Is WeightLloss Hard for Somebody with Learning Disabilities?

I think almost everyone struggles with their weight at some point in their life.  I have learning disabilities.  When I was in school in the 70's and 80's there were few accepted diagnoses for children to help them with their struggles in learning.  However, those of us with ADD, ADHD, Autism, dyslexia, and other forms of learning challenges, have one thing in common.  Once we are focused on a task or goal, there is little that will stop us from attaining it.  Sometimes those goals are difficult for others to follow or understand.  But to us, they make perfect sense.  

Weight loss is a challenge for nearly everyone.  One of the things that you have to accept is that for most of your day you are going to be hungry.  Once you accept the fact that in order to lose weight you have to feel a little hungry, and establish within your own mind, that you are going to distract yourself from that hunger and accept it as the price for reaching your goal, hitting your goal weight becomes attainable for the first time.  

But a lack of determination, acceptance, ambition, or merely the inability to fight those basic cravings have defeated most dieters who cannot seem to lose weight.  Not everyone has the same challenge with this goal.  It is never just one thing that determines success versus failure.  Life is hard, it is harder when you're hungry...lol

So, a little about my personal journey.  I am 6'4".  At graduation from high school, I weighed 173 pounds.  This may seem skinny, and in many ways, it was nearly anorexic.  No, I didn't have the eating disorder.  Nor am I insulting people with this disorder.  But I was near skin and bones.  I was active.  Band, sports, scouts, mowing business, working for Walmart part time, dating my future first ex-wife.  No matter what I ate, I didn't have the ability to gain weight.  But I was healthy. 

So, what happened? Like most people around the globe, I settled into life.  And settled is the best word to describe it.  We hit a routine.  And a big part of everyone's routine is food.  Birthdays, holidays, work events, graduations, funerals, and many others I cannot think of right now.  But we bring food.  Good food.  Food you have to try.  And over time, the pounds just add on.  

By the time I graduated from nursing school in 2008, I had crested to 298 pounds.  Yes, a whopping three hundred pounds. I was with wife number 3 by then, and we graduated from nursing school together.  That was a challenge all in itself and worthy of its own post another time. I am a stress eater.  I can't help myself.  When I have anxiety or stress, food is comfort. 

My third wife had been more efficient at putting on weight.  Don't misread this.  I never complained about her weight.  My only goals in marriage were their happiness.  But like most men from failed marriages, I failed to connect with her and keep our marriage alive.  However, at this point we were both content with our relationship and wanted to lose some of the extra poundage we put on in school.

My first suggestion was counting calories.  It seemed the best way to lose weight to me, and I didn't want to waste a bunch of money on fads or programs that people just let go of.  But she was convinced that Weightwatchers was the way to go.  There is an app today which is very effective.  Smart phones were a relatively knew thing then, and there wasn't an app.  However, they did have an online version which helped you track your points. 

So, we signed up for the program.  This is how it worked.  They had a calculated point value for each serving of each food you consumed.  It was very effective. At least for me.  Men tend to lose weight faster than women.  I dropped twice as much weight as she did.  I am not boasting, just stating the fact.  In this online version of the program, you tracked your points for the day.  It is the same today, but the calculations are a little different.  

Part of the reason I lost weight quicker had to do with the attitude I adopted with the points.  Before I ate it, I listed it within the online tracker.  I did this to ensure I never went over my points.  And once out of points for the day, I stopped eating.  It was that simple for me.  The program is designed so you will lose about 1 pound a week which most doctors agree is the safest way to lose it.  Losing weight too quickly can lead to rebound weight as well as mask underlying health issues.  

The problem I ran into was the plateau. I lost a few pounds quickly and then no matter how much I reduced the amount of points I consumed, or how strictly I adhered to the program, I just couldn't lose weight. I needed more. So I added a supplement. And by adhering to the program and taking this supplement I was able to drop 60 pounds in eight months. Weightwatchers may work for some people,but the main goal should be monitor your overall calorie intake. There are many free calorie counters available for free. I recommend starting with a free one and finding a supplement that works for you. Here is the one I use... 

Weight Loss Supplements

And yes, that is me, along the journey, at the top of the post...

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