It is your fault

Where should I start? I’m thoroughly annoyed by Oprah’s promotional tour for her new book Enough written with Ania M. Jastreboff. I haven’t read the book and have no interest in reading it. The premise of the book is that obesity is not a choice and it’s not a question of willpower. I do believe that obesity is a disease, but I still feel we need to be accountable. I don’t think weight loss is about willpower I think it’s about a lifestyle change. I certainly believe that calorie restriction, which means you eat less food, will help you lose weight. The GLP-1s help you eat less and that’s why you lose weight same as calorie restriction. They go on to say, “It’s a question of biology, created by our bodies’ need to survive and the environment we created and now live in.” Let me tell you why I think this is bollocks. This is not coming from some skinny girl who has never struggled with weight which is why I disagree that it is biology. Most of my life I was overweight but for ten years I was obese let me tell you why. I ate McDonalds regularly, let me get a sausage, egg and cheese McGriddle please. I ate those huge burritos from Chipotle, enough food to last you two days. I ate ice cream, M&Ms, Twizzlers, Doritos. Remember that Popeye’s chicken sandwich craze? I was in that line more than twice. You get the idea. I wasn’t fat because of biology I was fat because I made poor food choices and ate all day long. I don’t think one-hour went by without me putting food in my mouth.

In February 2022 I decided that I didn’t want to be fat anymore. I was over 50 and menopausal, which is another issue making losing weight more difficult or so they say. I don’t disagree that menopause can make achieving weight loss goals more challenging, but I refused to make excuses. I take accountability for my choices. I went from eating nearly 3,000 calories per day to 900 calories in the very beginning. Before I began calorie restriction I did intermittent alternate day fasting. I lost 9 lbs. in a month but ended up having a psychotic episode because I couldn’t sleep. I’m now on a medication for my bipolar disorder that requires me to eat a minimum of 300 calories for the medicine to absorb into my bloodstream. My doctor said 300 calories is enough although the internet says 500 calories and I need to take it close to bedtime because it helps me sleep. Who wants to eat 300 – 500 calories at 8 p.m.? Not I. If I didn’t have to take my medication with food I would have reached my goal weight by now.

Let’s get back to this book to explain why I’m annoyed. Oprah was on a promotional tour saying, “It’s not my fault.” I just can’t cosign that. Your choices are your fault. Losing weight and keeping it off is a lifestyle change not an Optifast diet or one marathon. The weight is going to come right back after that fast and marathon and not because of biology. You must eat in a deficit consistently to lose weight and eat your maintenance calories after you’ve reached your goal weight. You don’t have to cut carbs to lose weight. I eat pasta, a small portion, every night for dinner to help me sleep and I eat a half bagel for breakfast. My diet is carbs. I have the absolute worst diet. I don’t even eat vegetables. I don’t recommend anyone eat like me. When I first began to lose weight, I lived off Chobani Flip Greek yogurt. Coffee for breakfast, yogurt for lunch and snack and pasta with butter for dinner and lots and lots of water.   

I’m not saying don’t take GLP-1 medication I want to take them myself because I want to weigh 119 lbs. I bought the shots and thankfully due to my severe hand tremors I couldn’t get the medication into the syringe. I’m considering the pills, but I can maintain my weight loss and continue to lose weight without them. But if I’m honest when I stop shopping, I might get those pills because I’m obsessed with being thin. Do not be like me.

I’m going to end this by saying take accountability. You made those choices and you have to live with the consequences. I know it all too well. My shopping addiction caused me to file bankruptcy, and I live in a tiny apartment because the rent is reasonable and I love my neighborhood. If I could just kick this shopping addiction, I could get a bigger place or buy a condo. I can blame all of this on my bipolar disorder, which is also a disease, but I choose to be accountable. I’m just not okay ever saying it’s not my fault.