Another week in the books and another opportunity to measure the progress I have been making in over a week by incorporating more changes to my regimens. They are creating change and I could not be happier of the progress I am making as a result of making simple changes and creating new habits.
As I reported last week, I received a cleaner bill of health from my medical doctor. As such, I have wanted to keep the progress up because I am not only seeing the work being progressed, but I am learning that I do not have to impress anyone when I do things that I once did, like eating massive meals or consuming certain sodas as if they are status symbols. Sometimes it looks better if you do things that are more beneficial for your health like drinking water for example. Yes, there are times that a soda is wanted, but if it is out of sight, then it is out of mind and healthier choices can be made.
Tracking progress has been another beneficial factor in the effort of losing weight that I have seemed to enjoy more. Hearing good results a few weeks ago from my family doctor and having them create office visit summaries has enlightened me to keep track of things I know that I need to keep an eye on such as blood pressure, weight, pulse, body temperature and so forth. This has created more accountability to my physical health needs and need to maintain sensible beverage consumption after learning the ill effects of drinking excessive amounts of soda for years of being independent. Yes, being independent comes with freedom, but many times and more so in this current living environment, I was making excuses for purchasing and consuming excessive unnecessary amounts of soda. Now that I have seen what improvements can occur in such a short time from not following those unhealthy practices, I want to keep the trend going.
I have known for decades that I have needed to control my dietary needs due to the simple fact of having psychotropic medications that cause weight gain. My moment of truth was when I had gained over 10 pounds in over a month. That is when I realized I needed to get a grasp on reality because It had been really nasty and I had been in the process of resuming as much as a normal routine that I was pre-pandemic and I believe that too has aided in the bettering of taking care of being healthy because I too need to be accountable to them as well and as I have in many other things, I have weight management goals at the day program to work on. I am learning to cook healthy things and learning better techniques in the kitchen that I was reluctant to learn for several decades because I did not make it a priority. I realize by being accountable as it is essential for the day program that I have to be an example for my peers and those mentoring me there as well.
I have also accepted the fact that progress has to come at its own speed. There is no race to the goal. Also small goals need to be made in order to keep myself aligned to what I need to do to be well. After learning that I gained over 10 pounds in over a month, we had a program at my weekly Weight Loss Support Group that in part emphasized the need of having all kinds of goals in your weight loss journey, the week, month, etc. I did just that and I exceeded that and lost 3.75 pounds last week when I am writing this article. I was the top loser of the week and as such got a little trophy to take home and admire for the week for the efforts that I have done and want to keep going. In reality, while it is nice to have awards, the true benefit is being healthier, not for looks, I just want to be healthier because of all the challenges that I experience. It has been discovered in recent years that both mental and physical health go hand in hand in living longer and being well. I have known several individuals both in all realms of the world that have mental health challenges that have left this world far too soon and I do not want to be one of those statistics.
In simplest terms to close, the change and want to lose weight starts with you. There is no magic long-term fix, you have to do the work. By me starting to make better choices, I have seen the fruits of my labor pay off by having healthier outcomes in my physical health and as such it makes me accountable for it just as equal as my mental health.
Dustin's Dynasty 