I Was Just Done Feeling Terrible & Being in Constant Pain

I Am Not More Disciplined than the Average Person

I cook every day, and 95% of my meals are prepared at home. I prioritize at least an hour of exercise 4-5 days per week. I do cardio and lift heavy weights to failure, and I track my progress. I make sure to eat adequate protein every day, and focusing on my nutrition is one of my non-negotiables.

Does this sounds like I have more discipline than the average person? …because I hear that from friends and family a lot. “You’re different. You just have an insane amount of focus and discipline. It all just sounds like way too much to me.”

…but the truth is, for me, it doesn’t feel like discipline. It just feels like things I need to do so that I don’t feel terrible and so that I am not in constant physical pain.

The Painful Truth

I heard Dr. Gabrielle Lyon once say that “whatever is most painful will drive people’s decisions.” …and that has been very true for me. Two years ago, my knees ached, my back ached, and my acid reflux was uncontrollable.

When I went to see a doctor for my constant, throbbing knee pain, he told me that losing one pound of physical body weight would take seven pounds of pressure off of my knees. When I saw a doctor about my back, the subject of weight came up again. …and when I was struggling with acid reflux that was so bad I couldn’t breathe, my gastroenterologist suggested I consider losing weight.

Did I like hearing from every single one of those doctors that all roads lead to my body weight? Um, NO! Uh uh… I HATED it!! …just like I always have. Like many people, I have spent years “getting the treatment” at the doctor’s office. It was never fun. It never gets easier.

…but after the sting wore off, and I was able to separate out the emotions I was having around their words, I came to realize that facts are facts — my knees and my back were hurting because they were supporting too much physical weight. My weight gain around my stomach was affecting my digestion.

It all added up to one loud message for me: something had to change.

I Do What Fixed the Pain So I Don’t Suffer Later

When it came right down to it, the pain of remaining the same, and possibly deteriorating further, was just too much for me to handle. …and, ultimately, the changes that I made gave me sense of agency. They gave me a sense of control. They made me feel like my fate was not sealed.

In the last two years, I have lost 40 lbs, give or take (some days it is 35 lbs and some days it is 40 lbs). I have also started prioritizing protein to preserve the muscle that I have and to build even more muscle to take me into my later years. I continue to watch the scale because I am trying not to let the weight creep back up.

Of course, like many people, I have dieted before and lost weight. …but I decided that this time it would be different. I was not going to make any changes that I could not sustain forever, and I would not continue a yo-y0 cycle of losing and gaining weight for the rest of my life.

Is it easy every day, all of the time, to stay focused? Not always. …but have my workouts and the dietary changes that I’ve made helped? YOU CANNOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH.

Losing Weight, Building Muscle & Focusing on Nutrition is Not About Vanity

Losing weight, building muscle and focusing on my nutrition was never about vanity for me, and it still isn’t about the mirror.

My discipline is just because I was just a person who was sick of being in pain and I wanted to start feeling better.

Feeling Good FEELS SO GOOD!

And here’s what I will tell you: because I am not in so much pain anymore, I never want to stop. …not because I suddenly became disciplined, but because I am becoming kind of addicted to feeling good! I don’t want to go back!

When physical pain is reduced, emotional burdens become lighter, energy increases, and everyday life becomes more enjoyable. Movement feels like a gift instead of a punishment. Nutritious food feels like a warm hug to my stomach instead of restriction.

So if you are like me, and you are starting to get some signs that something needs to change, you don’t need to start with discipline and willpower. Maybe just decide you’re ready for something new, see what happens if you make a few small changes, and go from there.