Weight loss

I’m a big fat guy. There is no denying it. Weight is something I struggled with most of my life. The thing that really pushed me over the edge is when I was prescribed high doses prednisone. In three months I gained about 80 pounds. 

My most recent weight gain was during the pandemic. Then I was troubled with repeated leg infections that limited the amount of exercise I could get. Lack of exercise combined with eating out of boredom is not a good combination.

In spite of my size my blood pressure and sugar levels are good. That’s probably mostly good genetics but I’m getting older so the weight is harder to handle. 

With that in mind I decided to do something about my weight. The local weight loss clinic had a pile of paperwork to fill out before they’d even consider you as a patient. They accepted me but never got around to scheduling appointments. In the mean time I decided I didn’t want what they were offering. 

Their big go to solution is bariatric surgery. I don’t want to go that route as it’s a pretty invasion procedure. 

The next big tool in the weight clinic tool box are the new weight loss drugs. They can help people lose a lot of weight. Three things have steered me away from that approach. The first is cost: those drugs aren’t cheap. The second is potential side effects. The third is that necessity of being on the drugs for the rest of one’s life. Those who get off the drugs generally gain all the weight back. 

One guy I know who’s on the medication said he lost 27 pounds so far. He also has constant diarrhea and vomiting. That doesn’t sound like any fun at all. 

The weight loss clinic appears to be a poor choice for me. However, I still have to lose weight. With that in mind I’ve set up my own weight loss program. A lot of is is understanding the psychology of why I over eat. That’s been a journey. The second bit is eating less and getting more exercise: boring, I know. Every week only a little weight comes off, but so far it’s added up to 39 pounds, so it’s working. 

-Sixbears