TLDR; A fairly lengthy story ensues, but I'm down 70 pounds from my start weight and had my best walking split time today. If this tale inspires or motivates one person to pursue a healthy lifestyle, it is worth it to type this out.
My weight loss journey began about three and a half years ago. I was doing some thrift store shopping hunting for treasures one Saturday when I found a large scale for dirt cheap. I hadn't owned a scale for probably a decade or more, so for a couple of dollars, I thought, 'why not?' So I took it home, gave it a good wash, and set it on the floor. Little did I know that the little black box that I had just brought into my home was about to become my worst enemy.
I knew that I had let myself go a bit over the years, but I was in for the shock of my life. I cautiously mounted the nonskid platform bracing myself for mild disappointment. How bad could it be?; I thought. I climbed on, and that little red arm began its long, long journey across the dial. I waited with a look of horror and disappointment on my face as the dust settled at my new high score of 335lbs. Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Pounds; Holy Crap!
Right then and there, I decided that this must stop; I have to do something. I knew I was large and rotund, but 'I carried it well.' My six-foot one-inch frame was one of the 'heavy-duty muscle car' models they made back in the seventies, but this measurement was well above and beyond its designed weight rating. All brought to you by today's sponsors Little Caesars and Coors Light.
I started with many good intentions. I bought some new walking shoes. I quit my thirty-year smoking habit; cold turkey. I paid to join a gym. I bought workout clothes. I researched fad diets and other quick-fix solutions. I meticulously crafted workout playlists for inspiration. I was slowly paving my road to denial and failure. Fast forward six months, and I had actually been to the gym five or six times. I was smoking again. This whole 'being healthy' thing was kicking my ass, and I was letting it. I fell off that horse and landed face down. Alas, at that time, I thought that was rock bottom.
Time traveling to another point about eighteen months ago brings us to the second of my 'send me a sign' moments. I woke up one morning, and while reaching for my morning cigarette, I coughed like I have a million times before. But, this time was special; this time, there was blood. I can attest that retching up blood from your lungs before breakfast is one of those 'meet your maker' moments they talk about in great novels and heroic stories. So I decided that the cigarettes had ended their run that day. I did need to use a crutch by purchasing a vape, but the actual cigarettes stopped and will not be allowed back. So that is how my quest to find health began.
I started eating a little better with an attempt at a basic CICO diet instead of one of the fad diets. I was still weighing north of 300 pounds. And then I found the absolute rock-hard bottom. I went to bed one night, literally fat and happy. I woke up the following morning feeling rested, but there was something different. Three of my toes on both feet were both numb and on fire at the same time. Neuropathy had set in. Fuck me (for not) running.
I went to the Doc-in-a-box that afternoon. My feet were on fire, and my labs were alarming. My triglycerides were 6000+, and the 'doctor' said 'welcome to being a diabetic.' Unfortunately, I did not have health insurance, and every step I took felt like walking on glass. I am a veteran, and I signed up for VA medical that day. It took a while, but the Doctors at the VA did get me the right medications to stop the 'rats chewing on my feet' sensation. Thankfully, the same meds also helped my underlying depression and Bipolar disorder.
Now that I had my foot pain in a manageable condition, I could start to move physically. If you have never truly 'let yourself go,' you will not entirely understand what that means. If I were to fall on the floor, I could not pick myself back up again without a chair to climb up with. I started by walking—one foot in front of the other. I walked the trip to the mailbox first; then, I ventured to the end of the block and back. And then I braved going all of the way to the end of my street, a journey of almost one-half of a mile.
One-half mile became one. After several days of that, I decided to add a little backpack weight to strengthen my knees. Wash rinse repeat. And then one mile became two. To make a long story short (too late) today, I both had my lowest weigh-in and my best split time walking. After walking two miles with a 16-pound pack at a 16:09 split, I weighed in at 264 lbs, the lowest I have seen in a while.
Cutting meat out of my diet and practicing basic CICO has let me drop 70 lbs, avoid diabetes, lowered my triglycerides down to 200. So, here I am, creeping up on 50 and making the decision not to die slowly, one piece at a time. If I can do it, so can you.
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