I’ll start off by saying that the issue I face is one that is a huge problem worldwide. According to The European Association for the Study of Obesity, At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In addition, 44% of the diabetes burden, 23% of the ischaemic heart disease burden, and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to overweight and obesity.
That’s pretty staggering. The fact is I am one of those people in that category. You see that guy on the left is me. I currently weigh 370 lbs. I work from home, long hours, don’t focus on exercise. I tried a few times to lose the weight, and have succeeded, going as far as getting down to 258, only to gain it all back. My biggest size was 398 lbs. Many people have tried to point it out and of course like everyone, you go into denial. We live in a world where we focus so much on self-love and acceptance that we don’t take the time to see if that comfort of acceptance comes at the cost of our health. My knees now have arthritis, and the weight has created partial tears in my meniscus. All things I cant repair until I lose the weight, which is ironic isn’t it?
I have been lucky that I have not had heart disease or diabetes. Of course, we should love who we are, because everything about us is unique. We truly ALL are a work of art, each of us a different canvas. But it is also more than ok to want to love the way we feel and look when we see ourselves in the mirror. To enjoy adventures, theme parks, or even the simplest of things as playing with our children. I can’t tell you how many stories I have of not being able to do things I love or wanted to experience. Roller coasters, my first sky diving experience, full-court basketball.
