I have been waiting to post something until I felt like I was losing weight. I am currently at 275. A bit up from what I was at this time last year. I was feeling down until I read a blog from the trucker in Fat, Sick and Nearly dead. He talked about re gaining the weight that he had lost and about his struggle to hide his gain and exclude himself from life.
It is darn hard to be an overweight person. Many lean people may say that we do it to ourselves and I don't disagree but there is much more to it than being lazy and choosing to eat more than we should.
I know what my triggers are, if I am stressed or sad or tired or stressed I will eat more and I will eat things I should not be eating. The way I eat reminds me of talks with my Grandma Betty she would always tell me about how she was given sweet things when she was sad. This was continued by my late Grandpa Gerald who always gave grandma chocolates for every holiday and if she was mad or sad about anything.
Grandma has since lost all of the weight because of her Parkinson's but the idea is still there. We as parents should not do to our children what was done to us. Bad food should not be used as a reward or a crutch when we are emotionally low.
As we approach the holidays I need to watch out for sugar. If I have one thing I can't control well it is my desert or candy eating when there is a lot around. With kids this gets even worse than for single people. We get as much as 50-60 pounds of candy on Halloween alone.
So this fall I have started watching my intake, working out more and biking to work.
I will be going in for varicose vein surgery soon. It has been causing me pain for some time and even though I have to pay for it out of pocked and I am very nervous I am moving forward. My Dr said it should make working out less pain full and my legs will be less tired.
I also started using my SAD light for the fall. If you don't have one or have never tried one I recommend it. My light helps me feel more energized and positive when we lose our sun in Minnesota winters.
The most important of all things to do this fall is exercise. Make a plan and stick to it all winter. Exercise is the best way to lose weight, feel energized, shed stress and overall improve your life.
I put a challenge out there to myself. If I get below 260 ( which I will do) I am buying myself a Framed Minnesota 2.0 bike (fat tire) to try winter bike commuting.
I have started to lose weight again and I have a long way to go but I am positive. I wish you the best in your goals and I hope to see you soon.
Keep up the great work towards a better you!
-Gabe
