Before
After
When I started my quest to become a healthier individual a couple of years ago I promised to keep you posted. To this point I've lost 142 pounds and 22 inches of waistline. It's been a very interesting experience on a number of fronts. The positives range from a ton more energy, self esteem and less self loathing. I think a tough part of breaking any self-destructive behavior is learning to be comfortable in your skin. Once you can master that trick the rest gets a little easier. In other words, you have to cut yourself some slack to give you room to mentally "start" the process of exorcising the demons.On the negative side I don't have all those layers of insulation to hide behind. In an ironic twist I feel a lot more "exposed." When you are morbidly obese there are certain aspects that allow you to hide behind those hundreds of extra pounds. You are literally arms-length from getting close to people on many different levels. That emotional barrier is both a blessing and a curse depending on your personality.
Many people think shedding tons of weight will solve all their problems. Don't get me wrong, it does solve a bunch of them. The real heavy lifting comes when you have to confront the root causes of your self-destructive behavior. If you don't do that I think you are doomed to repeat the cycle that puts you in that position in the first place.
A very interesting aspect of not being the biggest person in the room is that I can disappear when I want to. When you are pushing 400 pounds it's very hard not to draw attention. You do "feel" the stares and focus when you are that big. If I choose to be Casper now, I can just fade into the landscape. That's a very new and different feeling. In many cases it's very liberating. Just imagine if you never had the ability to recede into the background in public.
As this metamorphosis continues I'll keep you posted on my progress. I'm now within just a few pounds of my goal. We'll see how it goes when the task changes from losing weight to maintaining my progress.
If you don't see me, just look a little harder. I may be just trying to blend in.
Posts
4 comments:
WOW!!!!! Glenn it's amazing!! I've been listening to all of this on the radio, but I had no idea how "big" you were to begin with. The before and after is just incredible. You are an inspiration and proof that it can be done "the old fashioned way". Keep it up!
You have displayed a TON of self control and discipline, which you tend to "downplay" on the air. This is an incredible story of personal commitment and observable success. Those who know you are proud of your personal accomplishment(s) in this health area.
Thanks for the kind words. I hope by talking about it, it might help someone else who struggles with the problem.
Glen, you look great!!! Very interesting, too, about the psychological/ social changes. It can be a challenge to maintain the weight loss, but if anyone can do it, YOU can. Not many can do what you did in the first place. You've got "true grit"! So funny when people ask "How'd you do it?!!" (what's the "secret"). It's the math diet, and you don't even need a slide rule. You're doing the math, and you're dogged about staying on course. Maybe those 3 sleek hounds of your were a good influence with the "dogged" part? CONGRATULATIONS!
Post a Comment