ef·fi·cient
əˈfiSHənt/
adjective
- (especially of a system or machine) achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.
For so many years I neglected to truly take care of my body which in turn left me tired, unmotivated, and full of excuses as to why I couldn't make health related changes. My schedule consisted of work, school, sleep, and a lot of junk. Not food! I didn't have a problem with regular old food. I had major issues with sugar. Sweets were my vice; especially chocolate. The more sweets I ate, the more I craved them. That how the mind and body works. Now, don't get me wrong, I would go through spurts of getting fit but would fall right back into the same old sugary pits of hell. When it came to chocolate I did not have a turn off switch. I would vacillate from being a junk food junkie to eating relatively healthy, to fasting for several days at a time. I think my extreme behavior is why I didn't weigh 500lbs.
Once I decided to make a change to living a more healthy lifestyle, chocolate was the very first thing to go. I immediately gave up chocolate and would not eat anything with chocolate in it. Every week I would stop eating something else. I believe I gave up all sweets next, then chips, then all fast food, and so on until I has eliminated all the things that would eventually kill me if I didn't let them go. It wasn't the first time I had attempted to make this change, however this time I was ready. I was ready to lose the weight for reasons related only to me. My mind was ready but my body was not. When you have lived on sugar for so long and then you cut it out of your diet, your body does not know what to do with itself. The sugar kept me going! My days were long and pure torture.
After I got back in the gym, I did start feeling better and I also started to drop some weight. I mean it started coming off quickly. I started lifting heavy weights and the weight was pouring off of me. I added running and I barely started to recognize myself. In 9 months, I lost 100lbs. Yes, 100lbs in 9 months. In 1 year, I had lost 120lbs and in 14months, I had lost 136lbs. So here I stand.
Over the last 5 months or so, I have been lifting heavy and my muscle mass has increased tremendously. However, this remaining fat mass that I need to get rid of has not budged. I mean, I train HARD! When I say HARD, I mean HARD! I think many doubted that I trained as hard as I do because I was getting bigger (due to muscle, but not losing fat). I tried every suggestion provided to try and kick start my fat burning but nothing has worked. The good thing is... MY BODY FAT % HAS REMAINED THE SAME! Thank God!!!
So I started out this post with the definition of the word EFFICIENT. Today, I saw a new doctor who reviewed my lab work, administered an EKG, took my random blood sugar level and blood pressure and made a statement to me that caught me off guard. "Your body is just too efficient." I asked him to repeat himself. "Your body is running like an efficient machine and this is normal after losing the weight of another person and training the way you are training. Your random blood sugar is 64. Your body is functioning way too efficiently." I was floored. What he said meant that I have been doing things right. That what I was experiencing was "normal" and that I was in really great shape. I have never felt better about making this lifestyle change as I have since that moment, today, in his office, in Skokie, Illinois. I am beyond excited!
For anyone that is reading this who may be worried about their health or may really be struggling to get started... I feel your pain. You are not alone. Yes it is hard to get started. However, you have to get started. You can't put it off any longer as you deserve the opportunity to live life freely. Making any change is better than no change at all. Whatever it is that motivates you, use it. My motivation to get serious and make a change was seeing my 37 year old homeboy have 3 strokes and go from being physically able to do everything to being limited in doing most things. The time to change is now.
Until next time... Commit to taking better care of yourself physically, mentally, and most importantly; spiritually. You deserve it.
~me
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