Oh yes I did!

I blame Sharon for this blog.  This will be TWO in one night if I get this done!  That is...get this done without either laughing myself off the page or jumping off a bridge.

Oh where to start.....Sharon has lost 43 lbs. since March and she looks amazing.  Now, I haven't known Sharon for a really long time but I have known who she was.  Always friendly, always smiling, and always helping someone out.  Never once would I have put her in the category of "overweight" though.  To each their own though, right? Who am I to say if someone is overweight?  I don't know their body and how it works for them.  I'm doing good to know my own!

As I was reading Sharon's blog about her last 200+ days and her journey, I found myself laughing....which I can really, really use right now.....and commenting.  To nobody.  I am the only person in the room.  At one point I thought I had lost my mind.  Maybe I have, I don't know.  

Sharon talked about how she started out going to take her picture every Monday and like the rest of us, didn't always get that done. But she did have a lot of pictures and you could see significant change in her body.  Good job girl, you are great motivation for me.  

Maybe I will try that ".....take a picture every Monday" thing too. And I am not waiting until January to do it because we all know that whole "This year's New Year's Resolution is to lose weight" thing is just off-the-charts BS.  I will have Quintin take my picture tonight when I get out of bed and that will be my Monday picture.  Hmmm, where ARE those pink leggings at???  Oh, have I mentioned that when I wake up, I bear a slight resemblance to Sideshow Bob???  

Note to self:  Brush the hair!

Something else Sharon did was start a journal.  I have tried that. I don't last long.  And I'm not going to subject you to it here either.  You are safe for now!  Not sure what I am going to do but I will figure something out.  There is something about carrying around a leather notebook though.....oh hell, we all know I'm going to start writing this crap down!  And yes, you will be reading it too!

Sharon was talking about how she has done what most every single person on this earth has done and that is diet.  Ugh, I hate that word.  It took me years to learn that no diet in the world is going to work.  Lifestyle change is truly the way to go if you want to be successful.  With me being a diabetic, you'd think I'd have that lifestyle thing down, huh?  Nope!  I have always convinced myself that I will be able to get the same results by doing the complete opposite of everyone else.  *sigh*  And I'm still here.  Struggling. But I'm on a much better track now than I was say.....5 years ago. Much better!

When she was telling about how she would eat one day, starve herself the next, and then eat again the following day...I must say, I was laughing so hard.  Oh yes, I have tried that.  Oh yes, I should kick myself in the ass for that one.  And you should too if you have done it.  Anyway, as I was reading it, I had a flashback of epic proportions:

The cabbage soup diet:  You make this huge...and by huge, I mean the size of Arkansas...pot of cabbage soup.  And that's all you can eat. But you can eat anytime you want.  Day or night.  Just dish up some of that yummy cabbage soup!  And it's good...if you like cabbage. And I LOVE cabbage!  Unfortunately, just like math class, it didn't love me.  Let's just say that the results could have been one reason for my first divorce.  Oh the horror.  I will proudly say though, that I did get a whole stew pot of cabbage eaten before I finally realized I had bloated myself 4 pant sizes larger than where I started.  Roll me away from the table, I am done!

The water diet:  This one was much like her starvation diet with the exception of forcing myself to drink about 6 gallons of water a day. That's a lot of water.  And a lot of bloating.  And a LOT of peeing. And if you needed to stray anywhere outside of your home, your best bet was to wear a diaper of some kind.  Miserable.

The ex-lax diet:  Oh yes I did!  Shitty.  That's all I can say about it.  This is one you definitely need to stay away from.  The crappiest diet with the crappiest results I have ever gotten!  Sick!

The military diet:  Okay, now I know a lot of people do not like this diet but I have to say that I am a huge fan of it.  Three days of eating good, wholesome food that doesn't suck and then you don't do it again until the following week.  When I was in high school, I lost about 25 lbs. on this.  Then I met someone named Miller Lite, who introduced me to his cousin Bud and well, I quickly found my 25 lbs. plus a few more.  I hate it when I find those little bastards. This diet consists of things like cottage cheese, tuna, green beans, and even ice cream, among other things.  

Binge & Purge:  When I lived in Kansas City, I walked a lot.  And I lost a lot of weight.  I ate one meal a day and it consisted of one of two things.  Either a package of ramen noodle soup OR a small bag of microwave popcorn.  And I lived happily with that "diet" for several months.  Maybe even a year.  Then...when I plateaued, I did the "next best" thing and made myself puke it up.  Oh yes I did!  And yes, the weight literally fell off of me.  That didn't make it right and it definitely didn't make it good for me.  Not only was it bad for my body but it wasn't so good for my mind either.  Now...put on top of that a long distance relationship with a guy that you knew...deep down in the pit of your stomach...was never, ever going to work out.  Oh yes!  I did!

**side note:  for all the people that accused me of doing drugs when I was in KC, you were wrong.  THIS is how I lost all my weight.**

Please do not take the time to tell me what is a good "diet" and/or "choice."  Please respect that I will do whatever I choose to do.  Just like you will choose to do what you want.  And if that includes a can of Monster energy drink every day, then so be it!  Who am I (or you) to judge???

I have never been a fan of things like Weight Watchers, where you need to pay to get the benefits and then on top of that, pay a higher price for a packaged meal.  Nuh-uh, I like my real food, thanks!  I did go to TOPS when I lived in Bedford years ago (where I made some life-long friends) and loved it. I think money was the top motivator then.  Hell, it probably would be now if I had someone to go to these things with.  I just do not know enough people in this area with the same likes as myself.  And that spills over into needing a walking partner.  Not necessarily someone to talk to while we walk.  Just someone that is going to "go the course" with me and be there for each other through it and after it.  

So back to Sharon's blog.  She tells how she used to get up at 4am just to exercise!  4 a.m.!!!  What the hell was she thinking????? And if that wasn't bad enough, she had young children!  WHAT???  She should have had her head examined but hey, like I said, to each their own!!!  

I have tried that whole "getting up and starting my day with exercise" BS and to this day, I concur that it is, in fact, complete BS.  I do not know how anyone does it.  I mean, if you are one that can and does, more power to you.  Ugh, nothing will make me puke faster and think more negatively than exercising right after I wake up.  A lot of times I work overnights and then go walking after work.  But that's only after I have put in an 8 hour or more shift. I'm not doing that shit before work.  I'm just not.

I will bring this to a close.  I want Sharon to know that she has inspired me just when I thought all hope was lost for me.  I have made some notes to get me started and am looking forward to this new journey.  I was originally going to give a timeline but have changed my mind.  I think I will just see how long it takes me to get where I need to be.  And then.....like Sharon.....work to keep it off and live happily ever after in my new "lifestyle."

Sharon, if you're reading this...I thank you (and I may hate you before it's over).  In all honesty your blog has helped pull me out of this "funk" I am feeling myself slide into.  At least for a little bit, and hopefully for the next 200+ days.  Thank you for not giving up on your talents and for continuing on your writing journey.  It's people like me that need people like you to blog! Much love!!!