Take Back Your Health & Lose Weight without the Hype

When I weighed 277 pounds, just getting ready to go to work exhausted me. I couldn’t climb more than a few stairs without stopping to catch my breath. With every move, my joints ached and my back hurt. Yet, I never stopped eating. Some days, I would eat until I had to lean back in my chair or on the couch to breathe because I had stuffed myself to the point of nausea.

Later, when I felt as if I wasn’t going to burst after all, I was right back rummaging for a snack. That’s how deep I was in my obsession with food and denial about what I was doing to my health. Maybe you’re doing the same.

Maybe you’ve lied about how much food you eat. I did. I’ve cheated on diets, complained that I couldn’t lose no matter what I tried, and used a long list of excuses to avoid taking responsibility for the damage I was causing myself. I ate when I was happy, when I was sad, when I was angry, frustrated, or depressed.

Maybe you’re ashamed of the way you look. So was I. I’ve been so embarrassed by my size that I walked away any time someone started taking pictures. When I couldn’t escape, I became the floating head in the back of a group photo, doing my best to hide. But even shame didn’t stop me from abusing food.

For years, I ignored a growing list of health issues. Even the shock of seeing my “before” photo wasn’t enough to make me stop eating. Appalling as my appearance was, I didn’t begin to commit to a healthier lifestyle until I had a series of health scares within six months. Even then, only a diagnosis of two partially blocked arteries could shock me into changing my lifestyle.

I want you to know that there’s nothing you’ve done that I haven’t. I get how it feels to be the fattest one in the room. I understand the guilt the day after a food binge. I know what it feels like to gain back every pound and more after failing one diet after another. I also know it is possible to take back your health and permanently lose weight without resorting to throwing more money at diet programs that ultimately don’t work.

During those years I rode the gain-lose-gain carousel I failed every commercial diet I tried. Each time I panicked over my weight, I rushed to buy a program or product that promised almost-instant results—if I’d just follow the plan. They promised I could eat my favorite foods and still lose. Sure I could. With portion control, I could have eaten nothing but Snickers bars and lost weight.

You cannot keep eating the foods that made you fat in the first place and expect to keep the weight off. The weight-loss companies count on repeat customers. If you stayed healthy, they would go out of business. You aren’t the failure. They are failing you.

To change, you have to take responsibility for your health and the food you eat. No one can do it for you.

Here are four ways to start.

·       Get rid of your stashes of candy and junk food. Include the hidden ones in your purse, your nightstand, and the console of your car. (You know they’re there.)

·       Drive by the fast food drive-through. (Check out my recipe for easy roasted vegetables below.)

·       Dump the sodas, energy drinks, bottled teas, and coffees. Drink water. Add slices of lemon, lime, or orange if you prefer. Dump the fat- and sugar-filled specialty coffees. Drink home-brewed coffee and tea.

·       Finally, if at all possible, find an accountability partner, a person with whom you can check in weekly and more often if need be. When your accountability partner is struggling, you can be the voice of reason. When you’re struggling, your partner can be there to encourage you. No judgment. No advice. Just mutual support.

These are small steps; they aren’t going to make you healthy overnight. But they are steps away from the destructive habits that are ruining your life. You can succeed. You can change, no matter what your age. I was sixty-seven when I took responsibility for saving my health and my life. Yes, I waited almost too long. You don’t have to do that. You can start today.

EASY ROASTED VEGETABLES

Prep time 10 minutes

Serves 4-6

3 large red potatoes

½ bunch asparagus

3 cups baby carrots

2 cups broccoli florets (cauliflower or mix of both optional)

1 medium red onion

3-5 garlic cloves to taste

1 large or 2 medium zucchini

1-2 tbsp avocado or olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. curry powder

½ cup Panko bread crumbs

Cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces

Cut the zucchini into ½ inch thick “coins.”

Leave baby carrots & asparagus whole

Cut onion into 1-inch pieces

Coat vegetables with oil. I gently toss by hand until oil is evenly spread.

Place potatoes and carrots on a baking sheet. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper. Sprinkle carrots with curry powder. Roast at 400⁰ for 15 minutes on lower rack in oven, and then reduce temperature to 375⁰.

While potatoes and carrots are roasting, place zucchini, broccoli, garlic, and onion on a second baking sheet. Sprinkle zucchini coins with Italian seasoning and bread crumbs. Lightly salt and pepper broccoli. Put pan on top rack of oven and set timer for 10 minutes. Leave potatoes and carrots in oven. After 10 minutes, put asparagus on top sheet and continue to bake for about 5-7 minutes until vegetables are fork-tender.