How Hard is It?

A little while ago, a friend declared sort of publicly that she was making a change. Getting healthier. I let her know I was in support and wished her the best.

I also told her that it wouldn't be as hard as she thought.

I've been thinking about that this past couple of weeks. Why would I say that? Losing weight is hard, right?

Well, yes. It's hard. But now that I can look back on it, after 18 months, it really doesn't seem like it was that hard. And it was certainly not as hard as I thought it would be all those years I was too afraid or too stubborn to try. And it was most definitely not as hard as carrying around those pounds and all the baggage that comes with them.

It took me six months to lose 70 pounds. And another 12 months to lose 25 more. That's more than 500 days of waking up and deciding to do the right things. Eat better. Exercise. Believe I could do it.

Compared to the 25 years I felt like crap about the way I looked and the way I felt, 500 days doesn't seem like such a long time.

And you've heard me say it before, the biggest regret I have about the whole thing is that I didn't start earlier. That I couldn't figure it out, that I couldn't trust myself to try.

So what was different about this time? I didn't think about 100 pounds. I thought about five. I didn't think about the 18 months it might take me. I thought about making good choices for one day. I didn't dwell about being hungry and wanting to eat. I thought instead about how nothing I could put in my mouth would make me feel better than being healthier.

Most of all I didn't think about the 25 years of failing or being disappointed. I thought about how much I mattered to me. I thought about how I only get one life, one body, and how I am in control of me.

And this time it worked.