Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, a nutritionist, or a psychologist. This blog is a reflection of my personal journey toward better health.
The Moment of Realization
The moment I realized my husband and I needed to lose weight was not precipitated by an earth shattering moment or a tragic event. It was March of 2011 - my husband and I were lying around watching the evening news, an all-too-common ritual in our household. He was sprawled on the floor; I'd claimed the couch. As the anchor droned on about current events, I found my eyes drifting to my amazing husband. I don’t know what I’d do without him. We’d been gaining weight over the years, both of us…and the startling reality occurred to me – we were facing serious health risks - and soon, if we didn’t get our weight under control. That moment of realization has changed everything.
Our Old Routine: The Comfort Trap
We had settled into the comfortable routine of working all day and then coming home to a (generally take-out) dinner and relaxing in front of the TV for hours before going to bed. Our weekends consisted of lots of movies, TV, the occasional trip to Disneyland, and eating take-out.
On a typical day for me pre-July 2011: Breakfast was Starbuck’s (or Jamba Juice, if I wanted to be healthy…juice is healthy, right?) My favorite thing to do for breakfast was go to Jamba Juice and order an orange drink that was absolutely delicious and also absolutely having ice cream for breakfast. I would add a “healthy” muffin and wonder why I felt exhausted by 9:00 am. Lunch was a sandwich or some other food from the deli across from my office. Dinner was take-out.
The Reality Check
My husband and I lived a very sedentary lifestyle. I work on a university campus, and I can remember getting winded walking halfway across campus, at age 38. I was starting to get aches and pains in my body before I was even 40. We both had concerning health issues – some of which we discovered when we were undergoing required screenings for the program in which we eventually participated. We were worried we had waited too long, but everything at that point could be reversed and the discoveries reinforced for us that we were doing the right thing.
That night in March 2011, when we were lying around watching TV and made the decision to do something about our health, my husband weighed over 270 pounds and I weighed nearly 300 pounds. We decided to discuss our options with our doctor. Neither one of us wanted to have drastic surgery, we wanted to try a dieting approach first. After consulting with our doctor, we decided to enter a medically supervised weight loss program.
The Journey Ahead: The Highs and Lows
Here's the deal. This blog is not just about shedding pounds; it's about embracing a healthier way of life. Don't get me wrong; before we lost weight, we were fat and happy, enjoying our lives just as they were. Ten years into our marriage, we had fulfilling careers and genuinely enjoyed our day-to-day. But we realized life could be so much more fulfilling.
I’m going to be as honest as possible here. I've had my share of setbacks and triumphs over the last decade. In hindsight, shedding the weight was the easy part. Maintaining it has been an ongoing battle—one that involves being kind to myself when the scale isn’t kind to me.
I continue to learn as I go – and I’ll share what I learn here. I'm excited to share what I learn on this journey and hope it can help those who are on a similar path.