I don’t know about you, but I’ve found it so disturbing to read about COVID-19 and all of the new research showing how much harder it hits people who are overweight or obese (regardless of age and other health conditions).
As someone who has struggled with obesity my whole life, it grates on my feelings of inadequacy. Even after losing 80-125 lbs more than once, it’s still been a struggle to STAY at my ideal body fat percentage, or be motivted to return to my ideal weight once I’ve gotten off track. So I hate hearing that even though I’ve made significant progress from where I was, I’m still in the dire risk category where I’m at. It’s frustrating and scary.
Like most obese people, I’m used to hearing dire predictions about my future health. It’s not that I don’t believe them, it’s just that over time, I’ve become a little numb to them. What might happen 20-30 years from now becomes eclipsed by my RIGHT NOW issues of stress and cravings or just not being ‘ready.’ Besides, I always have it in the back of my mind that between now and ‘someday‘ I’ll get my act together and finish my weight loss journey – all the way to my goal of 28% body fat. So those dire predictions won’t happen to me. Right?
The coronavirus brings all of that ‘someday’ trouble crashing right down on my front doorstep – TODAY.
That undefined time to get my act together has evaporated.
The danger is here and real today – in the significantly higher odds of having severe symptoms, being admitted to the hospital / ICU, needing a ventilator and even dying if I catch COVID-19.
Here’s a link to the best study I’ve ready so far – a meta-analysis of over 1700 other studies. It’s very eye-opening.
The virus doesn’t care how far I’ve come… All that matters is my body fat percentage today. We know scientifically that any level of overweight or obesity bathes the body in chronic, low-grade inflammation. Apparently this is what causes COVID-19 to become so severe in our bodies: inflammation. It sets the stage for COVID’s deadly signature ‘cytokine storm’ – essentially a feedback loop which results in a massive release of inflammatory proteins. It makes the body go to war with itself, which lowers immunity and damages organs. All of this accompanies the worst COVID symptoms and outcomes – including a significantly higher chance of death. The higher the body fat percentage, the higher the risk.
Instead of feeling scared, or just avoiding health news (which I’ve done as a defense mechanism a lot), I am trying to use this situation to really motivate myself. The last time I got all the way to my weight goal, I was motivated by a health scare. COVID-19 is just as scary as the blood pressure spikes that sent me on my journey to lose 125 lbs.
I’m a lot like many of you who need something urgent to kick into action. An event. An upcoming surgery. A breakup. A health scare. In fact, I’ve heard many clients who’ve struggled with weight their whole lives say things like, “I wish eating things that were bad for me actually FELT bad immediately so I’d have to stop.” (I can’t count how many times that thought has gone through my mind.) Without something driving you, it’s just so hard to start a weight loss journey. Those who don’t suffer from food addictions or big cravings just don’t get how hard it is to give carbs up. Especially when life is difficult and food soothes you like a drug.
But a health scare — yep! That’s my driver. Right now it’s cutting through that noise in my head that was saying, “tomorrow… someday… I’ll do it then.” And this scare is immediate. It’s lurking just outside my door. One unwashed hand, one unmasked face away. And from what we can all see, it’s not going away any time soon.
But fear shuts me down, so I have to re-frame all of this for myself or I’ll just end up depressed and hopeless and probably eating to soothe myself again. So I’m going to try and use this energy to propel me back to my healthy weight! I’m going to counteract the helplessness I feel about COVID-19 (and the economy and the world…) with this ONE POSITIVE THING!
I’ll get to see measurable results that my life is getting BETTER.
• Better immune function
• Better energy
• Better clothing options
• Better self-esteem
• Better life!
I think I can live with this lingering Pandemic if I can make it the impetus to make my whole life better… I like focusing on what I CAN do, rather than all of the things I can’t do right now.
So, this post wasn’t to scare you or put more pressure on you than you are already feeling. It was to share with you how I’m turning a negative into a positive – hopefully in time to save my own life. If you’re like me you’re tired of hearing warnings about stuff like this from scientists and doctors who’ve never struggled with weight a day in their lives. Me too. That’s why I wanted you to hear it from me. I do get it. I’ve been there. I am there. I’m just like you.
I DON’T want to be on protocol – nobody does! But I’m grateful that the protocol exists so I can lose weight quickly, safely and while improving my metabolism and body chemistry at the same time. Oh, and did I mention? Ketogenic diets boost immunity to viruses! Plus, the protocol itself is very alkalizing – in other words, the opposite of the acidic inflammatory environment created by too many carbohydrates. So just being on this particular protocol will help my immunity while I work to reach my goal.
If you are feeling like me, Evolve180 is here to help! There IS something you can do. It’s remarkably straight forward, effective, fast and pleasant — as weight loss programs go – if I do say so myself. It’s the easiest, most effective way I’ve ever found to lose weight. The appetite-suppressing effect of ketosis makes my cravings disappear and the rest is pretty easy.
I’d love to hear about your own thoughts and journeys, so please reach out and share what you are going through.
We are all in this together! Thanks for listening!
