I know that few of you really care about how much I weigh (stop reading now if weight does not interest you) but as someone that has faced this challenge for many years, a significant milestone has been reached and another one is close at hand. I write this not only to celebrate my successes but also to inspire others who brave the weight loss game. But first, a history, to gain perspective...
After years of high school football I was roughly 200-205 lbs with a semester of school left. After a coaching change made my baseball situation tenuous I decided to try shot-put and discuss on the Track and Field Team. It was then that I first learned how much I enjoyed running. A track coach somehow saw potential in a chubby lineman and helped me loose 30 lbs that spring and made me marginally competitive in the 1/2 mile to 2 mile distance races. At 170 lbs my mom actually asked me if I was battling anorexia!?!
Three years and a mission later I had drifted up to 220 lbs but was able to drop that back down to 195 over the next year before my wedding day. That is when it fell apart. I gained 45 lbs the first year and steadily climbed to 275 lbs sometime around 1999-2000. With the babysitting of a friend's daughter I was inspired to work out on a regular basis for the first time since before my marriage and the pounds dropped. I soon found myself at 228 when disaster struck, my babysitter moved! Then started the oscillations, 265-->235-->260-->240-->260-->235-->255 alll in the span of 5.5 years. But I was never able to get back down to the 228 of that first cycle.
That is until now. I am currently at 223. Still not as low as I would like to be but finally broken through a barrier that had been quite significant before. What has been different this time? No one thing I would say. Seeing loved ones fighting the health effects associated with excess weight, having the potential of being lighter than my twin for the first time since childbirth, reintroducing the competitive element with the running of a road race in Atlanta, and many other reasons. I draw strength from whatever moves me that day! Most days it is just a desire to be better for my wife and children.
From here? Nothing is certain. At 220, only 3 lbs away, my BMI will drop below 30 and I will officially no longer carry the title of "obese" but will still be "overweight". I'll take that with pride. 6 months ago 220 had been my goal, now as I start a new year I find myself setting a new one. Any number starting with the number 1 seems unfathomable so I will probably draw the line at 200 and reassess if and when I get close. With any luck (and a bit of hard work) I will be close to that when we journey west for our vacation in July. Only time (and the scale) will tell.
2 comments:
You've done so awesome honey! You've worked so hard and it shows!
Hey, congratulations on all that hard work. The love of running (in my opinion) is a definite character flaw! Thanks for the pictures of the John family. It's great to see you guys. And to answer the question you asked on a previous post....I'm with Jamie - bring back the goatee! I don't know that clean shaven person. Happy New Year!!!
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