Saturday, May 29, 2021

How I lost 100 pounds when obesity is easier and weight loss is harder


 Hey guys and dolls! Tis moi, back from the brink of Covid 19 (that's an exaggeration...we only had "mild" cases but they sure were long and complicated LOL). I just had lovely conversations with grandkiddos and I'm revved up on good juju and rarin to go! 

And with Covid 19 pretty much under control, I'm back to sharing tips on how I lost 100 pounds. Today's post is advice in the negative, meaning what not to do to avoid obesity and/or lose weight. Nod to "My 600-lb Life" for ideas. 

I've been thinking a lot about why obesity is such a (pun intended) huge issue now compared to oh, say, 1982, when I graduated. Why are SO many more people overweight and even "My 600-lb Life" obese? Well, as we age, it's harder to lose weight. But why are even teens obese and seeking gastric bypass weight loss surgery?

The culprit, in a word, is food: more choices, more bad options and WAAAAY more availability. When I was a kid, grocery orders were smaller. Portion sizes were smaller. You didn't have cupboards, fridges and freezers crammed with junk. No wonder obesity is so common now! I remember once, ONCE, my mom bought a box of Twinkies. That was about it for the snack cakes. We got A box of cookies occasionally. 

And don't even get me started on fast food and how it's breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. You can't NOT get overweight eating at McDonald's all the time. Oh sure, there are salads but I'd lay money that 99% ignore them and order the American diet: burgers, fries and pop, all supersize. That people are queueing up for gastric bypass on "My 600-lb Life" says we have a problem, Houston!

Everyone goes out to eat all the time, it seems. That was the big bitch in Covid 19 pandemic, that restaurants were closed. Gasp! People had to do what we did every day when my kids were young: cook! At home! Using real food! I'm not bragging...okay maybe just a little, but we were able to lose weight during the pandemic (when lots of people were gaining) because we couldn't go to the Chinese buffet. And yanno what? We really didn't miss it. 

And don't get me started on how real food ISN'T! I'm a Shipt shopper and I see firsthand that amount of SHIpT people buy. Lots of frozen and pre-packaged. Little lettuce. Few carrots. No cabbage. It's pathetic how processed food dependent we are. Oh, I'll admit, I was too. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to nix the snack addiction. 

And on that note, snacks: when did they become meals?? What we consider dinner now is basically just pub grub: pizza, nachos, wings. Or tailgate food. Obviously all this junk food becoming the norm makes weight loss imuch harder. You literally trip over bad food choices and have to hunt up good ones. 

So how do we avoid getting overweight? How do we lose weight in this chaos? Is gastric bypass the only answer? NOOOO!!! Said it before and I'll say it again: it's about mind over platter, one bite at a time. Is it difficult? Eh, I lost 100 pounds, and challenging is the word I'd use. But who doesn't love a challenge, right? It's good for us, esp. us oldies...keeps us young! 

Love you guys, more than you know! So make good choices, k? And remember, I'm pullin' for ya! 


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