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Monday, June 27, 2005

It's a Lifestyle Change

I am obese. I think that is the first time I have said that out loud. Looking at me, you would know, but I was always in self-denial about my weight issues. Nearly 2 ½ years ago, my former doctor talked with me about the option of having gastric bypass surgery. That was never an option for me. I wouldn’t allow it. I would rather have my obesity kill me before going that route. So we talked about diet plans (that I didn’t follow) and exercising (that I didn’t follow through on). I lost a little weight, but not a lot. Heck, I don’t think I’ve lost more than 10 pounds on any diet.

I don’t know how I stumbled upon Norris Chumley’s website, but he gave me a new hope, knowing that he lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off. I started receiving his weekly newsletter about a year and a half to two years ago. I desperately hoped to find some inspiration or motivation amongst his words, some little key to his success of losing weight. But I was doing this all wrong. I was desperately hoping to find inspiration in Norris Chumley’s words, when I really should have been finding inspiration and encouragement in God’s words. It is when I became intimate with God about my weight issues; I finally started to lose weight. It is through Him I have lost 27.9 pounds since the beginning of the year, 21.9 pounds since April 25, 2005 and I can proudly say I have kept that amount of weight off, and I am still losing weight. Yesterday I wore pants that I purchased for a trip in September of 2004 and at that time, they barely fit; now they nearly fall off my hips. I can climb the flight of stairs to my office without being out of breath by the time I reach the second floor. And, I feel healthier than ever before.

This time, it is different. It is not a diet; it is a lifestyle change. I can eat whatever I want to eat when I want to eat it…only if I am hunger. My cravings mean I am lacking something of nutritional value, and pretty much all junk food and processed food has been removed from my apartment. I no longer eat because I am bored; I sew, quilt, cross-stitch, write, or go for walks when I’m bored. I no longer eat when I am depressed; instead I go for a long drive, walk, or talk to a close friend. I no longer acknowledge the negative comments from people’s mouth, but only hear the encouragement of my close friends and fellow gym members. Everyone close knows I am serious about this journey. I had given up hope for a long time because on TV you always hear about obese people only losing weight through gastric bypass surgery. I am here to prove that weight loss can be done without going that route.