Healthy, Sustainable Weight Loss: It's Mostly About What And How Much You Eat

Part One:  Why What I Have To Share Might Be Worthy Of Your Consideration

I could force a smile but felt miserable inside and out because of my obesity.

I once listened to a yogi explain how "Our wounds can become our purpose."  At the outset, my initial reaction was to reject her advice.  It came across to me as new age rhetoric, too touchy-feely.  After some reflection, however, it made an incredible amount of sense.  I believe what she meant is when we experience any form of hardship, loss, violence, or sorrow that wisdom evolves because of our suffering.  In turn, this knowledge can be leveraged for the greater good.  Seane Corn’s argument was, essentially, that through our painful life lessons we gain compassion and empathy that may qualify us to guide others through the healing process as they recover from their afflictions.  Although it’s been years since I listened to her offer this profound insight, I remember it well.  The idea she shared about how to recognize your life's purpose always seems to come up whenever I consider a side-hustle or encore career.

Can you see what I see?  (The pain and sorrow on my face are easy for me to recognize now.)

As a result of being morbidly obese and suffering with the classic signs of Earl-Onset Type 2 Diabetes, I felt miserable in many ways. I fully understand the pain associated with the unhealthy conditions related to obesity.  Not only was I once physically ill because of my situation, but I also hurt at a deep emotional level.  To say the least, I was depressed, mildly disgusted with myself, and discouraged because of my extremely unhealthy state. As a result, I now feel intensely inspired to help others with similar struggles.  The condition of being overweight comes with many emotional complexities, some deceptively subtle mental nuances, and a host of possible health-related side effects.  More recently, I have gained a new but similar perspective:  I've experienced the lesser but constantly nagging frustration of being only mildly overweight.

In addition to my ability to relate on an emotional and mental level with those struggling with weight-related issues, I have other credentials.  Even though my story of transformation is not as epic as those shared through some popular documentaries, it does make a case for healthy, sustainable weight loss. My journey began seven years ago.  Weighing 140 pounds more than I do now , I had a long list of medical conditions. I kick started healing my body with a juice fast. After thirty days of cleansing, I had shed forty pounds.  During the fast, my interest in the subjects of health, fitness, and wellness blossomed. I devoured all the books I could get my hands on related to these topics both during and after my journey towards wellness began.  I Started with The Gabriel method, Eat to Live, In Defense of Food, Nourishing Traditions, The China Study, Original Fast Foods, and The Beauty Detox.  Since then, I've added to that list books like Finding Ultra, The Plant Power Way, How Not To Die, and Proteinaholic, all while losing another 100 pounds.

Likewise, I gave up watching sports and sitcoms to view every documentary I could find on the subject.  Informative films like Food Matters, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Forks Over Knives, My Crazy Sexy Cancer, May I Be Frank, Hungry For Change, Fed Up, A Place at The Table, and What The Health also fueled my passion for plant-based nutrition, wellness, fitness, and health.   I've supplemented my education by listening to podcasts with many doctors:  Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn, Neil Bernard, Michael Gregor, Garth Davis, Michelle McMacken, Robynne Chutkin, Joel Furman, Joel Kahn, Dean Ornish, John McDougal, and Michael Clapper.  These long-form interviews have deepened my understanding of nutrition and weight loss.  What's more, they've helped me to continue the incremental improvement my health and lose more weight.

In the end, I believe another very important things to know about me is that I didn't just read, watch, and listen:  I really geeked out on these podcasts by taking a lot of notes and developed a personal nutrition/fitness/wellness/lifestyle program.  What I've learned has been cemented in the file boxes of my brain through experimentation with and the application the information and strategies I've learned from these authorities.  My credentials in the field of weight-loss are, admittedly, a work-in-progress and not certified.  However, in the near future I plan to enroll in and complete a health-coaching program, which will give me validation from a legitimate institution.

If you or anyone you know suffers with weight-related issues, please stay with me for parts two, three, and four of this mini-series on healthy, sustainable weight-loss. I may have some insights that will help.  Just as I have seen how to put together the puzzle of how I am able to successfully overcome my unhealthy food addictions one at a time, you or someone you love might gain an insight from my experience and journey that will enable you or them to do the same.