Apologies on advance for the long post.
When I was 19, I left my home state to move half way across the country to live with my boyfriend. I immediately got too comfortable and quickly gained about 15 pounds. I was going out to eat all the time, not working out, and, frankly, just didn't care as much about how I looked. I was working full time, going to school full time, and putting everything else above my health. It was easier to just grab some fast food than it was to buy groceries, make dinner, and clean up afterwards. 🤦♀️
Then things changed (and for the worse, I might add). I started working long shifts, some as long as 16+ hours, doing a very physically and emotionally exhausting job. My boss didn't care about her employees or their well being. It was definitely a hostile sign environment where I constantly felt like I was being belittled and walked all over. Meanwhile, i was still standing college (part-time now), and taking classes I really struggled with.
These things combined caused me to have anxiety worse than i've ever experienced in my entire life. It was so bad I couldn't eat a full meal without feeling nauseous, and couldn't get through an exam without crying. I actually lost a little weight during this time because I couldn't finish a single meal. I was desperate and finally sought the help of a medical professional. The medication I was put on finally helped with my anxiety, but made me gain a ton of weight. Hellooooo 25 additional pounds to my original 15.
At this point, I knew I was overweight and it was not cute, but I chose my mental health over my physical health. I would complain about being fat, but never put any real work in to lose the weight. I still ate and drank the same and didn't work out at all. This is also when the back-handed compliments started. "Oh, you're not THAT fat." "You're still so pretty regardless." "You look so great now, can you imagine how you might look if you actually worked out?" The list goes on...
Eventually, I started a new job, dropped out of college, and was overall happier with myself. This new lower-stress life gave me the opportunity to stop taking my anxiety medication. Shockingly (please note the heavy sarcasm), I didn't magically start losing weight when I stopped taking it. Who'd have guessed that?
At this point, i'd been heavy for some time, so I was used to wearing big clothes and feeling uncomfortable in my skin. I still didn't take any action to better myself. I hid in the background of pictures, cropped pictures so my body wasn't showing, made pictures be retaken because "I look too fat in this one". I remember on my birthday, fighting back tears because someone made a comment about my size, and not allowing anyone to take a picture of me with my birthday cake because I was so embarrassed. There I sat, obviously overweight, and allowing myself to be that way. Why? Let's take you back to physics: objects at rest stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside source.
It wasn't until I moved to Rhode Island that I FINALLY decided I was worth the effort. I started eating smaller portions, making healthier food and drink choices, and, believe it or not, working out! The weight practically fell off. My body was literally just sitting here waiting for me to actually try, and it did the rest. In just one year I lost 40 pounds after years of letting the weight sit on me for no reason at all except I was too damn lazy to do anything about it.
Today, i'm much happier and healthier than i've been in a long time. We went on a cruise and I felt comfortable in every outfit I wore, including my very cheeky bikinis. I get compliments regularly now about how I look. With this post, i'm hoping that I might be the inspiration one might need in order to make finally take the first step in their weight loss journey. If I can do it, anyone can.
Edit- I would love to post before and after photos, but i'm not sure how. I'm still very new to reddit posting.
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2WugDWc
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