Earlier this year I swore I was going to average a weight loss of one pound a week. I’m struggling. Much to my dismay it’s time for a weight loss update…or lack thereof. Because many bipolar meds simultaneously reduce metabolism and increase hunger, weight gain can be a serious, unfortunate side effect. I try to do monthly updates here on my blog to make myself accountable and to let others know they are not alone when it comes to this struggle. I almost skipped this month because it has not been a good month for me, but I remembered that I promised myself that I’d post no matter what. Therefore, here I am to bare my soul.

The Beginning

First, I’ll provide a little background story. If you’ve read all this before, just bear with me. I’ve gained a good number of readers since my last update, but I’ll try to keep it short and to the point. Weight has been a struggle for most of my life. I was the stereotypical guy who would lose weight, sometimes a substantial amount, but would then gain it all back and more. I use to keep my weight somewhere between 195 – 220 pounds. Once I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was placed on much needed medication my weight started creeping up. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but always up. I finally topped off at 303 pounds. That was when my doctor suggested I get gastric bypass surgery.

I went to the gastrologist and did not like what I heard. Detaching my intestines, cutting out part of my stomach and then reattaching my intestines was a lot more than I was willing to do. I decided to join Weight Watchers instead.

If you are unfamiliar with Weight Watchers you should know that it’s a simple, yet effective program. Year after year they’ve been awarded by The U.S. News and World Report. As simple as the program is I did not lose weight the first year. My weight bounced up and down just as it did before. Why? Well, because I showed up for their meetings, but that is all I did. No change in my eating habits, no exercise, no change in my behavior whatsoever except attending the weekly meeting. As easy as the program is, it entails more than just attending. After a year, Maurice joined WW so that he could support me and that’s when things changed (especially since he does all the cooking in our house.)

What Happened

A healthy diet and a lot of exercise and my weight started dropping off. I went from 303 lbs down to 213 lbs for a total of a 90 lbs loss. And I stayed at 213 and I stayed at 213 and I stayed at 213 until my weight started changing again, but in the wrong direction. I currently weigh 264 lbs. I’ve gained 51 lbs back.

It’s easy for me to pinpoint what happened. First, I stopped tracking my food. By the end of each day I could not have told you what, or how much, I’d eaten. More importantly, I stopped exercising. I use to walk nearly every day along the beach. It’s now been months since I’ve been down there. I’ve been dealing with some physical problems that has made it difficult to get my exercise in….but, I said difficult, not impossible.

Recommitment – One Pound a Week

So, I’ve had it. I swore I was going to average losing one pound a week and so far I’m way off. I’m recommitting to that. The past couple of days I’ve been tracking every bite I eat and have sworn that I will go back to walking along the beach at least 3 times a week. There are going to be some time challenges, but as long as I’m flexible I can still do it.

As I said, yesterday the scale showed 264 lbs. I’m standing firm at averaging one pound a week this year and yesterday is the last time I will see 264 again.