Almost two years ago, I decided it was time to get serious and lose some weight. Size XXL shirts and 40W pants were starting to get snug, my A1C was at pre-diabetes levels, my doctor was considering putting me on cholesterol meds, my sleep quality was terrible, and my wife said I snored like a poorly-maintained chainsaw.
So I decided to see how going low-carb would work…I gave up beer(!), sugar, pasta, bread, etc., decreased caloric intake, and started a weightlifting program that I actually enjoyed. It was weird, neither the die nor the exercise habit were at all difficult to establish…I just kinda decided I wanted to do this, told my wife my plan (she said, “that’s great, I’ll do it with you”), and I was off to the races. I figured I was just ready, mentally & physically.
A year later, I had lost 60 lbs, was down to size L shirts and 34W pants, A1C was “low-normal”, my doctor said he no longer felt cholesterol meds were necessary, and my wife reported that I’d stopped snoring altogether. I even took some breaks from the diet & exercise for holidays, my birthday, and a major vacation during that year, and was able to get back on the wagon just fine after. I had that shit on lock.
My goal was to fit into 32W pants for the first time since high school, and I was so close, so I went into 2019 determined to keep at it. And I did, for 6 months.
Then due to various work schedule changes and other assorted excuses, I took a break from the gym in July and haven’t gone back since. Then I went off the diet for Thanksgiving (just like I did in 2018), but this time I stayed off it until New Years Day, and even after that I’ve been struggling to stay on it.
It’s like the awesome willpower I had all through 2018 and the first half of 2019 disappeared, and now I’m constantly fighting the urge to eat whatever donuts or junkfood people bring into the office (I work for a European company…the tradition is that, when people visit from HQ, they bring tons and tons of delicious European chocolates and treats) and snacking at home. And I can’t “just have one”…once I do, some kind of psychological dam breaks and I end up stuffing my face.
So now here I am, all the 34W pants I bought starting to feel a kinda snug, bit of a muffintop showing in my size L shirts, trying to figure out what the hell changed and how I can get back on the horse.