“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” -Lao Tzu
Weight Loss Journey is a typical buzz phrase for people to use when discussing “losing weight”; however, I have adopted Dr. Eric Berg’s phrase “health journey.” Dr. Berg teaches that as you become healthier, you will lose fat. This leads to losing inches and, oftentimes, weight loss. The loss of fat, inches, and weight are indicative of a healthier lifestyle. This mindset has helped me to remain focused on my own health goals: to lose visceral fat, inches, and weight. Many people would classify this as a weight loss journey, but I prefer to think of this mindset as tailored lifestyle. A journey indicates a beginning and an ending. My desire to be the healthiest that I can is a life-long goal, not just a destination.
The two pictures above was the first time that I was brave enough to reflect upon my healthy lifestyle efforts. You see, I never permitted anyone, including myself, to take full-body pictures; I was thoroughly ashamed of my body. I knew I was morbidly obese, and I didn’t want anyone to see me that way. The baby steps that I had implemented were starting to show results. The scale was subtracting pounds, finally.
You may be asking, “What did you do differently?” I am glad that asked. I began using Thomas DeLauer’s Intermittent Fasting Techniques. After a couple of weeks, I felt a slight improvement in my energy. I added walking around my couch once per an hour for a couple weeks, followed by walking the length of my driveway the next couple weeks. I kept increasing the amount of times that I would walk, but the walks were limited to under ten minutes because I would be out of breath or too dizzy to continue (I was still recovering from brain surgery, and I needed to regain my energy and health).
I will admit that I was discouraged. I was trying to push myself, but I was not seeing a lot of results in that first month. I knew there had to be reason; I just hadn’t discovered the answer, but I was about to. Thomas DeLauer published “How to Track Your Blood Sugar for Fat Loss.” In this video he discussed Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGMs). DeLauer shared a discount code for the CGM he uses, which is Signos. I discussed this option with my Primary Health Care doctor; he agreed it would be a good idea. But, it was not covered by my insurance because I was not diabetic. I paid out-of-pocket for Signos, and I am thrilled that I did.
You see, my glucose needs to be lower than the average glucose in order for to me lose weight. I need to be in the 60s, not 70s to lose weight. I lost nearly 25 pounds in the first two months that I used Signos to monitor my levels. I went from XXL to L in that time.
I kept my glucose levels down by implementing a strict ketogenic lifestyle. I watched innumerable YouTube videos, read many blogs, researched recipes, and started experimenting in the kitchen with new keto foods.
My success was not centered around weight loss; rather, I focused on becoming healthier. The baby steps (walking for 10 minutes, wearing a CGM, and adopting a ketogenic lifestyle) subtracted the fat, the inches, the weight, and, most importantly, the shame that I had been experiencing.
In my next blog post, I will discuss how I added stretching, resistance training, and longer walks into my lifestyle.
Remember, you are an individual with your own unique biology. Tailoring your fitness to your needs will help you be successful. Do you have any tips you want to share? Please leave a comment below about your experiences.