Thursday, September 21, 2023

How I lost 100 pounds by being honest



 Hello pals of this blog on how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass or weight loss drugs. Today, as part of my September Weight Loss Challenge: Back to Basics, I'm going to segue around the basic  I'm stressing, namely the importance of the 1200 calorie diet, to look for a moment at the essence of honesty.

Part of how I lost 100 pounds was by being honest, about how my obesity was making me look, feel and behave. I follow the gastric bypass reality show "My 600-lb Life" because there are so many lessons to be learned on weight loss, obesity and what I call "fatitude" (unhealthy mindsets that keep us fat). And one thing that's missing in the lives of those of us who are overweight, is honesty. 

"My 600-lb Life" shows patients hoping for gastric bypass surgery, avoiding, exaggerating, downplaying and lying about weight gain to doctors and to themselves. Most are convinced they're not really that overweight, that their obesity is someone else's fault, that they don't overeat, that they look and feel better being way overweight, etc. That HAES (healthy at every size) movement (while having some merit) does perpetuate some of those dangerous myths.  

I've been normal to small most of my life. I spiraled into obesity after birthing two stillborn babies. The more overweight I got the less honest I became about it. No one needed to tell me that I looked obese and old. I could see it when I was able to admit it. No one shamed me for being overweight. HAES says we are guilted by society into feeling ugly and that if we just change our mind about how we feel and think, it will fix everything. 

In my case, that didn't work. What worked was admitting that I felt ugly being overweight. That it was making me sick and I didn't like it. That I was making a lot of excuses and was ashamed of that. Once I removed the blinders and started that 1200 calorie diet, I was able to lose weight pretty easily. I've kept most of it off. And that, not trying to convince myself it's all good, it what makes me feel better. 

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