Sometimes I feel like I give off the appearance that I hate social media. My personal accounts are either abandoned or quiet in terms of which posts are actually shared by me. I’m not resisting social media because I think I’m above it, I’m resisting it because I’m not good at sharing my life with anyone. Even in face-to-face conversation, I don’t want to let people in. I know I should, but it’s hard.
After reading through each of Erin’s posts about how she was able to accomplish her goal of getting healthier, I started looking at my own life to reevaluate how I’ve been doing with my own goals. It didn’t take long to realize I wasn’t as far along as I hoped I’d be by this point in my life, with one goal in particular.
According to a weight loss comparison chart that I just looked at, I’ve lost an “an average sized chimpanzee” worth of weight. This fact is obviously great. I’m not denying that and I am so grateful I have had so much success in this endeavor.
That being said there are things I am or have experienced along the way that I didn’t fully anticipate or want. They suck, and I’m going to vent about them.
I’ve lost around 70 lbs this past year. Until last week I hadn’t removed any clothing from my closet. I don’t like spending a lot of money on clothing and I haven’t hit my full goal. So to me it didn’t make sense to invest in new items. The only new clothing I have bought during the journey is a pair of work pants. Stepping into my closet was no longer enjoyable and I decided to give in and tackle the unpleasant project.
I dedicated an entire Sunday to the endeavor. I knew this was going to be a project, but there were many things I learned along the way.
Losing a lot of weight is exciting. Not only for the person who does, but for the people around them. I end up having discussions and encounters with people about my 70 lbs weight loss about once a week. Sometimes more and sometimes less. Most of these interactions eventually lead to the person asking me how I did it.
As someone who really dives into the things that interest me at the moment, I understand the question. Our culture has made diets such a mystery. Fast weight loss is constantly being advertised. One diet says no carbs, another says no fat. Half of society considers one food “good” and the other considers it “bad.” Then when someone tries out diet pills, fads and weight-loss hacks nothing works.
When people see someone they know and trust having success with losing weight, it’s like they’ve found an “in” to the mystery. I can never think of all the tips I have when talking to my friends and family, but I’ll try my best to now. This is what has worked for me:
“Color had the power to bring her back to life. As long as it was a part of her, she was at peace.”
“The family lives in the woods alone. They prefer to keep it that way.”
“We think it’s hidden in the blue jewel she’s always wearing around her neck. Doesn’t matter though, you’ll never get it off her.”
“She was his greatest mystery. A face he always searched for, but never thought he’d find.”
“In my opinion, the world could use more sprinkles…wish everyone felt that way.”
