2012 Goals and a little backstory

jcearth

So with 15 days left in 2011, I think that it is appropriate to not only look back on my acheivements this year, but to look forward to what I would like to accomplish in 2012. In March of this year, I stepped on the scale to see that I had ballooned up to 471 pounds. I used to think that since I was so tall (6'5") and had a big frame, that I could hold a lot of weight. "I don't look that bad", I would think to myself as I looked in the mirror - "I just need to take a few pounds off, and I will be fine". My body was giving me a different story, however. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, most likely had diabetes or would soon, and was starting to get chest pains frequently. "But I'm only 36 - I'm way too young to have a heart attack". And then I saw on facebook that someone I knew in high school died from a heart attack. "Well, if it happens to me, then I guess that will be a wake up call." Or you could die - how much did I really not want to change? The truth was, I did not really enjoy overeating (it made me sick most of the time), but my sense of what a meal should be was so out of whack and I didn't know how to change it. "I mean I get hungry for lunch, and four double cheeseburgers, a large fry, and two apple pies (hey they are 2 for a dollar) is not that much. I'm drinking diet soda." I knew what I needed to do, and I knew that it would be a lot of work, and I knew that I could do it, but I just needed a little push.

Now, as a married man with 3 little boys, a full time job with managerial responsibilities, and a side accounting business, it was really easy for me to say that I couldn't find time to work out. Excuses are easy like that. I knew that it would take a family committment. I started researching gyms in the area and learned that they had child care while you worked out, and cafes that served healthy meals for afterwards -- "Hey this might work, but I don't know if my wife will go for it." So I decided to see what she thought:

Me: "Hey honey - I'm thinking we should join a gym"

Wife: "Yes, let's do it."

Me: "I haven't even given you any details on my plan."

Wife: "It doesn't matter - I'm in."

In actuality, she had been waiting a long time for me to get to this point. She knew that the motivation had to come from me, but she also knew that once I made the committment, I would see it all the way through. And she was right! I often see people make posts about how others in their life are not supportive and are trying to tear them down and sabotage their journey to health, but I can honestly say that everyone in my life has been so supportive of my efforts. From offering to work out with me, to changing the meals for family dinners, to my office changing my birthday cake to fruit salad, I have been truly blessed by these wonderful people.

So in these last 9+ months, my wife has lost 53 pounds, and I have managed to lose 168 pounds. The amazing thing about this process is how easy it has been for me. Now, don't get me wrong, I put a lot of hard work in, but I though that I would have to starve myself - not the case. If I am hungry, I eat. But I am smart about it. My main goal each day is to stay under 3000 calories (the number of calories I will eat when I reach maintenance levels -- i think). It is very attainable, and I am never hungry.

Even as a big guy, I've have always had great endurance and good willpower, so I thought that running would be a great way to exercise for me. I built up slowly (because I couldn't even run for 30 seconds at the beginning), and did my first 5k in October. I have done two more since then, and now running around 30 miles per week.

So this leads me to my goals for next year. I've always been told when you dream, you should dream big, so here goes: I am going to run a marathon. November 3rd in Savannah. In preparation, I will do a half marathon in Nashville on April 28th, and a few 10k races this winter to build up. Also, I have adjusted my goal weight to 232 (a 27.5 BMI), which would be a loss of 239 pounds. I hope to hit it by next summer (I try to lose about 10-12 pounds per month), because I don't want to worry about weight loss while training for the marathon. And lastly, I am going to throw a big thank you celebration for everyone who has supported me. Without their love and compassion, I would not be where I am today.

I wish everyone success on their journeys into 2012!!


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