By Robert D”Agostino
Why I got serious about losing weight?
Well, there were three reasons why I decided that it was time to make a positive change for myself and lose my extra weight.
The first reason was when my cousin told me one day, at a family gathering, that I looked fat. Whoa, wakeup call! I
love my cousin and I know she loves me, but she could have been more politically correct and called me overweight, but honestly, it just wouldn’t have had the same impact, would it?
It seemed hurtful at first, but it was true. Thank you, cousin Hilda for your tough love. So, when I returned home and compared my past photos with my current ones, I really noticed how much heavier I had become. Yuck!
I was actually 60 pounds heavier than I have ever been. Sixty pounds is a lot. That’s 12 five-pound bags of sugar or flour.
So, why wasn’t it easy for me to look at myself in the mirror and admit that? Why was it so hard for me to admit that I needed to make a change? Why is it so hard for most of us to make a lifestyle change for ourselves?
It’s because we get stuck in our comfort zone. You know the place. A place where you don’t want change and just want to keep your stress and anxiety at a minimum. That’s why. It’s very surprising to know how much we will tolerate before we take the necessary steps to make a healthy change for ourselves. So, don’t blame yourself. You are not alone.
The second reason for making a change was when I visited my doctor for my annual checkup. I told him that my eyes were blurry more often than not, and I was much more tired than usual. I thought I was just overworked. I was running a restaurant six nights a week and working full-time as a high school Librarian.
So, when my doctor came back with my blood results and told me that I was Type 2 diabetic, I couldn’t believe it. I was both shocked and scared. I guess I was eating much more than I needed to. Most likely, I was eating too much of the wrong foods.
The third reason was that I just got fed-up with looking and feeling terrible. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Every time I had to do the stairs, I had knee pain. Each night I went to bed, I snored heavily and had difficulty breathing, because I acquired sleep apnea.
I had back pain and low energy. My belly hung over my belt.
My thighs rubbed against each other. My clothes didn’t fit right, and I didn’t want to spend more money to bump up to a larger size once again. I couldn’t even find the motivation to exercise anymore because I was carrying an extra 60 pounds on my body everywhere I went.
Finally, because of all these reasons, I decided to make a change for myself and commit to losing all those unwanted pounds.
I began to search for a weight-loss book that I could live with, one that would give me long-term, weight-loss results.
But after reviewing over 125 weight-loss books, I soon became very discouraged, because most weight-loss plans are too restrictive and designed just for the short term. So after much thought, I decided to create my own plan. A plan that really works.
So now is the time for you to invest in yourself and commit to losing all those unwanted pounds for the long-term because you are definitely worth it.
But before you start with the 10-steps, I would like you to complete your very own Treat List. A list of rewarding ways to treat yourself other than with food. Don’t get me wrong, food is an important and enjoyable part of life, but it shouldn’t be the only place to find comfort and gratification.
