I’d like to start today’s post by saying how incredibly supported I have felt over the last 8 months of my weight loss journey. Your messages, emails, and face to face encouragement has made me feel like I can really do this. I know I can reach my goal of losing 100 pounds.
Having said that, something came up this weekend that I wasn’t prepared for. Losing 70 pounds is obviously noticeable but when you take in consideration that I have been at this since August it averages out to losing a little more than 8 pounds a month. I wouldn’t call that an unhealthy rate or a faster rate than normal. But apparently some people don’t agree. A very good friend of mine texted me Saturday night saying she was told by someone that my “dramatic” weight loss was actually the result of gastric bypass surgery. Needless to say I was a little taken aback. The person that told her that is not in my life but clearly the original teller of this story is. I was trying to rack my brain as to when I had the surgery and how hard I must have hit my head to forget all about it. But then I looked through my calendar, checked out all of my annoying Facebook check-ins at the gym, went through the list of food groups that I’m still avoiding and realized that I didn’t in fact have that surgery. And while I did work with a doctor to change my life it was not a doctor that performs gastric bypass.
I know people that have had gastric bypass surgery and I am so impressed by the lengths that they have gone to get healthy. I have gone to some pretty great lengths myself. When I finally do reach my goal I would like to do something to help empower others to lead a healthy lifestyle too.
Maybe this could be the start of a whole other career for me. I could be the Jillian Michaels that doesn’t scare people. Maybe I will design a fitness line that goes from size 0 to size 24. At that point I would understand the gossip, jealousy, and cattiness but not right now. I am still the heaviest out of any of my friends and extended family. A lot of people that meet me for the first time may even be judging me for being overweight. Have I lost a lot of weight? Yeah, but I’m not skinny and that’s okay. What’s not okay is being a mean girl and taking away from how hard I’ve worked and what a long road I still have ahead of me to not only reach my goal but maintain it for the rest of my life.
So if you or someone you know is struggling to be healthy, please tell him or her that I am too. Share this site, lend your support, invite that person to join you at a spin class, or make plans to meet at a restaurant that has healthy options. Just be understanding and most of all be kind.
Heidy
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