The Journey As We Stand

This initial post may be a little longer, so please forgive me in advance …

In the summer of 2009, I took a trip to DC with some friends for baseball, beer and general fun. It was a nice getaway to a fun place, with the added benefit that some friends lived in the area.

It was also an awakening of sorts for me.

Now there’s no nice way to put it. I am fat and really always have been. But this was a different kind of fat. I was embarking on dangerous territory, the kind you only read about or see on some documentary on the Learning Channel.

It was probably the heaviest I have ever been. I could barely walk from point A to point B without breaking into a sweat. On the aforementioned trip to DC, I routinely had to return to the hotel to shower or change because the walking around we were doing was causing my shirts to change color at a rapid pace.



Me duing the DC trip during one of the tours we took.



It was not a good feeling. It was actually quite embarrassing. But it still would take some time for me to make some serious changes.

That came around Christmas. At that point, and after some talks with my wife and some deep soul searching, not to mention a brutally honest assessment from my doctor, I knew it was time to change my ways, both my eating and (lack of) exercise.

Let me backtrack here a little. There was one time when I had started to dedicate myself at the gym, and was seeing results. It was 2007-08 during the winter months. I was going on almost a daily basis with Jen, doing two hours each time, and was feeling better. Then life decided to throw a little curveball at me.

Actually, it was a high-and-tight fastball that knocked me on my ass.

My best friend passed away suddenly. It was a shocking blow to the system. Suddenly, getting to the gym took a back seat. And that back seat was in some car three miles down the highway. I grieved and spent time helping others cope. I put myself and what I had been doing the past four months to the side and concentrated on what was front-and-center.

Then, as life was starting to turn around, another friend passed away. Both were in their 30s. And the cycle started again.

It’s never easy to lose someone close to you, let alone two people that are like brothers to you. On top of that, I started a new job and was going through the learning curve with a new position in a new town with new co-workers.

Then came the trip to DC. Now, I’ve never been a thin dude. I’ve always been the big guy – heck, my nickname in college was the Big Daddy – but I had never been THIS big. After sweating my way through that trip, then finding even the easiest of tasks around the house – taking out the garbage, mowing the lawn, cleaning up the living room – led to me not just sweating, but needing to take a break before continuing.

Now I wasn’t delusional, I knew I needed to make a change. But I could never commit to it. I would always find an excuse to NOT go to the gym. This led to me always being tired and Jen could set the clock to when I would fall asleep on the couch – usually around 8:30.

So the first realization came during a routine doctor’s visit. While there, Dr. Scott decided to have me step on the scale. And then – SMACK – it hit me in the face. That high-and-tight fastball was now a Pedro Martinez heater off the back of the head.

The scale couldn’t register my weight; it couldn’t go that high.

%&*#.

That was when I dedicated myself to getting healthier. I started going to the gym regularly instead of sparingly. I started to change my diet and eating habits. I took stock in my life and saw how the bad stuff was really treating me bad. I overindulged in the really good stuff and never-indulged in the healthy stuff.

I was a walking time bomb that really didn’t need much more to go boom.

Since then, I have done a complete 360. Or 720. Or whatever number you want to associate with it. I use 1/1/10 as the date because the New Year always signifies a new beginning. It probably started a few weeks before that.

The results are proof that it has worked. Since that eye-opening appointment with Dr. Scott, I have shed about 70 pounds. I have hired a personal trainer once a week and have dedicated myself to eating better (although I am still working at that) and taking better care of myself.

I have adopted a new mantra, No Excuses. Basically, I make it to the gym for my workout at least 4-5 days per week, no matter what happens during the day. Late day at work? Still going to go. A little tired from the day’s activities? Still making a stop at the gym. Something more fun is happening? It can wait until after my workout.

As I continue on this journey, I will document how it’s going, good and bad. As a writer, I am upset that I didn’t start this earlier. But in all honesty, I didn’t know if this was going to work. But I feel better, which is just plain awesome.

I have set goals for myself, some of which I have hit, and some that I am struggling to reach, but I am not going to stop trying. That I can promise you.