My Journey to Happily Ever After - Day 1

Day one actually started on Sunday, March 3rd. That's the day I started Medifast. So I'm already behind! :) I considered starting a blog to document my weight loss journey (I have a long way to go), but I didn't think people would want to read about one fat girl's journey to getting thin. Correction: HEALTHY. I'm not doing this to be thin. While being thin for the first time since I was in elementary school (which was a LONG time ago) will be a nice bonus, that's not why I started this journey. I'm doing this to get healthy. I've been delusional for a long time that I'm "healthy as a horse, just big". But when a doctor says you have Diabetes, yet it's still not a wake-up call for you, there's something wrong.

My wake-up call was when my husband came home from work with a terrifying story of one of his co-workers, who is the same age as him. The normal, workaholic hadn't been in much that week. For good reason. His dad was put into a medically induced coma due to liver damage from taking the prescribed dose of a pill his doctors told him to take.

I've never blinked about having to give myself shots for my diabetes. It's just part of keeping myself healthy to be around for my kids. It's better than the alternative, where I was in denial that the diabetes could kill me and wasn't treating it with medications, diet or exercise. It wasn't fair. Why should everyone else be able to live their normal lives while I had to think about THIS? I was fine, right?

Wrong.

About a year ago, I realized that I might not be around to watch my kids grow up if I didn't start taking care of myself. That meant getting on the medications I had to to control the side-effects of being overweight. My plan was to get healthy with diet and exercise and get off the medications. We all have those goals: eat healthier and get more exercise. And we all do well for a week or two and then push it aside due to other priorities.

I've been religious in taking my medications when prescribed, and my doctor has been happy with how well I've stuck to his recommendations. Except for losing weight. That I just couldn't motivate myself to do. I'd done Weight Watchers and lost 30ish lbs. And gained it back. I did Atkins and lost the same 30lbs. And gained it back. Again. Nothing worked. I just didn't have the willpower to stick with anything that allowed me to eat *some* of what I loved. It was a slippery slope that I just couldn't climb.

Back to the story about my husband's co-worker's dad. He took ONE dose of the medication and was in the hospital less than 24 hours later with liver damage. ONE DOSE. That the doctor had prescribed. I eyed my medication and the side effects warnings. I was taking medication that, while it treats the things my obesity did to my body, could cause worse damage. I had been considering trying Medifast, which my doctor recommended on more than one occasion. That night, after my husband went to bed, I placed my order for two weeks. I HAD to make a change. I had to make myself the priority, for the first time in a very long time. I HAD to get off all those medications. NOW.

So here I am, a week into Medifast, and six pounds lighter. My blood pressure is so low I'm dizzy (check one pill off the list), my blood sugars have been perfect (check one injection off my list), but I won't know about the cholesterol medication until my appointment. I'll be pushing hard to get rid of that one as well.

I was thoroughly surprised with how easy it's been to stick on plan. I eat the 5 Medifast meals, and make one lean and green meal in the evening. Usually the lean and green, while sticking with the guidelines for the meal, is almost too much food! I've seldom been hungry, and I've stuck to the plan 100%, without even an urge to cheat.

Yes, I had the "I'll NEVER get to eat pizza again" pity party. I had the guilt of thinking that it's not fair to my family that I can't eat with them at restaurants. I had the "but it's SO hard to make TWO meals" thought. But really, it was just my fat screaming out in agony for me to give up and stay fat.

Well, screw you fat. You're not welcome here anymore.