An Uphill Battle (that will be won) -- not quite a five-minute #freewrite
The prompt for @mariannewest's five-minute #freewrite challenge today is -- uphill -- and instead of something fictional, I thought I'd babble about the very non-fictional uphill battle known as "weight loss."
I'm very well acquainted with the matter: it's something I've gone through my entire life. Up and down, then up again. Sometimes I'm fat, sometimes I'm less fat, and skinny is something I've only been for a few of my 33 years.
It all started when I was around 8 years old and lived with my dad. He never cared about proper food guidance and all those typical things. I've already talked previously about my very unconventional childhood and this is just yet another thing to add to it.
If I wanted an entire blackforest cherry cake for dinner, all to myself, I would get it. The fruit and vegetable tray in our fridge was full of those miniature wrapped chocolate bars and they are what I snacked on. If I wanted something more substantial for lunch he'd chuck me a $10 note and tell me to get some KFC -- I was such a frequent customer that they knew my order the moment I got to the counter.
Unsurprisingly, by the time I was 11 years old I was around 110kg.
After he died I was reacquainted with my mum and she fed me properly. If I was hungry, she'd throw an apple at me. I ate proper dinners and lunches and snacked on copious apples. And she had an exercise bike that I began to use religiously. After a year of living with her I literally dropped from 110kg to 65kg.
Of course, however, despite all of that, my relationship with food from earlier on was still terrible and still embedded deep within my mind and it wasn't long til I started gaining it back again. I managed to maintain between 65-75kg for a couple of years, but when I was 16 I started seeing a pizza delivery driver.
Often I would eat dinner with my family and then a couple of hours later he would come over with an end-of-shift pizza for us to devour. One for him and one for me. If we were thirsty in the middle of the night, he'd also bring home a Coke for us. To sip on. In the middle of the night.
Obviously I began to balloon again.
And so, I've been up and down for years. Ever since those days the lightest I've ever been was around 90kg and the heaviest I've ever been was about 140kg. I have absolutely no idea what I am at the moment because I don't have a set of scales and I don't intend to get any either. My clothes will be my guide. I'm assuming I'm around 110kg at the moment.
Or, perhaps even a bit less...
⭐️ ...four weeks ago I bit the bullet and set in motion a plan to completely change my life...
⭐️ ...three weeks ago I changed my eating habits...
⭐️ ...two weeks ago I started incorporating a bit of basic exercise...
⭐️ ...yesterday, I had an elliptical / cross-trainer delivered and I built it up and intend on using it several times a day, just like I used to religiously use my mum's old exercise bike.
This time I will lose it. All of it. And it will stay gone.
I'm not going on a diet, I am embarking upon a complete lifestyle change, and this uphill battle will be one that I overcome and actually win for the first time in my life.
It's time to begin this journey. 💪
You can join in with today's five-minute #freewrite challenge here:
https://peakd.com/hive-161155/@mariannewest/day-1028-5-minute-freewrite-friday-prompt-uphill
I fully support you on this endeavor. The elliptical is great because you can stay in your home and do it while watching tv rain or shine and keep an eye on the little one. I think your life will radically change once you get to your goal. Always keep positive and envision where youd like to be. You'll get there. I too have jumped back onto the weight lifting and excercise schedule. Downside is soreness. Upside is great sleep. You look fantastic btw.
I like the confidence you're showing.
😊🙂
Thanks. I like to think there's a difference already from my change in eating and so-far light exercise! What I'm finding most difficult is actually eating. You know what I'm like. Caffeine in the morning, nothing all day, dinner. Usually.
Came up with a diet plan that incorporated much more protein and a maximum of around 1300 calories, and it still looks like SO MUCH FOOD. I don't know how people eat all day.
Wishing you luck also! You can do it too!! 🙃
Yeah i do basically all protein and fiber. The key is to keep your insulin response low. I was loosing a kilo a week back in june when i was strict with it. Good thing is protein really fills you up and stops the production of hormones that tell your body "im hungry" even though you just ate a bag of chips and three migoreng sachets. (Speaking of my old eating habits)
Also get good sleep that cuts down cortisol and boosts serotonin. Also stress goes down and so does anxiety. Good all around.
You have reached that point of no return and you have a plan and determination and a goal to reach! I will be saying prayers for you as you transform your life.
Thank you!! 😊
I have the determination, motivation, and mindset. It is time!
I am rooting for you!!
You got this - you've done it before, you can do it again.
💪😅
Thank you!
That was a different freewrite @kaelci, but really great to know more about you, and a brave decision that you have taken, I wish you the best of luck with it, and do install Actifit on your phone too, for me that is the first time ever where I can consistently keep up my execise, thanks for sharing, it's awesome.
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This post is AWESOME!
It has therefore got a manual 100% upvote from @thisisawesome, for the Awesome Daily Highlights in category Freewrite, I give out 1 such vote in that category per day, plus 4 more in other categories, and your post will also be featured in today's Awesome Daily Curation report for more visibility.
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Thank you! 😀
I was using Actifit occasionally last year but it drained so much of my phone's battery, and sometimes it would randomly stop counting my steps or just turn off by itself. That was last year though; perhaps the app has been a bit more optimised since then. I'll be getting a new phone in a month or so also, so it might be better on the newer phone too. 🙂
Wow good for you!! I know you will succeed because you decided to do this for YOU. It is tough when we are all brought up a certain way. It's difficult to break patterns but when we start realizing we can really make a change, then that's when you are taking your power back! So I am rooting for you! Thank you for sharing your story with us & let us know how you're doing! Keep up the great work. You Are Awesome! 👍🙂💚
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@pixiepost - Comment Moderator
The goal of this project is to "highlight Awesome Content, and growing the Hive ecosystem by rewarding it".
And this is what most don't get. You are stuck in a corner, you try to fight back with a diet change you hate with your guts and after a while, you go back to the same damn routine you once were. Going on a strict diet may hasten the process a bit but it doesn't do much in the long run. Been there, done this many times, didn't work.
Changing the whole lifestyle is the only way to sustainable metabolism.
Kudos to you!
Not wishing any good luck, 'cause you ARE gonna do it!
Damned straight I am. 😉 Haha, thank you! That's exactly right, about diets and quick fixes and people going back to just how they were before. I might have done it a few times myself over the years. But now is time for actual change, and so far the change has been pretty good and very doable, liveable. 😀