more calories and make it easier to manage my obesity.

    I will always need to plan my schedule in order to enable me to keep the routines that hold obesity at bay.

    I will always need to count calories, watch what I eat, exercise, watch my weight, plan my schedule, and manage my obesity in the present moment, because I know exactly what will happen if I do not: First, the weight will come back. Then I will gain more weight on top of that. Next, I will develop comorbidities such as Type II obesity (like members of my family), I will have heart attacks far too young (like the same members of my family), and I will be unable to do the things that I love and spend time with the people I love because I will have allowed my disease to control me instead of me controlling it.

    But I have an advantage: I know my disease. I know its patterns, its symptoms, its warning signs. I know how to fight it, treat it, and what I need to do every day in order to keep it from returning in full force. I will always be obese. I just strive to never be overweight again.

    This mindset helps enormously when I fail (such as last Sunday). Instead of my binge eating reflecting on me failing as a human, I view it as a flare-up. Flare-ups are inevitable with any disease. My job is to prevent them when possible and mitigate the consequences as much as I can. On Sunday night, I did not manage my disease wisely in that moment, but it's okay because I caught myself and I am watching my symptoms (e.g. weight, cravings, unhealthy mindsets) and making sure to ground myself in the routines that I know work to help me manage my obesity. In other words--I am returning to normal. Not the normal that everyone who doesn't have obesity enjoys, but I am returning to my normal. A normal that allows me to live the life God has given me to its fullest. A life that allows me to enjoy life now and later. A normal that I will need to maintain probably until the day I die and begin the life beyond this one.

    Thanks for reading!

    Oh, and I hit one year of maintenance! Woohoo!
    Perfectly worded, and I can totally relate. Thanks to years of yo-yo-ing and messing with my metabolism, I’ll never be a “thin person”, even though I am thin (enough 😂). A person who has never been overweight can eat a lot more than a formerly overweight thin person. It’s just a fact, and thankfully can be managed - just as OP described in this great post.

  • ministeramsee
    ministeramsee Posts: 2 Member
    I'm a new member for the second time. This is the first time looking at the blog section. I was looking for the word obesity, because I feel someone who has the same condition as I have I can relate too. This blog spoke to me and I can relate. I have made so many attempts to lose weight and I continued to fall off the wagon. But not this time. I have decided is a lifestyle change and it will continue to be for the rest of my life.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    I'm a new member for the second time. This is the first time looking at the blog section. I was looking for the word obesity, because I feel someone who has the same condition as I have I can relate too. This blog spoke to me and I can relate. I have made so many attempts to lose weight and I continued to fall off the wagon. But not this time. I have decided is a lifestyle change and it will continue to be for the rest of my life.

    Welcome back aboard the wagon. Could you hang onto my foot as I'm dangling over the edge?
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