Sunday, May 31, 2009

Truth - Freedom or Bondage?

"The Truth will set you free..."

How many times have I heard this phrase? I often contemplate just what it means for me. Often, it means different things based simply on what emphasis you give it. The truth... the TRUTH... THE truth... WILL set you free... will set you FREE. It has meant a bit of all of these inflections to me over the last several months.

It has been a several months since I've been here blogging about weight loss, weight loss scams (and scammer), and life. Over the last few months I've had one more surgery on my knee, plus recovery and therapy time, I have been totally immersed in a very difficult semester in school, I've been working strenuously at two jobs... Not to mention making time for my own family and personal needs.

It is because of these last few months that I must embrase the following inflection of that initial phrase. "The TRUTH will set you free..." I am having a difficult time coming to grips with what my own truth is. The only reason I am publishing it here is because I must be held accountible. Not only to myself, but to all those who follow my blog as well. Since my most recent injury and surgury, my weight has become increasingly difficult to maintain and keep under control. I know that this is partially my fault due to my inability to excercise, compensations should be made in the way I was eating. But none-the-less, I did not. Therefore, over the last 7-8 months I have put on about 25 extra pounds. This has been very disheartening for me and has kept me feeling enslaved to maintaining a lie. But I believe that by putting this truth out here like this, MY TRUTH is now laid bare, and I am not allowing any false presuppositions of my weightloss/maintenance status to be upheld.

I am dilligently working on a HEALTHY plan now to reclaim those 25 pounds lost once again and am confident that patience and perseverance will prevail. My difficulty will be in wanting to get it off NOW. This philosophy was ingrained in my not only this fast paced society that we live in, but also my past experiences. Throughout my experience with the Kimkins program, one of the things that made it so attractive was the speed at which the weight did come off. Over these last few years since I have been away from that program however, I have learned the value of attaining something that you have not only worked hard for, but have waited for with patience. True sustainable weight loss comes at a hard price. It takes time. But it is through that time that you learn healthy new habits that are also sustainable which allow that weight loss to be permanent. Rapid weight loss is never (with a very RARE exception) permanent.

It is this discouragement and "need for rapid loss" mentality which I believe is sending people to return once again to the Kimkins program. Yes, they may be able to get off once again that which they initially lost. BUT, they will once again be caught in that dangerous cycle in which they will regain, and then back to Kimkins, and on and on it will go. There is a two fold danger in that cycle. Not only is constant yo-yo dieting very hard on your body, it can be seriously dangerous. It can be dangerous for your heart, liver, and other organs that are trying to cope with the never ending starvation/feasting roller coaster. Too much of that up and down, and the organs will wear out rapidly. Not only that, but according to other health studies, yo-yo dieting can drastically reduce natural immune system cells which not only target viruses, but also aid the body fighting against cancer cells.

We lose weight initially so we can look better and feel better about ourselves. But, the other issue that I have been faced with over these last several months is the emotional damage that regaining weight can bring. Emotionally and psychologically, I have a very difficult time with self-acceptance and self-worth. When you are in a constant struggle of up and down, gaining and losing, you will also have a psychological war waging within. "I love how I feel when I'm losing," "I hate myself for gaining." This is not healthy either. Health encompases all parts of our being, our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states combined. This is what makes us unique. When one of those parts is out of balance, the rest will be too. Educate yourself on healthy, proven, maintainable eating strategies which will allow your loss to be much longer lasting. While I cannot guarentee that will improve your self-image, I'm certain that for myself, it can't hurt!

I meant to write tonight of the impact that the TRUTH has had on me over the last several months. Not only with my personal weight gain and epiphanies on sustainable loss strategies, but also in recent events within the Kimkins TRUTH vs DECEIT saga. I will have to get into that at another time, but let me leave you with this. The truth is evident to all. With the recent victory in claiming (once again) class certification in the lawsuit against the Kimkins fraud, it is apparent that regardless of excuses and attempts to cover-up and clean-up, the TRUTH speaks for itself.