Riding My Asterisk Off

How I Got Fat

Cupcakes, Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Pizza, McDonalds...

Ok. Some of that for sure. But my weight came up on me in some odd ways. I was in damned good shape--150 pounds and about 16% body fat--and was extremely active, but in a 30 day span I gained 30 pounds. I wasn't pigging out; my diet was fairly normal and I was working out 2 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. Hard workouts, too. Martial arts. Weights. It was like I'd sneeze once a day and a pound would appear.

My weight stabilized; I maintained it but couldn't lose it, I argued with my doctor about it (he did not believe me) and a year later the same damned thing happened. Thirty pounds in a month. My doc sneered at me, said I needed nutritional counseling, and left me feeling like I was doggy doo dragged in one someone's shoe.

I refused to see anyone about it again, not even when 10 pounds piled on in about 3 weeks a year after that. There was no point.

I've struggled with this extra weight now for over 10 years. And in that time I've been diagnosed with 3 pain conditions, including arthritis, had a pituitary tumor (removed; benign) and learned something:

At least one doctor belived me. During some post-surgical treatment for all kinds of hormone deficiencies resulting from the tumor, I was told something I had wanted to hear for years. "Well, yeah...you're insulin resistent. We now know that for sure due to your insulin stress test. It could potentially cause you to gain weight quickly and prevent you from losing it."

Validation.

But not an excuse. The weight could be dealt with, he said, but I'd have to shake up my nutrition plan. Skip the fad diets, dont bother with Atkins, just eat according to the glycemic index.

Yay.

And I did. And I lost a few pounds. But somehow I got sidetracked by a couple of birthdays, birthday cake, and neighborhood BBQs... no more. I just had my 44th birthday, and dammit, I will lose the weight. Nutrisystem follows the glycemin index, and for at least a little while I can use their food to get me on track (and because I hate cooking...)

I should get my first shipment of prepackaged food in 4-10 days. Until then, I'm gonna enjoy myself--not pig out but I may eat out a couple of times--and then the fun begins.

It is fun, right? Getting healthy HAS to be fun!