Positive Health Steps

It's been roughly a year since starting this blog and making a statement that I would lose weight. This time last year I had come home from a holiday and was totally disgusted with myself for being so obese.

I have just returned from our yearly holiday to see friends and family some 2000 kilometers away, and this time I am proud of the weight that I am carying.

I did put on 2 kilos while away but believe me, this really is nothing on the scale of things and will be shed in no time at all now we are back and doing the things that we have learned. It really has been a learning adventure this past year and it really is something we can stay with for the rest of our lives.

There were many temptations while on holiday and to be honest, we did take those temptations quite often. Our families are excellent cooks and we tasted all their favorite foods. We were also lucky enough to stay in fine hotels at times where 3 course meals were provided. Yes we didn't watch the calories but always made sure we kept active, walking, skiing and doing our best to keep fit.

I was amazed on our return flight when my carry on bag was weighed and I was told that as it weighed 7 kilos it was too heavy to place in the overhead lockers on the plane. This time last year I caried 3 of those bags as excess weight around my body. That's exactly how much weight I lost. 21 kilos or 3 carry bags full.

It feels good to be slim and even better to feel healthy. This will be a life style that I will stick to for the rest of my life, which incidentally will be a little longer now that I am no longer obese.

I haven't made a blog post since I reached my goal weight, but I want to let you all know I haven't slackened off and reverted back to the old bad habits. Believe me, I will never go down that fat path again.

What I did learn from losing those 20 odd kilos is what I can and can't eat. It is good to kinow that you can go out for that restaurant meal, or have that odd take away meal without it hurting your overall plan. You just have to realise what you have eaten and watch your calories again for the next day or 2 to balance the excess.

Things that I eliminated from my diet completely, such as potato crisps and chocolate cookies, were no good for my health anyway. I will never eat them in any quantity ever again, if at all. They are full of calories and full of fat. These are the type of foods that is labeled as junk foods and that is precisely what it is for the body, total junk.

But the biggest single thing that I learnt losing all that weight was the fact that I knew all along precisely how I got fat in the first place and how I could lose it all again. Yes, I knew exactly why and how and always knew what to do, but I never had the motivation to get off my butt and do what I had to do to lose weight. Looking back now, I can only shake my head and feel sad I didn't try to keep my weight under control in the first place.

Is it a loss of self esteem and self image why we allow ourselves to get fat? Or is the reason why we make ourselves fat just pure laziness. Some may say it is genetics, some may blame health problems, but really deep down it is purely just a matter of eating too much, plus eating junk.

I will never again eat so much that I feel bloated. I will never again eat foods that are absolutely so full of fat you can't help but put on weight. I will never again stop watching what I weigh and weigh myself at least once a month and do something straight away if I have gained a pound or two.

It feels good to be normal. It feels so good not to be fat. I knew exactly how I got fat and also knew deep down how I could lose weight. I simply had to decide to do it. You can do it too. Why not decide today to "just do it".

Seeing how I reached the goal weight I set for myself, I thought you may like to see the results.

Warning

Now both images are not exactly pretty and could scare children, but if they put some people off their food for a few days, it may be good for them, especially if they need to lose weight.

The first image was taken with my weight at 97.2 kilos. This is the typical before shot with a great fat belly protruding out like a pregnant bull frog. This is not a beer belly because I haven't drank beer for many years. The big fat belly was caused solely through bad eating habits, too much of the wrong food and little to no exercise.

The bottom image was taken today. Monday, May 12, 2008. Weight is 75 kilos. As you can see there is still a few kilos that can be taken off yet, but the result is so much better than before I'm sure you will agree.

I have now reset my weight goal at 73 kilos and to maintain my weight between 70 and 75 kilos for the rest of my life, which will probably be a little longer and more enjoyable now without that great fat belly sticking out in front of me.