My bloodwork results were mailed yesterday so they could be here as early as today but maybe tomorrow. I know it’s weird but I’m so excited to see just how much I improved. This one was a big jump, so much so my doctors were shocked.

I’ve been on this path for 4 years and I knew I couldn’t make all the changes at one time. So I started with dinner and improved that. Then lunch. Then snacking. Then adding exercise. And last, because it’s my favorite, breakfast.

I’ve lost 90% of my weight from making changes to how I eat. I don’t believe in diets so I’m not on one. I eat whatever I want. But about a year ago I decided to give up highly processed food and processed sugar. I also won’t eat anything high in bad fats or bad carbs. Those simple rules eliminate almost everything bad for you. What you are left with is food you can eat without guilt.

I did start out counting calories and logging my food – but this was to LEARN. To learn portions, to learn what’s actually going in my body. And I slowly over 4 years made one change at a time. Just like my doctors did with my medications.

I didn’t want to lose 75 lbs in 1 year. While 75 lbs is my overall goal (I’m at 60 down now) losing it in 1 year is not healthy either. I planned it and I’m within weeks of my plan – even with cheats and failures along the way. You have to plan for that too because you are fucking human. Don’t forget to give yourself some grace, this process is not easy. And it’s worth doing right and not fast.

Losing slowly meant no loose skin, no rapid release of bad stuff stored in my body to flood my system, no overloading my kidneys and most importantly let me learn exactly what works for my body and what doesn’t. I’m going to write up a series of posts on my blog about exactly what I did and how I did it – but it’s not for anyone to copy verbatim. What I want to show you is the SYSTEM I used to learn what works for me so you can figure out what works best for you. Everyone’s body chemistry and response to diets, exercise and medicine is as different as the way we all think.

And you need good support in your life. Like family and friends. But it was also important in my case to have doctors monitoring my work and who trusted me and my research enough to partner with me in figuring this out instead of telling me what to do. And they are as impressed with my results as I am, which is a lot.

I’m not perfect and I don’t want to be, that’s not realistic. I like flaws in people and I like used and worn things. Like me. But you can be healthy and do better. If I can, you can. I promise.

Even after 60 lbs lost, I still look in the mirror and see a fat kid. I always have, even when I was skinny. This is part of my ADHD self image issues. I internalized this idea when young based off of ONE joke that wasn’t even about being overweight. I was never overweight as a kid, I was rail thin. I didn’t start putting on weight really till middle school. I still remember the joke and exactly where I was I heard it and who said it. The context no longer matters and they meant NOTHING by it. I took the wrong meaning from it, internalized it and it created a life long issue with self image.

So it’s nice to see the all my health reports for the last 4 years continue to in the right direction and as of this week, all my numbers are on the optimal range. They’ve never been this good. I’m metabolically healthy and that’s the goal. Weight doesn’t matter, BMI doesn’t matter. Nobody can argue with me that I’m unhealthy because I have receipts. Even my doctors simply defer to my judgement now because they’ve had no one every get this healthy after being so sick. It’s just not the norm. I’m not special. I’m not exceptional. I’m just a regular person who it took a massive heart attack to motivate to get healthy. Don’t let it come to that. I know it’s hard. But you can prevent that. Most people don’t survive them. So do what you can.

I’m going to keep sharing my story and what I learn to hopefully motivate others and to remind myself I am healthy. I still worry about every little twinge in my chest. I still have self image issues. I still have a little weight to lose. But I’m celebrating the progress and the process. That’s the part you have to fall in love with. I want to be as good at this as I am at other things I put my mind too.

Don’t aim for perfect, just a little better every day.