There has been research that there is a correlation between the physical health and mental health of a person. There is also a reality that some mental health medications can cause weight gain. I have been battling this issue for over two decades. But I never took the need to be mindful of what I am eating seriously. Eventually, I realized I wanted to change my weight. I needed to be mindful of what I was doing. I also had to pay attention to what I was eating.

I have made destructive and pointless decisions by stopping medication completely at times. Doing so never proved well. I can’t do it. Earlier this year, my weight loss support group held a contest. It helped me make menu keeping a habit. Eventually that became into making better choices and setting a daily calorie limit. Through this the weight started to decline and things got better for me within time. I realized I needed to do better activities. I chose these instead of sitting around and eating to pass the time or deal with emotions.

It is simple. I keep track of what I eat by counting calories. They are listed everywhere nowadays. It can be easy to count servings. I have known this for nearly 19 years. I have been going to a weight loss support group during this time. I know I need to eat better and not be mindless in doing so. It took forgoing the regular soda and not as much of it. I also had to be wiser about staying engaged every day. This was important when I needed to and there was nothing else going on.

I know that I will never have the best body. Still, I knew that I had to make better choices. This was necessary to make sure things improved in the long run. I was tired of seeing the weight increase continually. I reached my highest weight on the weight loss support group scale. I knew I had to start making changes. It was time to do the work once and for all for a better life. It would pay off in due time. I had to be patient. I also needed to do the work no matter what or how hard it took to do so.

Making changes to my health are never easy. But I knew I had to do things to make my life better so I can navigate the world easier. As in the past, it was getting harder to move around stores and other places that required long distance walking. I did not want to be in a wheelchair or movable power cart. I had to do the necessary work. No matter how hard it was, I had to start doing something. I had got into the habit of keeping a food diary. This was to get points on a contest that my mother was leading at the time. It kept the habit going. All it took was finding the appropriate calorie level for me. I had to find the calories, so I knew when the limit was reached. It was one of the easiest changes to be made for better and it paid off as time went on.

Other things like moving more will come within due time. I need to be patient with myself in the process. I must give myself grace as I care for my mental health. It can be equally hard. I know I need to do better. I must be capable of losing weight and live longer as time goes on. Losing weight will be harder over time as I get older. I need to work at remedying the situation now. I have to approach this task. It’s comparable to how I care for my mental health. Seeing the results for the right reasons makes me feel good in my own way.