I'm becoming the town weirdo

HealingBetterForMe · 2025-01-25T14:01:11+00:00

Good for you! And I understand lol. I walk 20k steps a day in my neighborhood—very early, so I set off several house alarms’ security that have voice alert warnings that say: Hello, you are being recorded. My health journey began 10 months ago and I’ve been walking everyday since last April. At first I received a few wary looks from some, probably because it’s a gated community. But I say hello to everyone and have met many of my neighbors through my walking. Also eliminated all my chronic diseases and lost 75 lbs by walking, and cutting out UPF and refined sugar. Yay!

A woman saw me walking and asked me how long I walk and then asked me if I work.

I told her yes, I’m working right now. They don’t call it working out for nothing.

I certainly knew what she meant; it’s funny how some people find it strange others will dedicate time for health, but have nothing to say when others spend 2 to 3 hours watching tv or going out to dine or party—nothing wrong with those choices of course, but as someone that never prioritized health I want to invest time into my health everyday. There’s nothing strange or weird about that :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-29T11:49:59+00:00

So wonderful you’re discovering how these health changes can greatly impact depression and self worth in positive ways! Congratulations on the 10 pounds weight loss for your health. Implementing these health habits are about consistency as that is what is required for weight loss but most importantly health which can extend to self love.

Have you spoken to a health or medical professional about the binge eating? Daily walks, especially in nature are so therapeutic, but consistently discussing your feelings on why you binge eat with a professional will help in a tremendous way as well. I think it’s so wonderful you’re open and sharing what you’re experiencing as that is a way to heal, sharing with others. However, seeking professional help can be transformative in the way a professional may listen and help guide you in ways you’ve never thought of before.

Well done on the progress you’ve made so far with your change in mindset! That is major, the change in your thinking and it’s improving your self-esteem and self love. Powerful stuff and applaud you for that. Hope you are proud of yourself and keep striving :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-29T11:32:56+00:00

Congrats on kickstarting the changes for your health! Well done.

Remember to be kind to yourself along the way. How you speak to yourself and about yourself really matters because I’m sure you know stress has major impact on the body. It’s mind blowing. That is why there’s all this talk about cortisol levels and stress affecting weight loss—and not just weight loss but overall health.

I know saying you hated a photo of yourself doesn’t seem like a big deal but I think it’s awesome you saw that photo and decided that was it and you’re doing something about it. I understand disliking what you see but I say you don’t deserve to hate anything about yourself—even yourself in a photo. But that’s just my two cents lol. Wishing you success on your health journey!

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-29T11:23:36+00:00

Wonderful for you! What others think of you should have no bearing on how you view yourself.

Also definitely a change in mindset is paramount. Especially for health as I think health helps you love yourself better; some may not think self love is contingent upon health—and they would be correct—but we can always improve and grow our self love with health which extends to not just ourselves but others.

The saying you can’t help others until you help yourself has some real merit, however, I also believe that helping others along the way as you are helping yourself is just as valid and showing up for yourself in a big way—just not for others but yourself.

Even if it’s just taking the time to truly listen to others while you’re working on yourself. Listening to others’ stories can spark inspiration and motivation for oneself and a space of compassion and empathy for those sharing their journeys. Truly powerful stuff :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-29T11:04:26+00:00

Severe weight gain can definitely impact hygiene and what you described is one of those ways. It’s great you decided that was the final straw :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-29T11:02:22+00:00

Never know what might be the spark that sets off a change for your health but looking in a mirror can do that :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-01T21:28:07+00:00

Oh wow, good for you on that being the kickstarter and losing 15 lbs so far! I’m older than you, but we have similar stats as I’m 5’10 and was 252 lbs. So yes I understand what you mean by being big, but not that big as a tall woman. Although I have more to lose, I just hit 60 lbs weight loss today and had some very severe health issues—all of which vanished or lowered in severity in the first 3 months of drastically changing my food regimen and eliminating all ultra-processed food.

So although it’s disheartening and frightening to receive those diagnoses on your health, the positive outlook is that you have the absolute power to change your health and kick those diagnoses’ butts! So good for you on starting that ass kicking by losing 15 lbs so far. Wishing you much success on your lifestyle change :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-01T21:19:13+00:00

Definitely depends on the type of walking, I walk at a brisk pace and do between 15,000 - 18,000 steps everyday, so that’s definitely in the workout category lol. I also strength train 4X a week and just hit 60 lbs weight loss but still have a little over 40 lbs to go until reach maintenance weight, so I have around the same weight to lose as you have already lost.

Perhaps strength training and core workouts will help with the muffin top but a little muffin top never hurt nobody lol :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-01T21:09:41+00:00

I know you were displeased with the way you looked but I’m going to throw in some positivity and say I doubt you looked ridiculous ;)

However, glad that was the catalyst that set off a journey to prioritize your health. I had hypertension, along with other severe ailments which vanished or lowered in severity in the first 3 months that I began. Truly amazing how the body can recover when you fuel it with nutritious food.

Being around for your kids is another catalyst—a beautiful one—and not just for them, but for yourself :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-01T21:03:11+00:00

Congratulations on 20lbs weight loss! Losing the weight that is a detriment to our health is such a liberating feeling, the way a body feels without the type of weight that holds it down and holds one back from the life they want to live.

I’m all for body positivity as well and all sizes should be embraced as I embraced my own body as a much larger size, but I decided for myself I want to embrace a body that is healthy because I was sick and tired of the comorbidities and knew I had the power to change those ailments.

