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| I was miserable here. My heaviest weight, and you can see it in just my eyes. I take up almost the entire door. |
Yeserday, a new survey/study showed that the obesity rate of women rose to 40%. Forty flippin' percent. That is HIGH. Even though BMI is not the be all end all, that is still a high number.
There are many different reasons we are obese at this high of a rate. I think most of it has to do with food and office jobs. Our lifestyles have us on the go, eating crazy processed packaged foods, with little time to actually pay attention to ourselves.
Even if you don't have high blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood glucose levels right now if you're overweight or obese, eventually that crap catches up with you. At 246 pounds my blood work came back in the normal range with the exception of my Vitamin D levels. No duh there, I'm never in the sun I turn into lobster woman.
The truth is, even with nothing back on the blood work my weight was still effecting me. I couldn't even walk a mile without getting winded. I had heartburn every night. My ankle would swell if I did too much walking, and I just felt generally uncomfortable around other people because of my size.
Our bodies are not made to carry that much extra weight. It causes a lot of stress on our spines and joints.
Admitting that we have a problem with our weight can be extremely difficult. It can be embarrassing. It can be difficult to admit that we don't have the information we need to change it. Embarrassing to say "I really don't know where to start". With all the gimmicks and plans out there it can make you feel like you're swimming in an endless sea and lord knows which one will work for you. Embarrassing to ask for help.
It can be a serious hit to our PRIDE to step up and say we need help with something like our food or fitness. Others in your life may make it look so simple to do but for you it might be one of the most difficult things. I know for me it's not just deciding that I'm going to do it. I have to work at it every single day.
Then there is the fear:
What if I fail again?
What if I still don't like how I look?
What if it doesn't help my high blood pressure, back pain, etc.?
What if?
Those "what if's" are terrifying.
But let me start: My name is Shannah, I am almost 31. I have a problem with food. I eat when I am stressed and when I am bored and I eat when we have something yummy in the house just because I know it tastes good. Sometimes I want a sweet so bad I will go out of my way to bake. When I start eating things like that, I find it difficult to stop. In that moment and even later on I may continue to make poor food choices for a day, a week, or even a month.
I tried and failed Weight Watchers at least four times. I tried and failed calorie counting probably just as many.
On my honeymoon I was 220 pounds and I could barely fit into the plane seat or buckle the belt. It latched but barely. I may have been three months pregnant but the truth is that it was just baby weight and 20 of those pounds I had gained in the three months before because I had been trying to lose weight prior to pregnancy but used pregnancy as an excuse to eat what I wanted. My thigh rubbed against the person next to me on the plane and it was embarrassing.
By the time I went into labor I was 260 pounds.
It would be a year later that I finally could admit to someone I didn't know, that I needed help and I sought out my doctor. I didn't believe I could do it because I never had before.
Asking for help was hard. I didn't believe in myself. But I tried. I was willing to give it one last shot. I was embarrassed to admit I needed help. I was a grown woman for crying out loud how could I not control my eating? But I did it, because frankly I was tired of heartburn every night and being so physically uncomfortable.
I am here for you. I understand how difficult it can be. It is scary and it is hard. Changing our lives, changing our eating habits, our exercise habits, it's hard. We have to fit it in with work and family. Sometimes we are lucky enough to have family members on board and sometimes they just don't want to do it too.
The cost can be worrisome. Will my grocery bill be higher? Do I have that money to spend? I ask you, how much is your deductible and co-pays for that surgery you may need down the line? How much is a visit to the chiropractor? Heartburn meds? Blood pressure meds? Insulin?
The time can be difficult to figure out. Kids. Family. Work. But you CAN fit it in. 30 minutes a day. That's all you need, and not even every day of the week! Healthy meals take no longer than any other meal to cook and there are many affordable options out there.
It is scary. It an be embarrassing. It is difficult.
It can be done. Don't wait for a better time. There is NEVER a better time.
However, I am here to help.
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