Reading through various weight-loss communities, there’s a lot of talk about the “Aha” moment. The “Aha” moment is that time where you realized you needed to make a change. It’s that spark that made you want to make (and stick to) a change.
I started thinking about my “aha” moment, and there are a few minor ones. The biggest one that sticks out in my mind is from last December when I bruised my patella tendon in my left knee (or runner’s knee). I’m not sure how it happened, but I got up one morning and could barely walk. It got so bad that I had to go to a doctor, and I NEVER go to the doctor. He had some x-rays taken, he told me to take advil, and that was it. Thanks doc..
For at least a week I had to stay home from work because I was in a heinous amount of pain. I couldn’t go upstairs to my room, I had to sleep in dad’s recliner and kept ice on my knee. When I would have to go to the bathroom and attempt to use his cane, I was in so much pain I was in tears sometimes. No doubt the amount of my extra weight really compacted the pain of the injury. I was fine sitting down, even bending my knee in felt fine, but standing up or straightening it was a living hell. It eventually went away, my body’s natural healing mechanisms did what they needed to do, with really no help from my doctor.
I could barely take care of myself, and that was scary. I never want to be in a position where I can’t physically take care of myself. If I keep on with this weight issue, that’s exactly what will happen. My health will deteriorate (diabetes, heart disease, etc), as will my physical abilities. And the chance of that patella tendon bruising again is much higher, and the pain alone was strong enough to make a change for.
So in January I went to a free seminar at Frederick Hospital being taught by my surgeon. It was required before you could even get an appointment with his office. That essentially started my “journey” of the last 10 months.