Beating the Odds…

A coworker asked me yesterday how I was so confident in my ability to lose the weight and keep it off for good. She wasn’t being mean…just curious. We’ve all heard the discouraging percentages regarding maintaining a significant weight loss. Every weight loss program/product announces (by law) that certain “results aren’t typical” or for some “weight loss is temporary”.

I explained to my coworker that I’ve never been so determined to do something in my life. While losing weight isn’t my whole life, it’s definitely the main focus at this time. As I’ve mentioned before, the idea of losing/regaining 200+ lbs scares the hell out of me. I can only imagine the physical and mental effects of gaining the weight back.

One of the most important aspects in my journey is timing. I decided to tackle my weight problem when *I* was ready. I’ve been overweight since age 13 and didn’t hear the “click” until age 23. While I knew my mom wanted me to lose weight, she never nagged me. As long as the family doctor kept assuring her that I was healthy (despite the number on the scale), she didn’t ride me about it.

Do I wish that I had started this long climb earlier? Sometimes I do…but I know that I made the necessary changes at a good time. So many people don’t realize that this is a lifestyle change. You have to lose weight for the right reasons…not just for appearance, high school reunions, vacations, or to get back at the emotional fuckwit that broke your heart.

I took control of my problem when I was truly ready to make a permanent change. While the delay did add to my high start weight, it also prevented me from having years of yo-yo dieting, damaged metabolism, and the disappointment of regaining the pounds.

Weight loss requires a lot of determination and patience. Every week we have newbies in our WW meeting and I find myself observing them and trying to determine what type of journey they’re on. I look for the ones that have the fire in their eyes. I know it sounds cheesy, but these are the folks that will make it. I remember being scared to even walk into the WW center and join…feeling disgusted when my start weight was revealed…and an overwhelming feeling of determination once the meeting ended. In less than an hour, I faced my biggest challenge, consoled myself after the major scale blow, and set out to kick the beast in the ass.

How was I so determined with the task of losing 236 lbs set before me? Fear. I didn’t want my quality of life to deteriorate from the excess pounds. Health reasons aside, I didn’t want to be forced to eliminate the things that smaller people take for granted. I didn’t want to have problems fitting into amusement park rides or movie theater/concert seats. I didn’t want simple personal hygiene practices to become difficult…or suffer with immobility. At 406 lbs, I was approaching a dangerous area and something had to be done.

I don’t really pay attention to the statistics. No study, survey, or graph is going to make me believe that I will fail. I know that I’ll succeed in this journey because failure is simply not an option. Creating a plan to change your life and taking the necessary steps to succeed, is a powerful and addictive feeling.

Forget beating the odds…make your own odds.