I wanted to start by saying hello.
I am 32 years old and live in the UK. One aspect of my life was very different 6 years ago, I was morbidly obese. Yup, over 50% of my body was pure blubber. I am pretty sure I was not far off being pre diabetic and my large mass was becoming cumbersome and labourious to carry. I suffered the woes that many a fat person falls foul of; chafing, high blood pressure, stretch marks, sore joints, unreasonable sweating episodes, suffering the insults and comments that the more ignorant of society decided to throw at me. This list goes on. For a 28 year old, it was all rather unnecessary. I will hold my hands up willingly and admit that I was fully culpable for my weight problem. Gorging on unhealthy food, complete inactivity and laziness all attributed to a potentially dangerous health condition.
Before I starting dredging up some rather poignant memories of my fat days, I wanted to tell you where I am currently. I am 5' 8" and a much healthier 145 pounds (10 stone 4 pounds or 66 kg's). I have lost 156 pounds and 82 inches off my body. I did not seek assistance from any medical or health professional and managed to turn a potentially deadly situation around. At my heaviest I weighed in at poundage a sumo wrestler would have been proud of....drum roll please... 301 pounds (21 stones or 136kg's)
Before and After
I wanted to post a picture of me near my highest weight but my post count is not enough right now to do that.
They say that everyone has a story to tell, a good book inside of them. I think that mine would have to be my battle with the bulge. I don’t even know where to start really,
Without wanting to sound too clichéd or cheesy, I really did fight a battle to get to where I am today. I have probably broken every rule in the book at some point or another, whether it be dabbling with the starts of anorexia, bulimia, obsessive exercise….I hate to say it but I have really been there and done it in many respects when it comes to fighting fat! But I have learned some very important lessons and really gained a unique insight into the trials and tribulations that weight loss can inflict.
I do have moments of poignancy where I think back to how I was feeling this time 6 years ago. I was a very different person back then, a quieter, meeker, more self conscious version of me. My mind was constantly preoccupied with thoughts about how I was going to cover my fat bits up; my large belly, generous behind and fat arms. I would wear cardigans/ jumpers around my waist, wear heavy and baggy jackets (even in the summer!), loose, baggy trousers…my mind was so preoccupied with covering my body and clocking people’s reaction to me as I walked in the street. I recall there were times when I would make excuses to not even go out anywhere because I could not face the prospect of being ridiculed or scrutinised for how I looked. How sad eh? Being paranoid is tiring work! Ironically enough some bigger people who try to disguise their bodies with shapeless clothes actually, inadvertently, draw attention to themselves. I don’t want you to think that I was being totally harranged and abused verbally all the time, that was far from the case. But people’s facial expression and reactions can shout louder than their voices ever could. I became a virtual recluse at times, afraid that society would reject me just because of how I looked. I know that it should not work that way, no one has the right to ridicule or berate another person for the way they look. I venemhently despite that to this day.
Our awareness of obesity is far greater now, it is estimated that a quarter of the British population are considered to be obese. Quite an incredible statistic really, we are not that far behind our US cousins in terms of the emerging weight crisis.
I think I will leave it at that point for now but thank you for reading my diatribe. I look foward to posting again. This is just a bit about me.
I am keeping a post weight loss blog that outlines what I have been through. Once I am allowed to post link, I will stick it on here xx