Today Is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life
Reagan shares his story with us today, October 2nd, the anniversary of his wake-up call. Many of us who have made a dramatic change for our health remember our wake-up call day vividly. I certainly remember mine. When I was 32 years old, my primary care physician told me that my life was likely half over. I was following in the footsteps of my grandmother who passed at age 64 due to obesity-related illnesses. Then and there, I started making changes for my health. I learned that there are as many ways to manage weight as there are personalities in the world. As I did, you will need to find what works for you. It’s helpful to try strategies that others have used as you build your own success playbook. With that in mind, let’s learn about Reagan’s experience. ~ Yours in health, LoriJean (your editor and Med*Thin webmaster)
2007 vs. 2022
My Weight Loss Journey
How I got started, stayed motivated, and made my weight loss fun instead of a chore.
-by Reagan Christian
The Wake-Up Call
Reagan Christian, Med*Thin Blogger
For the majority of my adolescent life, I was overweight. The severity fluctuated, at times I would be a little “husky,” and at other times I would be morbidly obese, with a BMI of 40+. Different situations impacted this. My socioeconomic status, lack of self-care, and mental health issues to name a few. But in the end, I believe the biggest culprit was my lack of willingness to make a change. I often tried losing weight, and would be in the gym or tracking my calories for a week or two max before I fell off the wagon. The worst it ever got was when I was a junior in high school in 2016 and got a job at the movie theater. I’d be working 6 days a week, which meant that most of my dinners were popcorn, hot dogs, and a Dr. Pepper. I was a young kid not fully realizing what I was doing to my body. October 2nd, 2017: I was bullied at school and the guy said something along the lines of “sit your 400-pound self down.” I’d been bullied for years due to my size, but for some reason this one cut deep. I went home that day and weighed myself for the first time in a year. I still very vividly remember seeing the scale reach 134 kgs (295 lbs) and being devastated. I knew I'd lost some weight recently and the last time I weighed myself, I was at 117 kgs (257 lbs), so I thought for sure I'd be 230-240lbs. I immediately went upstairs and did 50 sit ups on the floor of my bedroom. I decided that I was going to put in every bit of effort I could to achieve what I had always yearned for - to change my size.
Start with Small Changes That You Can Stomach ;)
“It is a lifestyle change made up of a million small choices that you face daily.”
Going into this I didn’t know how much I would fall in love with exercise and healthy lifestyles. I spent my free time reading articles on diets, exercises and other health related topics. I started my journey with those 50 sit ups on October 2nd, and the next day went to the gym for the umpteenth “first time.” That day I walked around the gym, exploring what equipment was there, trying to figure out how I should start. I decided I should go with cardio. I have always hated treadmills, so I sat down on the stationary bike. I pedaled for 20 minutes, and, not able to push on, went to sit in the sauna for half an hour. The next day after class I did the same thing. I decided not to start with the usual things: tracking every meal, taking the stairs every time, and making 1000 tedious changes in my life. I wanted to stick with it this time and knew I wasn’t up for the pro athlete, 7% body fat lifestyle. After I got started at the gym, I decided to watch what I ate. To this day, I think one of my best decisions when it comes to my weight loss was not restricting myself. I didn’t swear off any foods or drinks, I just tried to avoid them. This was amazing, as I didn’t feel restricted by any diet or strict rules, I just looked at a food and judged internally whether I'd rather have that piece of cake or be a little closer to my goals. I also didn’t set strict goals for myself. I wanted to lose weight, be more confident, and be what I considered to be more attractive. I didn’t say “I want to lose 100 lbs” or “I want to have abs next summer,” in fact I didn’t think I had enough fat to lose 100 lbs. Because I didn’t have these strict guidelines and rules this time, I was able to feel more accomplished, thinking “oh hey I lost one pound this week” instead of “oh I only lost one pound this week, not two.”
Capitalize on Accomplishments
Soon after starting, I was seeing progress and not feeling trapped by calorie counts or the scale. I was so happy and motivated that I wanted to kick it up. I began riding the bike for 40 minutes a day, then 60 minutes a day. Walking the 3 miles home from school rather than getting a ride. Working out six days a week instead of five. Substituting chicken and rice for eating out with my family. I eventually felt I was able to set trackable goals for myself. I used some online resources to estimate what my Basal Metabolic Rate was, and how many calories I needed to consume and burn to lose certain amounts of weight over time. I began to track my calories, which led to meal prepping. A protein shake for breakfast and lunch, and then typically chicken, vegetables and rice for dinner (keep in mind I was 18, I didn’t know how to cook except for a rice cooker and George Foreman). In 5 months I’d lost 70 lbs and was feeling better than ever. People at school were complimenting me on my weight loss, I had more energy and confidence, and physically felt better than I ever had before.
Manage Plateaus
Then I hit my first plateau. The weight seemed to be just falling off and then all of a sudden it wasn't. I had at that point gotten a bit over obsessed with my weight loss and was devastated. I'd been working as hard as I could, eating right and exercising, and then I got hit with no change in the scale for a month. At first, I thought this must mean “I'm not doing enough.” I thought I needed to eat even less and go to the gym more to increase my caloric expenditure. After more consideration, I realized that I was not maximizing the potential of my workouts or diet, needed to give my body some time to adjust to the new normal, and that other factors (sleep, stress and cortisol levels, social influences) needed to be managed.
“I know that I AM worth the effort.”
Expect Set Backs, Don’t Punish Yourself for Yesterday’s Misstep, and Always Look Forward
In May of 2018, I was down 90 lbs when I graduated from high school and moved to America for college. I was so excited that my dorm was across the street from the gym, because I thought I'd be there every day and keep my progress going. Well, I was still a college freshman… so instead of being in the gym everyday, I'd just waste time with my dorm-mates. Cafeteria food and being on my own led me to stop working out, stop eating healthily, and to stop losing weight. Since then, I've fluctuated between 200 and 225 lbs and have had more stints of "I'm gonna get back on the horse and finish my weight loss." But truly, you are never done. One thing you'll hear every other minute in the weight loss community is that it's not about temporary changes or episodic effort. It is a lifestyle change made up of a million small choices that you face daily. So yes, I have lost a fair amount of weight, and am healthier and feel better than I did before, but I am not done. I will always be conscious of what I'm putting in my body, and what exercise I get, even if it's not to the same degree I did years ago. And most importantly, I know that I AM worth the effort.