| In terms of information probably most useful to those of you still reading, here are the changes I made. My household contains NOTHING I would consider to be "unhealthy" food. There are some items where people would likely disagree (frozen dinners most likely), but the "really" bad foods are definitely a thing of the past. No frozen pizzas. No full fat dairy products (almost exclusively fat free now). TONS of produce. While I still prefer fruit over vegetables, I've learned how to incorporate vegetables in my meals. It's amazing how putting in a little time and effort (and the purchasing of a food processor) can help with the process. I've always said I don't necessarily mind the flavors of many vegetables, but I definitely dislike almost all of them in their raw, whole state. So for those of you who, like me, are not fans of vegetables, there is hope! Oh, and there is NO fast food, with the exception of Subway. This is not to say you can't lose weight going to such places, but for me it was a necessity to stop. With exercise, I do it regularly. I accept it as a "necessary evil" in order to stay healthy. Admittedly, I don't really like to exercise all that much. I joined a gym and go regularly, although I've found alternative ways to stay fit. One of my favorite things to do is play basketball (shooting) on my own. I can spend an hour shooting and running layup drills without even noticing the time. Earlier in my weight loss journey, I found the Wii (and specifically the Wii Fit) to be HUGELY important. I played at least an hour a day, usually more. And it is actually exercise! I worked up a sweat many times! The key here is finding exercise you like to do. Also, recognize you can make anything into an opportunity to exercise. Park a little further away from the door. Use the steps instead of an elevator. Go up on your toes and do calf raises while waiting in line. Clean your house with a little more gusto! It all counts! The BIGGEST change for me, however, has been internal. In fact, the whole point of this website is to highlight the importance of TOTAL BODY WELLNESS. Part of your body is your brain, and what I've found is the brain (specifically the emotions we experience and the thoughts we have) is the biggest villain in our fight to be healthy. I now recognize part of the reason I was unable to keep the weight off was because I didn't take care of myself emotionally. I mentioned earlier how I was the poster child for lazy, unmotivated, depressed people. This is no understatement. It's hard to motivate yourself to be healthy when you don't really care about yourself in the first place! Think about this for a minute. How much easier is it for you to do something when it's important to you? All of the ups and downs you experience are easier to tolerate because the end result is valuable. The same goes for weight loss. It's one thing to "know" you "have" to lose weight. It's another thing to care about it. I mean really care. For me, I didn't care enough about myself to maintain changes. It was easier to go back to my "old ways" of sitting around, doing nothing, eating easy (and oftentimes unhealthy) foods. In essence, I was addicted to being obese. It was "comfortable," even though I didn't necessarily like it. Plus when I thought about it some more, it fit with my self- perception. I was a "fat" kid. I became a "fat" guy. That was my identity. When I made changes and became healthy, it was too much to handle. I wasn't ready to change myself internally. So I put the weight back on. This is no longer the case. I accept myself as a person, regardless of my weight. When I moved away from being a "fat" guy to just a "guy," the fear of being fit went away. Not only that, but a motivation to stay healthy developed. Now that I value myself and what I have to offer the world, I want to be HEALTHY! Do I still struggle with self-esteem? Of course! I can't change my entire personality overnight. What has happened though is I'm more self-aware when I slip into the negative mindset of being a "fat" guy. It's the mindset that tells me I'm different, I'm not "good enough" for people, and I'm not worth the effort. I can reel myself in a lot better than before. I know I'm different, but in a positive way. I can actually look at myself objectively and recognize my strengths. The reason why this site exists is because I finally care enough about myself (and others) to put in the effort to develop the site. Total Body Wellness is not just for me. It is for EVERYONE, because I want each and every person to care enough about themselves to live a healthy lifestyle. So that's my story and I'm sticking to it! One of the negative parts of being a little more self-confident is I like to talk about myself and my struggles quite a bit. I hope those of you still reading don't take it to mean I'm stuck up or narcissistic. I don't know if I can ever become that person, because anything to an extreme (even something like self-esteem) can be toxic. And you all should know by now I'm firmly against doing anything to make my life unhealthy. The reason I share my story in detail is to give you a glimpse into where I come from and how I got to this point. I don't think my story is particularly unique by any stretch of the imagination. There are countless people (maybe even you) living the same story. My hope is you find something in my story meaningful to you and apply it to your own situation. My hope also is you see my motivation is genuine. I've had my "awakening." Time to "pay it forward." If you made it here, THANK YOU for taking the time out of your day to read my story. Thank you also for taking the time to visit my site. As I say throughout, this site is still in its early stages. I have big plans for the future. So check back often. In particularly, check my blog for updates on the site and for various other news and (hopefully) useful information on diet, exercise, mental health, and Total Body Wellness. I'm not in the business of making guarantees, but I will say I think you'll be pleasantly surprised if you stick with me. The Revolution is Coming. Are you ready to fight? |
| Dr. Boz's Total Body Wellness Revolution |
| Boz's Weight Loss Journey - Continued |