I get this question from time to time – so here you go!
I have talked a lot about my previous attempts to lose weight and become healthy. I was that guy that tried everything, spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on products, shakes, programs, extreme dieting, personal trainers and life changes that didn’t promote long term sustainable success. I did venture down the long scary road of weight loss surgery and that too almost killed me. Living a life at 452 pounds was not easy, that goes without saying. With each of those attempts to improve my health I would joke with friends that I didn’t have pounds to lose, but only a few ounces to shed. The truth is Shedding Ounces started as a simple joke. I was and still am that person that loves to joke around, but I found comfort in making fun of myself, before others had the opportunity. I guess I used to think if I was the one who brought up my weight in a joking manner others wouldn’t feel the need to talk about it. My true feelings of embarrassment regarding my weight were always the shadow behind my humor. I remember doing pure liquid diets for weeks on end. I tried eating only tuna, boiled chicken, broccoli and spinach for weeks. Those attempts were successful at one thing, losing weight. The truth is I got what I deserved each and every time I went down that road. Each attempt was so structured and unrealistic that it didn’t do anything but lead to a roller coaster ride of regret followed by additional weight gain. As I saw success on the scale it translated in my head that I had “made it” – I would quickly get comfortable and revert back to old habits. With each of these attempts there existed no balance. It was text book and extreme. There was such a shock my body at over 400 pounds that it would certainly provide weight loss results but I did nothing to change my relationship with food.
Shedding ounces, that simple joke turned into much more. It slowly became a mantra of my own, a mind set to live by when fighting the weight loss battle. Shedding Ounces is about a frame of mind, it’s about understanding that this isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s about establishing a game plan to deal with the most important part of this battle, your mind! We all face choices every day. We know what is good for us and what isn’t. If I gave you 10 different food items and 5 were healthy and the other 5 not the vast majority of people would be able to differentiate between the two. With each and every healthy choice you gain momentum. It’s about winning the small battles throughout the day that leads to the long-term results that we seek. The days turn into weeks and weeks into months, months to years just like those ounces turn into pounds and pounds turn into milestones. When you start your battle, just keep moving forward, you will make mistakes – I know I made my fair share, but what made this time different for me is my focus was not on being perfect, but rather understanding my mindset when I made a mistake. The moments of weakness have always been my biggest learning lessons. I still work through these moments. I have tried to publicly display this ongoing battle here in hopes to shed light on how an addiction to food can hinder one’s success and even severely damage one’s life. All the time spent hiding my deepest fears and feelings of self-loathing behind humor turns out it was that masking of my true feelings that set the stage for my life’s passions and purpose.
Until Next Time –
Mario
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