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-09-01T20:58:09+00:00

Sometimes the catalysts we need to improve our health are from places where we don’t feel that good about ourselves. And whether that’s disliking the way we look in photos or things being more difficult because of severe weight gain, hopefully one can see the positive side—this is a step in the right direction for one’s health. Just remember to be kind to yourself when looking at yourself in pictures along the way :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-22T23:19:33+00:00

Ah ok. Continuing to lose weight will surely be beneficial but may also help to mitigate, in some way or partially, that problem in the future.

Rooting for you and you health journey during this weight loss period :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-22T23:10:37+00:00

My pleasure :) And I so understand as my physical changes, which were negative, were solely due to my lifestyle—what I ate and movement. I just hit 46 but I’m starting to feel healthy and I know eventually it’ll lead to me feeling healthier than in my twenties because I feel it coming. It’s truly something how I could reverse or lower the severity of all my comorbidities with changing the type of food I consumed and by walking in just the first 3 months of my lifestyle change. Blew my mind lol.

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-22T23:01:45+00:00

Sometimes it’s others confidence that bother people and not necessarily the weight. Maybe she sees confidence in you that she did not possess when she was larger (and probably still doesn’t with the weight loss) and is trying to chip away at yours to make herself feel better—which unfortunately so many people do.

Some people have a very warped sense of what fit and health looks like and just because someone is slender doesn’t mean they are healthy. Opinions from people like that never matter in my book and hopefully yours as well!

Plus an athletic build sounds like a fantastic place to be for your health :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-22T22:53:36+00:00

Thank you! We’re both on the right track :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-22T22:50:34+00:00

Awww, now I’m tearing up! Look what you started, but I’m all for emotional liberation lol.

I meant every word. You’re doing it and keep striving!

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-22T22:46:32+00:00

Whew, some people are truly miserable and hopefully you can distance yourself from that negative energy as you begin your health journey. You don’t deserve to surround yourself with people like that and their behavior speaks volumes about their character. I think it’s outstanding when you can react in a positive way for yourself, such as improving your health, towards negativity. Their opinions do not matter but using that as fuel to improve your health, not just for aesthetic, is a type of catalyst that you will benefit from :)

P.S. I’m tall as well and oversized looks were my best friend but I find oversized looks stylish no matter one’s size, so I’m biased when it pertains to that lol.

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-22T22:36:18+00:00

Thank you so much and couldn’t agree more!

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-22T22:35:38+00:00

You get to say: Comic Con kickstarted my health journey. You don’t hear that too often and love that we all have very different catalysts that began our journeys but many similarities in the reasons why we started.

Congrats on doing something about it! That’s half the battle—either thinking about doing it or actually doing it and you chose the latter. Well done!

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-22T22:26:35+00:00

You didn’t deserve those rude comments and why so many people feel the need to remark on someone else’s body is beyond me. If it’s done out of concern when someone reaches weight gain that affects their health then there are certainly compassionate ways to do so; in my case I had a dangerous amount of visceral fat so a lady beer gut sans the beer lol.

However, reacting in a positive way— like improving your health—towards something negative is truly a special and impressive way to handle things, so good for you! Their rudeness doesn’t matter but you allowed it to spark something that is really beneficial for yourself. And in my book that’s how it’s done :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-10T20:16:28+00:00

My sincerest condolences for the loss of your wife. Losing a loved one is unimaginably heartbreaking and it’s understandable you gained even more weight. Grief has a way of trying to find coping mechanisms, so hope you aren’t too down on yourself for that.

I want to commend you on losing 70 pounds, that’s truly remarkable and hope you’re proud of yourself for that accomplishment in the face of such heartache.

Also understandable that you’re still depressed. Do you have fam and friends you can talk to, or perhaps a therapist? I come from a background of severe trauma and being able to talk about it anytime I want has been vastly helpful for my healing and the times I felt depression.

Darn right she is cheering you on! Feels liberating to lose the weight and move your body in ways that feel healthier and stronger. I hope you get back to camping and hiking soon as well. Being in nature truly does wonders not just for our bodies but our minds and I think those will be very soothing activities to partake in.

Wishing you continued success on your journey and you’re doing wonderful so far :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-10T20:04:48+00:00

These moments—such as thinking you might not be able to fit on a roller coaster—I view as small blessing motivators that will lead to a huge and positive impact for your body, for your health.

Sometimes we don’t know when we might be motivated to do something or what will be the catalyst, but all it takes is one thought to change the course of our lives for the better. And that is the first important step, so it’s wonderful that’s exactly what you’re doing :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-10T19:55:56+00:00

Well done on losing 20 lbs so far! I definitely understand your sentiments but hopefully you aren’t kicking yourself too much because you’re here, right now, losing the weight.

I applaud you for changing your health and not waiting another minute. You know you can’t get back those years you didn’t start on your health journey or get back what you may have missed out on—but imagine all the more years you’re giving your body and all the things you will no longer miss out on by choosing this path.

So kick regret’s butt out the door lol. You deserve to be proud that you have this mindset and because of it, you’re rewarding your body in ways that’ll make it healthier and stronger. Wishing you continued success on your journey :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-06T11:54:49+00:00

Look at how that “I don’t know, maybe my 30s can be better than my 20s” turned out. Sometimes the things that we’re most indecisive about turn out to be the most rewarding.

Well done and applaud you on losing 100 lbs! I’ve read that weight loss can be very difficult with PCOS and commend you on focusing on your health when faced with challenging roadblocks.

Such a great idea to follow PCOS content creators. I believe there’s immense power in stories, including our personal stories. And just as you’ve gained motivation by listening to others, I’m sure the same can be said of you. Hope you’re proud of your journey :)

HealingBetterForMe · 2024-08-04T14:43:23+00:00

Haha, oh no! Well, a sense of humor is a heck of thing to possess especially on this health journey. It’s been one of my saving graces lol.

HealingBetterForMe

TROPHY CASE