I suppose you may have wondered why there has not been a column appearing in the paper lately. I went on vacation and missed the deadline for submitting that week's column. The second time that I missed the deadline was on purpose ...
No, it does not mean that I've given up. In fact, I merely took a brief hiatus to gather my thoughts and nurse my injuries. Additionally, that popular proverbial saying, "I've fallen off the wagon" barreled itself at me at lightning-like speed. So, at the time, it seemed pointless to write an "inspiring" column when I felt super discouraged and very disappointed.
I was very discouraged because of my injuries, weight gain and gorging on a massive binge-fest. This all led to being very disappointed in myself. I had all sorts of emotions in my head. Anger and frustration were abundant. I confided in some friends regarding my "road block." It turns out that they, too, felt discouraged about their weight loss journey.
I even thought a little about giving up totally. As I was writing this column, I had a fleeting thought of "why bother?" So, as I read through my rough draft again, I suddenly decided to continue. It was like having an epiphany. I thought, "What am I doing?" Giving up is certainly an 'easy' option, but not to me. I want to finish what I started - the path to a healthy me.
"Falling off the wagon" is a huge cyclical complication that creeps up and can detour a person from their goals. It can range from not exercising anymore to raiding the fridge. So, I fell off the wagon. More importantly, what am I going to do about it?
Simple ... get back on it! If I let that disappointment and frustration fester, it will be sure to devour me. I need to rethink my plan, goals and implementation. So, I gained weight ... big deal! It will come off again. In the last column (Aug. 30), I weighed 300 pounds. My recent weight is 303 pounds. That isn't really that bad, if you think about it. In this past month, I have exercised, I was in the midst of a binge-fest and I was nursing two bad feet. I gained 3 pounds. Big deal! It could be worse.
I had a chat with another friend of mine the other day who wants to be healthier, too. We got some paper and reference books together. We proceeded to write down some ideas regarding how we could help each other. Some of our ideas ranged from buying whole foods (nothing processed), eating several small meals a day (supplementing with healthy snacks), and lots of fruits and veggies. We all know none of these concepts are new, however, it is a small reminder to perhaps provide a boost in energizing ourselves to make that difference in our lives.
So, what did I do? I've called in the calvary (my support team). I threw away the cheese curls. I went to the grocery store and sticked up on those fruits and veggies. I have rekindled that new passion that I had in the first place.
It is a great idea to involve several friends in on the concept of losing weight and build a healthier "you." In fact, another friend of mine and I are hooking up to exercise. The more the merrier is key to a great support team and healthy living.
I can't tell you how proud I am of myself. I can only fathom how disappointed and upset with myself I would be if I did not continue this adventure. I know how close I was to give up on everything. If this whole process were easy, there would likely be no obesity. Losing weight can be an incredibly difficult task. It takes courage, strength, stamina and that deliberate passion to make it happen. Like I've said before, it does not happen immediately. I just need to remember that even the little changes do make a difference; especially that decision not to quit. There is too much at stake ... my health is my main concern.
So ... on goes the process in which ... two ... four ... six ... eight ... MOTIVATE TO LOSE WEIGHT! Until next time ...
Casi Stewart can be reached by e-mail at casichilstew@yahoo.com. A Weighty Issue appears every other Monday on the Life page.
