Having been overweight for most of my adult life, after having my children in my early 20s, my weight has fluctuated over the years. From time to time, I'd try the latest fad diet or join Weight Watchers, and lose about 10kg before deciding it was too difficult and then putting all the weight back on (and then some).
My health deteriorated over the years, with aches and pains riddling my body before being diagnosed with "non-specific auto-immune disease" and "fibromyalgia" (commonly referred to as the diagnosis they give you when they can't find what's actually wrong with you). I struggled with sleep, had no energy, and certainly avoided any physical activity.
I have generally been happy being me and wasn't too worried about what people thought of my size, despite being overweight..... a term I prefer rather than the official morbidly obese status I had reached..... ignorance is bliss, right?
But in November 2022, I reached a point where I wasn't happy being me and the size I was. I was 134.4kg. I knew something had to change but knew I couldn't do it alone. I saw my GP and was prescribed a weightloss injection medication. That medication along with some changes to my diet and exercising most nights helped me to shift 30kg over the next 9 months. But then I hit a plateau and my weight loss stalled for a few months. With that being the case, I could no longer justify the cost of the medication. I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas just gone and allowed myself to eat and drink. Of course, a few kilos crept back on and when I saw the scales at 107kg in late December, I knew I had to rethink what I was doing because there was no way I was going to put all the weight back on this time.
So just before the end of 2023, I reached out to my long time friend, Sara. I knew Sara was a doctor and was into good eating etc. We had a very long chat over the phone and Sara knew I was committed to making changes and agreed to help me. So a few days before New Year's Eve (no more procrastinating), I started following Sara's advice. I stopped eating carbs, stopped snacking, ate nothing after sunset, started getting early morning sunlight, and reduced my screen time at night. I also lowered my sugar intake. I'd already stopped eating chocolate and drinking Coke so this wasn't too much of an adjustment although I do miss drinking juice and eating fruit. Once I got my head around what I could and couldn't eat, I was meal prepping for work and organising our meals for the week. Not eating carbs, coincidentally meant just about everything I cooked was also gluten free much to the enjoyment of our coeliac son! I don't feel like I'm on a diet and I'm enjoying what I eat. I've been surprised by some of the things I can eat. What do you mean I can eat bacon and eggs for breakfast every day?! In the first week of changing my eating, I dropped 4kg! Although it's been slow going since, if I'm honest. However Sara had taught me that there is more to this than loss on the scales. I am constantly having wardrobe clean outs as my dress size keeps dropping! I now love going shopping for new clothes. I have so much more energy and my sleeping has improved immensely. Those aches and pains that bothered me for many years are gone. And guess what? I now walk and jog! Yes, I jog! I even do a local Park Run on Saturday mornings. And I actually enjoy it!
Sara has been very supportive along the way. We regularly check in via messenger and occasionally run into each other when we're out and about. Sara's advice has been informative and her strategies have been easy to follow.
For anyone thinking they need to change their lifestyle, Sara's your girl! If I can offer one piece of advice it would be to ensure you're ready to make changes for YOU. And, believe me, if I can do this so can you.
