Weight Loss: Act 3

I was thinking about my whole weight loss journey the other day and I realized that I’m currently in Act 3. 

“In a three-act play, each act usually has a different tone to it. The most commonly used, but not always, is the first act having a lot of introductory elements, the second act can usually be the darkest with the antagonists having a greater encompass, while the third act is the resolution and the protagonists prevailing. ” (Wikipedia).

Act I

“the first act having a lot of introductory elements,”

My first act was the first time I ever truly attempted to lose weight. It was the year I graduated high school and when I reached my highest weight ever. I think I was around 260 but by the time I first weighed in was at 255. 

I started working out because I got a desk job at a local YMCA. I was completely out of shape at that point and could only do 20 minutes on a recumbent bicycle for exercise. I also knew NOTHING about eating healthy and literally had to force myself to start eating better foods. When I started college I forced myself to eat salads

I was struggling hard during this time with binge eating and lots of disordered thoughts around eating. My compulsive eating was out of control and though I tried to eat well I would find myself stealing my roommate’s food. She even labelled it and got mad at me (sorry Lauren!) but it was something I couldn’t stop. I hated this process of struggling to learn a new lifestyle. 

I did lose around 50-60 pounds in this first attempt and kept it off through college. 

Act 2

“ the second act can usually be the darkest with the antagonists having a greater encompass”

When when I graduated college and moved back home I struggled with depression. All the bad habits from my past overtook me. I gained almost everything back and hit 251 again.

Depression drove my actions for a long time in the second act. I felt like a failure for gaining weight, for living at home, for not having a career. 

I knew my story wasn’t over despite the darkness and eventually found a way out through going to live and work at Green Mountain at Fox Run. It got me out of the bad situation and started my weight loss over again (I even lost 10 pounds in excitement for going!). 

There I learned about the things I hadn’t yet dealt with in my weight loss journey: binge eating, compulsive eating, dealing with an abusive past. I didn’t solve my problems there but it set me on a long path of self-discovery. I started this in 2009 and then spent the next 2 years doing lots of self exploration and even therapy with a therapist who specialized in disordered eating.  

None of this was easy. I cried a lot. I hurt a lot. I learned a lot. I grew a lot emotionally and in maturity.

Act 3

“the third act is the resolution and the protagonists prevailing. “

Now I feel I have entered Act 3 of my journey. I’m in a good place. I’m in a healthy relationship, I’ve worked through a lot of issues, I’ve conquered some things. I’m not perfect but I’ve reached a point where I’m not binge eating. I’m able to keep some dark chocolate around instead of compulsively eating it. I’m not repulsed by counting calories.

Coming to the conclusion that I’m in the midst of Act 3 was encouraging. It’s in act 3 when the protagonist triumphs and a resolution is found. That means my end is coming. Act 3 might last another few months or another 2 years. I’m not sure how long it will take, but it truly feels like this is the final stage of my journey. 

I will prevail.