When I initially started this journey I knew it would be hard. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when it comes to health is they are fixated on losing weight. We are literally bombarded in the media about supplements, pills, some new revolutionary exercise where you are suppose to 10 lbs in 7 days. FALSE folks! There is no such thing. When we approach health in that way, I think it is a set up for disaster. Anyone can lose weight if they create enough of a caloric deficit (more on that later), but to truly get healthier and keep it off…that is a lifestyle change. Meaning the way that you thought about and interacted with food and the way you envision healthy has to change.
The first thing we had to tackle in our home was the food. The years of sweets, artificial colors, preservative laden, calorie dense food had to go. It was nothing short of a miracle when I didn’t die from throwing all that precious food out with the trash. Having an active toddler who suffers from food allergies, we had to do our due diligence and create a healthier kitchen for us if not for her. So out went the chips, the Oreos, the ice cream, the donuts, and the one thing that hurt me to my heart….the SWEET TEA! I could have easily given up all that other stuff but the southern sweet tea that had enough sugar to send a diabetic to heaven….Lawd….take me now I just can’t take it!
Ok so I wasn’t that dramatic but pretty close. Mr. S was not feeling the fact that the tea was gone but as I said before…this had to be a lifestyle change! Off to Costco I went and stocked up on bananas, blueberries, strawberries, apples, oranges, tomatoes, hummus, and salad mix. Now this is where it gets hairy. The kid will eat just about anything that has some sweetness to it and she has always been a fruit baby! Mr. S….well not so much! So out with the junk and in with the salad and fruits!
The next morning, in the dead of the July Hell Heat, I started off on my health journey walking, albeit slowly, about 2 miles in my neighborhood. Initially, I thought how easy until all those rolling hills started kicking my ass! Needless to say for the next week my legs were a throbbing mess, I was a pool of sweat and I had to shed a few tears by body hurt so bad.
Now hold your breath because yes I am going to disclose my actual weight…yes the real number. I realize that people have reservations telling their number but I don’t. The truth is at one time or another I was that weight. The truth is that while I hate that I let myself get there, I did. The most important thing is that I chose to change it.
I started this journey at ……….300 lbs give or take a few pounds….I can not begin to tell you how embarrassed I was to be that heavy.
Here is my 300 lbs pic….
So remember this is where I started and we’ll see where I go 🙂
Til Next Time
Ro
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