Freedom is for everyone!
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I’m soon approaching the two year anniversary of committing to Eat to Live, and I’m still amazed at the results of getting my health back. I almost forget now what it was like to survive in an obese body for almost twenty years of my life. I really can’t remember what chronic joint pain or chronic fatigue feels like anymore. When I was obese I had to lie down several times throughout the day to relieve my aching back from the excess weight that I was carrying around. I stayed indoors a lot, even on beautiful days. I gradually didn’t want to be in public, because I was embarrassed of my size and didn’t have “anything pretty to wear.” I never rode a bike or hiked trails. I rarely played ball or outdoor games with my kids. I never ran in races. I stood by the sidelines cheering for others at athletic events. I was a spectator of life; not a participant. I was a prisoner trapped in a foreign body that held me captive. I’d lost myself to obesity and deteriorating health.
Recently I attended a party on a hot, summer day wearing shorts and a cute, summer t-shirt. Two years ago, I attended all social events on hot sultry days wearing my standard outfit, which I now refer to as my obese uniform; a size 3x pair of black, stretch pants with a black, long sleeved blouse over a black, knit top. Of course it covered up my fat along with causing me to perspire profusely, but little by little my body somehow adjusted to being overheated. My fingers were so puffy and swollen that years ago I quit wearing my wedding ring. I purchased a sterling silver band for ten bucks and put it on my finger instead.
Oh, and I mustn’t forget the constant fatigue and brain fog. I went to bed at night exhausted and woke up the next morning in a fog. My belly was always bloated, I ached all over, and I eventually accepted the general malaise feelings as a part of getting older. On top of being pre-diabetic, I had a heart catherization and was diagnosed with heart disease in 2003 and was racking up new medical bills with each passing birthday. With the combination of shortness of breath when climbing a flight of stairs and my blood pressure at 157/94, I knew that I was living precariously on the brink of danger so on July 10, 2008, I committed to get my health back.
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To make a long story short, within a year, I lost a hundred pounds and most importantly, I was set free from food addiction that held me captive to all kinds of eating disorders for years. (click here to view my transformation journey) Today I no longer experience lethargy, brain fog, achy joints and back pain, depression, and the emotional turmoil of not feeling well; and I’m off the radar screen for heart disease and diabetes. As an additional perk, I now have cute clothes that I enjoy wearing on hot summer days, and I love to ride my bike, hike trails, enter running races, and be in the great outdoors.
I encourage anyone who is sitting on the fence of indecision to take the plunge and embrace nutritarian eating all the way. Give 100% with both feet in. That doesn’t necessarily mean 100% perfection, especially in the beginning months of toxic withdrawal, but it does mean pressing onward through obstacles, no matter what; no excuses. Don’t ever give up on the dream of getting health back. Freedom is for everyone!
