I was sitting at my kitchen table earlier eating my rice and vegetables. The kids had finished their lunch, cleaned up, and were off playing. I decided to scroll through Facebook. Having lost a lot of weight, I'm friends with a lot of people that lost weight themselves. Someone had posted a before and after picture of himself. I commented on how he doesn't even look like the same person anymore. His response to my comment was "So glad we decided to wake up and live!"
This comment really got me thinking of what happened when I lost weight. As you may know, I never set out to lose a massive amount of weight. I just wanted to feel better. The weightloss was just a byproduct. What I never knew was that it would open so many doors that I didn't even know existed. I never knew people ran long distances - or that normal people climb Mount Everest or do triathlons! I once heard someone say "It's not what I lost, It's the life I gained." This experience has changed my whole mindset. I didn't just get my life back. I gained a life I never thought I'd have. I always thought growing old and having a suitcase full of prescriptions was the norm.
The life I lead now is 100 times more fulfilling than the one I led as a someone knocking on the door of 300 pounds. Part of me hates that I wasted so much time just being "normal." Although I can't go back and change the past, the quality of life I have now more than makes up for it. I once heard someone say, "Why would i eat healthy? To live an extra year or two?" What about all the years before that? I'm reducing my chances of being in a wheelchair, nursing home, of having to take 12 different medications a day, and many other things that seem to be considered normal nowadays. I don't want my family to have to take care of me because of my selfish decisions. It will come to a point where our own decisions will affect those closest to us. I don't want to be a burden to the loved ones around me. That is why I'm so passionate about this. It's not about living an extra year or two. Its about the quality of life we lead until then.
I say this all the time, If something happened to me today, I would not regret this lifestyle for a single second. People think that I may not enjoy life because I don't eat a cheeseburger every now and then. I've eaten enough cheeseburgers for an entire lifetime and I can say that I'm enjoying life so much more now than I ever did before. Our lives shouldn't revolve around our plate. Our plate should revolve our lifestyle.
🌱Keep running. Eat more plants. Small successes become great achievements. 🏃🏻