The last blog that I wrote, which was shockingly back in November! I had lost about 2-3 stones at that point, well now, I'm knocking on the 9 stone mark!! Hopefully I will be collecting that award this Wednesday!! Naturally, there has been some ups and downs along the way, and more set backs recently, with May virtually a write-off in terms of weight-loss due to a number of issues.
However, back on track now, and had a 6.5ib loss last week. On track for Florida in September, and setting myself some goals for when I get back, including taking up snowboarding, hence trying to improve my co-ordination and taking up Body Combat (I do my first session tomorrow, will let you all know how it goes!).
Just to give you a sense of what loosing 9 stone is like, my waist size has dropped by 12 inches, and obviously this is not the end, hopefully the following two pictures will give you a sense of the loss: The one on the left was taken in 2011, and the second just yesterday.
I have found myself again increasingly critical of people who have little motivation to change their state, and I am starting to find it more and more worrying about how "acceptable" it is to now be morbidly obese. Increasingly we are accepting that people are getting bigger and bigger and we are adapting and accommodating it rather than fighting it.
My good friend Paul Gately, was recently featured on Channel 5's Big Body Squad, a 6 part series detailing how in the UK alone, a whole industry has sprung up supporting the morbidly obese. From ambulances specially adapted, to builders who's niche is to rebuild houses for the morbidly obese, bed and furniture manufacturers who are building furniture rated to take up to 60 stones.
I have spent most of my evening catching up on the final three episodes of this series, and the one common theme from it, is that most of the individuals featured have just given up, and we are allowing them to.
This is not to say that there are cases where people have legitimate medical complaints which cause them to gain weight, but those are the exception, the norm with these small group of people is that they are in the position they are in because of their eating habits, and yet by supporting them being the size that they are, we reinforce that it is acceptable. Maybe I am too harsh, or I see things too simplistic, but why should we, and the NHS, and taxpayers be funding a £7,000 bed for someone who is 45stones? It is an uncomfortable state to be in and I speak from experience here, I was only 3 stones behind that? Surely we need to be plunging this money into stopping this epidemic dead! I don't have the answers as to how we do it, the reasons are so vast but personal responsibility MUST be instilled in people to be accountable for the states that they get in!
So that raises the question...do I take that same sense of accountability? When I was 42 stones? Absolutely, I knew exactly who was responsible and exactly, who would get me out of that position, and that determination was my starting point!
