I believe it is safe to say that for many of my fellow Weight Watchers, food is their drug of choice. My drug of choice unquestionably was cigarettes. Cigarettes were my constant companion when I was happy, sad, stressed, relaxing, angry, anxious, excited, pensive, in a sociable mood or feeling solitary. Unlike sometimes people, cigarettes never let me down.
The only problem was just a couple of concerning side effects. I was beginning to show signs of early stage emphysema (aka smoker’s cough) and my husband’s doctor found decided lung damage in his lungs due to second hand smoke. Although I never smoked in front of my stepson Alex, he knew that I smoked and I knew well that I was not serving a positive role model in this area. Everything I owned reeked of smoke all of the time, the expense of the habit were getting ridiculous and my addiction had taken over my life to a much larger degree than I felt comfortable.
Some people sit in their closet and stuff Oreos in their mouth, others try to hide the fact that they drink too much. I had rigged up a system so that I could smoke in our downstairs bathroom when Alex was over or when we had weekend guests, as interfering with my smoking habit could not be tolerated. So I committed to quitting, and with the help of modern pharmaceuticals succeeded.
On my cigarette quit date I was fat, but over the course of the year after I quit smoking, my weight went completely out of control. Although food would never be the faithful companion cigarettes were, it amazed me the degree to which food could fill in as a substitute drug.
By the one-year anniversary of my cigarette quit date, I was officially obese, my blood pressure was high, my energy levels were fairly low and I was in horrible physical condition. Playing soccer in the backyard with my stepson was not fun and I begged for mercy quickly playing with my nieces. Little girls excited to play with their Aunt Tonia, and I had to sit down. "Let Aunt Tonia rest for a few minutes," my sisters would mercifully step in and say. I was far too young for this.
So, I joined Weight Watchers. This weight loss effort was different than efforts of the past. This time I was not losing weight to look good in a wedding dress or in some vain attempt to participate more comfortably in the swimsuit season. I was not a kid anymore and this time it was about my health. Did I want to begin to belly up to the full buffet of pharmaceuticals, or did I want to get this under control now before it became even more difficult and more dangerous?
The reality is, being fat will age you much faster than necessary and it will kill you. The toll obesity takes on your body is tremendous. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, joint pain….we all know the list. I love living – truly living – and I am far from ready to accept the need to “slow down.”
108 weeks later I cannot stand being around cigarette smoke, let alone the thought of smoking a cigarette. I am a healthy weight, am in good physical condition and I feel great. My "drugs" of choice are yoga, gardening, walking at the Rollins Savanna, running, vegetarian cooking and Indian food.
How I did it is no secret. This time on Weight Watchers I left my ego at the door and followed the program. I track religiously, I exercise 4-5 times per week, I weigh and measure "danger" food especially when I start to feel myself becoming out of control, I stay within my points and I attend weekly meetings. Maybe most importantly, I step on a scale at least once per week.
I am looking forward to ongoing participation in Weight Watchers and to becoming a Lifetime member. I am also looking forward to encouraging as many other people as I can to reach their weight and health goals. We only get one shot at life - LIVE!
June 2010
June 2011
