How I Lost 30 lbs And You Can’t

210 lbs

The scale was wrong. It had to be. I’d never been over 200 lbs. But still, my clothes were starting to be a little tight. And my belts were shrinking.

Yeah, I used all the excuses and justifications. Because I have a high metabolism. I always had. Sure, I wasn’t playing pickup basketball anymore, but I wasn’t getting fat. That didn’t happen to me.

I went through denial for about a week. I’m not sure what stage of grief feeling guilty is, but that’s what came next. I know that people struggle with their weight. And I know that it’s not a matter of will power. But, frankly, I hadn’t been particularly sympathetic. It’s not like I felt the need to tell anyone what I was thinking. And I really did know that people were trying. But, I lacked empathy.

I got it really quick.

But, now the hard work starts, right? I decided I wanted to lose 30 lbs. One hundred eighty pounds sounded like a reasonable goal. How? I’d never been on a diet.

I realized I had one important advantage. I didn’t really care about food. (You Don’t Get To Pick Anymore) I wasn’t sure that would be enough.

First I cut out all soda. I didn’t really like it. . .much. But, I drank a lot of it. Mostly I drank it for the caffiene. It was what I used to treat adult ADD (I Worked From Home Because The Light Turned Red) Instead, I switched to a single daily dose of one of those energy powders you pour into a bottle of water.

ADD addressed.

I drank lots of water. And I read where a survey found that people who lost weight consistently ate breakfast. So, I bought some Grape Nuts (otherwise known as twigs and gravel.) And I cut out most of the rest of my sugar.

And finally, I started weighing myself everyday.

And I waited.

Why will it work for me and not for you? Because your demons are not my demons. What motivates you might not motivate me. and what scares me doesn’t scare you.

I’m a member of Toastmasters. (Psst. . .Can You Give A Speech Right Now?) More people list public speaking as their biggest fear than list death. They would rather die than give a speech.

When people find out I’m in toastmasters they often tell me how brave I am.

I’m not brave.

I’ve always been comfortable in front of people. It doesn’t scare me. It doesn’t take bravery to do something that you enjoy, that doesn’t scare you. I’ve seen true bravery on stage.

I’ve seen a 14 year old girl stand at a podium so scared she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t move. I’m not sure she could breath. And she got through it. She literally read one word at a time. That was brave.

I’ve seen a man so scared of going on stage at a comedy open mic that he could barely speak. He couldn’t remember his jokes and when he pulled his jokes out of his pocket he was shaking so badly he couldn’t read his writing. But, he got up anyway. That was brave.

We each face different challenges. We each have to slay our own dragons.

What scares me might not scare you. What scares you might not bother me.

It started to work.

The pounds started to come off. A few pounds per week. One day I walked through our office and a coworker said,

Rodney, did you lose weight?

It was weird. I was down about 20 lbs. I didn’t think anyone had noticed. But, the weirdest thing that was that realized I really don’t care about food. I’m back in Louisville. On Monday I was here by myself. I went to Walgreens and bought some microwaveable bowls of soup for $5. On Tuesday all the executive same into town. We had a company dinner at a restaurant that charged $14 for an appetizer. I had a $30 steak and potatoes dinner. Wednesday? Back to Walgreens.

Halloween? I decided a wanted a single snack sized Butterfinger. It was great, and that’s all I ate.

I’m down 27 lbs. And I kind of feel guilty that I haven’t struggled at it as much as others. I feel bad, and I don’t feel superior. There are lots of things I can’t do. There are things that I’m terrified of doing. I really wish I could tell others how to lose 27 lbs. I can’t. Not unless you become me.

So, yeah I lost 27 (it’s almost 30) and you can’t. At least not the way I did.

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday at 7:00 AM Mountain Time. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and one grandchild.

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