Four Weeks Ago
Four weeks ago, I weighed 365 pounds. My BMI was 51.
Four weeks ago, I heard for the first time that my weight put me at higher risk from the coronavirus. And I kind of freaked out.
So four weeks ago, I started “working out”. I put that in quotes because my “workout” was a 20-minute walk. 20 endless minutes. I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I also started a pretty aggressive diet, keto + intermittent fasting.
Now, four weeks later, my weight is down to 340 pounds. My BMI is down to 47.5. My walks last an hour to an hour and a half, and I’ve started-- barely started-- some strength training (I’d be embarrassed if anyone saw what I consider a “pushup”) and some jogging. Again, just barely jogging, but it’s happening.
Why am I posting this? Because I’ve been reading the posts on this sub, and seeing the worry about the coronavirus. It’s a worry I know personally. And I want to encourage everyone. It doesn’t take long to make a real difference in your health.
Am I proud that my BMI is still way over the CDC’s warning number of 40? Nope. Am I proud that I can only jog for a few seconds at a time without getting winded and needing to slow down? Nope. Am I proud that I’m doing five “pushups” a day, and it’s exhausting? Nope. It’s embarrassing.
But, am I proud that I’m walking four times further every day than I was a month ago? Yes. Am I proud that in a month, I’ve lost a third of the weight that it’s going to take to get me under a BMI of 40? Yep. Am I proud that I’m doing now what I’ve put off doing for years? Heck, yes. I am.
I’m still worried about coronavirus. I know that I’m still way over a BMI of 40. But I also know that I’m taking steps to get under that number. I know that the steps I’m taking are also reducing my risks of hypertension and diabetes, and that’s reducing my risk from the virus. I know that if I become sick today, my body is in better shape to fight the virus than it was just four weeks ago. And the truth is, I’m grateful that in the midst of the fear and anxiety I’m experiencing, this virus has pushed me to take steps to protect my health; God willing, for years to come.
I know a lot of us are in the same boat. We’re at an elevated risk because of our weight, and there’s no fast way to fix that. So I just want to encourage everyone in that boat: regardless of whether we can get our weight down to a safe level, we CAN make changes today that will reduce our risks. We CAN make investments in our health that will pay dividends within a few weeks. We don’t know if or when we’ll become infected, but we do know that the virus is going to be around for a long time. The choices we make now can set us up for better odds when we do get sick, regardless of whether we’re under that magic number of 40.
So let’s do that.
I’ll be pulling for you. I hope you’ll pull for me, too.
TL;DR, even if we can’t get to a “safe” BMI, we can take steps to be healthier in case we become infected with coronavirus.
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