Five years ago today, I weighed exactly what I weigh today, and that's not a good thing. I weighed so much, on August 3, 2020, that when I rolled out of bed, I felt so badly about myself that I took it upon myself to be the warrior I needed to be, and I forced myself to do something about the fat I hated, and I wasn't nice about it. I told myself I was heavy, too heavy, and I would eat correctly, drink the water I needed to drink, exercise, and I would make my body do what science said it would do. Let me say this: it worked.
Two months after I began, I had lost enough weight, enough pounds, that I continued my fight against fat, and I didn't let up. If anything, I doubled down. I made more time for walking, less time for eating, and I put myself on a very strict diet of what I felt was healthy and nutritious. I did not, did not, did not, starve myself. I didn't give up sugar; I just reduced it. I didn't give up carbs; I just reduced them. I didn't give up drinking alcohol because I didn't drink it to begin with. I never have really.
Today, being the same weight I was, I had to think back on the past five years and show myself what it was that happened, and where it was that I went off track - it happened. I'm right back to where I was. Naturally, to avoid yo-yoing back and forth, I began exploring the various ways people choose to lose weight today, as opposed to 2020. I see too many advertisements for Ozempic and other drugs. I see all the AI-generated celebrity commercials touting the pink salt diet, and I know enough to know that putting a bunch of salt into your system is stupid. Do not do it!
Why spend $$$ on a drug that hasn't been tested long enough? Didn't we find out that the COVID-19 vaccine was useless, and in fact harmful? It wasn't tested very long, and they were rolling it out, begging us, even paying us to take it. You have to wonder about anything the government is forcing people to use or take without testing and without first knowing the results or effects of it.
The same can be said for all the superfast remedies they're claiming to be effective. A woman on the air claimed to have lost 28 pounds in just two weeks. Honey, if you can say that, you're both a liar and a fool. Taking anything into your body that could cause such a dramatic change is foolish - and probably dangerous. (Besides, i hate it when I click on a link to learn about a product and 30 minutes later they're still giving their personal backstory about how they found the miracle cure.)
Having surgery to remove fat would be fast and effective, but the aftermath, including the healing process and the routine you'd need to keep up, isn't quick. That's expensive, life-altering, and very few people can do it. So, where did I go wrong? How did I end up right back where I am today? I can tell you the exact day it started. It was July 15, 2024. I was literally quite healthy, happy, and trim right up until that time, and for a while longer, but over the next year, from the time I first hurt myself, I grew larger and larger, and not being able to exercise didn't help. I should have seen it. If I can't exercise, I don't need to eat as much as I did. The portions were growing, and so was I.
On July 15, 2024, my daughter and I moved from an upstairs apartment to a house. We did most of the move ourselves, and that's where things went wonky. I should never have believed that saving a few hundred dollars was worth the stress and strain I put on my knees, back, shoulders, and neck. My entire body paid for that mistake, and it will never have to go through that again. I can assure you that.
I woke up today. I recalled the date from five years back, and I knew something must be done. I have almost recovered from my injuries, but the year-old comforting and overeating to make myself feel better was another huge mistake. It has cost me, and I have to set down the laws again, not only with myself, but with the truth. I'm not 58, I'm 63. I'm not young, I'm not healthy, I'm not as mobile as I was, and with my sciatica ramping up the way it does because of my injury (I missteped a stair and really did myself in) I have less opportunties to walk; to do what I did before to lose the 57 pounds I had lost before.
You see famous people touting the pink salt thing. You hear how they lost weight, how they kept it off, and so forth. It's not true. Your body (ask your doctor) wasn't made to take in that much sodium. Baking soda has zero nutritional value and will not kickstart your metabolism. Read! Google it! Study, don't listen to some washed-up talk show host who has the money to get the surgeries. Do your own homework! Cheyenne pepper is great for seasoning, but can burn a hole in your gut if you overuse it. Don't overuse it. Ginger is strong too, as is apple cider vinegar; the acids are what these people are banking on to drive out stubborn fat. It just doesn't work that way.
The older we get, the harder it gets. If the goal is to be svelte and look like you did when you were 22, that's not a good goal. It's not realistic, and when you fail, it can only hurt you. Instead, be realistic. Be truthful, thoughtful, and honest with yourself. Become aware of the foods that help and the foods that hurt. You may have developed an allergy to some foods over time, and your body could be pre-diabetic. Talk to your doctor before doing anything crazy. Let them know what you want, and work together to make it happen. You deserve it; you're the only you you'll ever be.
So, long story short: I'm pitching the empty calories, which will save me 400-600 calories a day at least. I'm not drinking anything caffeinated (a little green tea) and I'm adding more water, more protein, more good carbs, fish, and veggies to the mix. I love carrot juice, so that will have to satisfy the sweet tooth in my head. Grapes are great too, but they are apt to get in the way of my overall goals. I want to lose the weight, but not to model a bikini; nothing so dramatic. I want to get out of bed...not roll out of it. Believe me, there is a difference.
Be kind to yourself, you are the best friend you have.
Photo Credit: Pinterest.com
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