I’d like to title this “The opposite of the ravages of time”
I’ve been obese and I’ve been (am) fit. There is no doubt about which side of the fence I’d rather be on.
At my heaviest, I was 104 kilos (230 pounds), struggled to walk for 10 minutes, and needed to sit down whenever possible. I ate junk and drank alcohol much more regularly than I should have.
Today I’m at a much healthier 75 kilos (165 pounds), I’ve run a full marathon, fitter, leaner, and much stronger than I was a few years ago.
Like most people who have tried to take control of their health, it wasn’t easy. There were plenty of false starts over the years - crash dieting a few days , only to end back to my unhealthy habits 3 days later. Starving myself was not a good strategy (shocker)
This isn’t about the exact steps I took and isn’t meant to be advice. There are many qualified people on the internet that can give you an exact plan. This is about what changed in me to take these steps.
When I look back, I remember deflecting and joking about my own obesity a lot. I’d actually double down and eat more and make fun of my friends who didn’t want to pig out. Eating the most food at the table was something I would brag about. All of this happened while I was surrounded by loved ones who cared about me. They told me kindly to start taking care of my health. It just didn’t happen. That advice went in through one ear and out the other. I didn’t walk, exercise, or watch my diet AT ALL.
Something changed in my life when I stood on a weighing scale (after years) I looked down…and I couldn’t read the number thanks to my protruding stomach. Years of pent-up shame and embarrassment hit me like a truck. In the end, it wasn’t my family’s advice, it wasn’t looking at myself in the mirror that broke me, it was NOT being able to see the number.
Life has changed a lot since that moment. I’ve built a strong sustainable lifestyle and have successfully kept the weight off for a few years now and I feel confident in my own skin.
Occasionally, I meet people who are “not healthy”, and hear them make unsolicited jokes about themselves. I see them load their plates with way more food than anyone else. I notice them brag about how they hate walking and will drive everywhere. I listen to them complain about how hard it is to be consistent about fitness.
I see old Shomik in them. It’s the closest I’ll get to being in a time machine. A part of me wants to shake them! “You gotta fix this! Save yourself! I care about you, please take care of yourself”
Fitness is a deeply personal journey. Only they can make a decision - neither love nor shame will cause action. It has to be an intrinsic decision.
If you’ve been thinking about getting your health in order but just don’t know what to do, remember that you can’t change your entire lifestyle in a day. Just start doing one thing and do it for a month. Go for a walk, or drink one less can of pop, whatever it is.
I hope everyone prioritizes their health, everything is downstream of good health. And if you read this, I hope you’re either 1) on your journey or 2) use this moment to kickstart your personal revolution.