1 year later

August 24, 2010, I weighed 357 lbs. My self esteem was at an all time low. I hated how big I’d gotten. I was even seriously considering a gastric bypass surgery, but I was too big for the one I wanted. I needed to weigh 350 or less. Stupid huh? So I figured I’d lose 7 lbs, so that when I saved the money I’d be able to get it. I knew that I couldn’t lose 157 lbs on my own so I was just going to lose 7 so that when I saved the money, I could get it.

So there I was, one year ago, 357 lbs, 53% body fat, 221 cholesterol, and 140ish over 93ish blood pressure.

I decided to eat healthier and less. I ate a chicken leg and thigh instead of a chicken. I ate a cup of rice-a-roni instead of the box, and I ate veggies till I felt full. Long story short, I ate better, healthier, human sized portions. The first 7 lbs came off in a week. “Heck . . . that was easy. This wasn’t such a bad week. I’ll keep it up for a while, until I save my money for the surgery.”

Six months later the surgery option was off the table. I CAN DO THIS. 65 lbs down and still falling, it was time to add exercise. It was just about Lent season, and instead of cutting out a bad habit, I decided to add a good one. I would exercise every single day of Lent. I rode an exercise bike at first . . . slowly. But soon I picked up the pace and duration. At Easter I was feeling way better. I’d continued to lose and started riding faster and farther each time I got on the bike. It was time for something different.

Enter P90X. I was scared, I’ll admit it. I wasn’t ready for it, but I was determined to do what I could. Turns out that wasn’t much . . . at first. The first day I did more pushups (all off my knees mind) than the last 3 years combined. The second day I wished that a meteor would plummet from the sky and kill my before I pushed the play button. But I’d made the commitment, and I was going to finish 90 days. 3 months, a slightly torn rotator cuff, 40 lbs, a couple thousand pushups (not all from my knees), and some strange yoga posses later, I finished. “Hey, that was actually kinda fun there . . . let’s do it again.”

I took a month off and just rode the bike again to let my previously mentioned rotator cuff heal up a bit, and then started round 2. Every day, I notice improvements. One more push up than the week before (none from the knees, thank you very much). A little lower in warrior one. Not as much assistance on the pull-ups. And I noticed something else about myself. In my head, I weigh 199 lbs. I’m under 10% body fat, and I look great. :-) I’ve committed to the lifestyle changes needed to get me there, now all I have to do is wait for my body to catch up to my mind.

Today I weigh 243, and have 26% body fat. For those of you counting that means I lost 114 lbs while gaining 12 lbs of lean muscle mass. My blood pressure is 118 over 78. Cholesterol 169. And self esteem index is much improved.

The reason I’m writing this is also the most amazing thing about this journey. I’m NOT special in any way. If you’re just starting your journey, please know that it can be done by the ungifted, untalented, and ordinary. All you have to do is commit. Commit to living better, being healthier, and improving yourself in the tiniest of ways every day, and then start. You don’t have to go from no exercise to running marathons tomorrow, but TODAY you do have to park a little farther from the store than normal.

Good luck to all of you as you continue on your chosen road.