It sometimes occurs to me that my life is a bit small. I don’t do dramatic things like skydiving or mountain climbing. I don’t have glorious adventures. My significant other is a teacher, not a gazillionaire business tycoon. I do things like walking around in the park. Looking at flowers. Petting puppies. Pounding metal into jewelry. Watching British TV with my sweetheart. Going to football games and tailgating with family and friends.<\/p>\n
Once in a while I think “shouldn’t I be doing something more…more-ish?”<\/p>\n
Then I consider, and I say “you’re being an idiot. This IS more.”<\/p>\n
Sometimes I think of my weight loss the same way. I had surgery! There should be dramatic announcements about losing massive amounts of weight! Big numbers!<\/p>\n
But…the thing I have to keep in mind is that I started out just barely big enough to qualify for having surgery. I’m never going to lose 150lbs. I’d be nothing but a pile of loose skin and bones. I might lose 80-90 pounds over a year or two. Maybe 100 if I have trouble eating more when I get to a good weight.<\/p>\n
So I have to figure out what constitutes a big announcement for someone like me.<\/p>\n
Here it is–are you ready?<\/p>\n
Ahem.<\/p>\n
I’m not severely obese anymore.<\/p>\n
Not even obese.<\/p>\n
I’m just..overweight.<\/p>\n
Right? It sounds underwhelming, doesn’t it? Like going for a walk in the park. Or riding my bike around the block. Big fucking deal.<\/p>\n
But if you go for enough bike rides, and walks around the neighborhood it starts to add up. It adds up to 60lbs at this point. Small, insignificant things start to add up to something substantial.<\/p>\n
Maybe “not obese anymore” doesn’t seem like much to you, but if you’ve ever been on the wrong side of that line you know it is!<\/p>\n
Addendum: just got some labs back. My cholesterol is lower than it has been in years, and my Hgb A1C levels are normal. When I saw my PCP in November of 2017, when all of this started, it was in a range diagnostic for diabetes. If you ever wonder if losing weight can make a measurable impact, it can.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"