A funny thing I’ve noticed over the past month is that there is a lot more wedding talk in my life. And it’s not just people talking about their weddings, it’s people trying to subtly ask when my wedding will be. The other day Pat and I were talking about something and someone flat out asked us about “our wedding” in such a way that I found myself with my jaw dropped open.
I’ve pretty much come to terms with this. I’m 25, I get it, people expect certain things to happen. What I don’t like is when people notice I’m losing weight and kindly ask “What’s the occasion coming up?” Or “You’re losing a lot of weight, should we know about something?”. If you’ve never been asked these, watch out, the first time I was taken by surprise and I didn’t know what the say.
My answer now: Life
Sure, along the way I have set goal points, like; I want to weight x amount by x day. But I also always had the stipulation that I wouldn’t care if it didn’t work out. I know that some people lose weight to fit into a wedding dress, or to go on vacation. For me, my weight loss is not just a one shot deal, I am literally losing weight for life. I don’t want to worry about weight restrictions, or about health problems that being heavy can cause. I want to do things that I would have never been able to do at 185, and especially not heavier. I want to be able to run around and I want to be able to go on adventures. I’m losing weight because I’m 25 years old and it’s time to learn to love life by being healthy.
If you are losing weight for one specific occasion, that’s great, you have a goal that is working for you and that’s wonderful. I am by no means saying that you should only lose weight the exact way that I lose weight. Everyone’s journey is different and unique to them. The one thing that is primarily the same to everyone though is that once you reach your goal; it isn’t over.
I always tell my dad that losing weight is the easy part, the hard part is coming when I reach my goal. I’m working hard to wire my brain now that I will be on a “diet” forever, once I hit that goal; I will not be able to stop running, or go back to eating badly. That would be ridiculous. Losing weight is so incredibly hard, when I’m done I’m not going to be done. There will always be another event, and another dress to fit into, and I will always be ready for it.
http://thechocolatemile.com/2012/07/the-alphabet-of-things-i-love/
4 Comments
I try not to think of it as a “diet” forever, but as healthy living. I’m still trying to work on that though and lots of days I make mistakes, but baby steps….
For me it was about life, too. I was 100 pounds overweight with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My doctor told me I was pre-diabetic. That scared me into action and I changed my life completely. I think having a medical scare was a good motivator to get off my butt and DO IT.
Holy cow! I’m glad you are doing okay now!
I agree with Abby–focusing on what you’re depriving yourself from is a recipe for failure. Exercising and eating right will have a much greater impact on your health than just losing weight. Good luck!