02/20/2012
I have been overweight since I was a young boy, about age 10. Looking back on my life, I can scarcely remember what it feels like to not be fat. It has prevented me from participating in many activities that my peers gave themselves to joyfully; it has led to injuries that have worsened my condition; and it has trapped the real me inside my mind, which has affected me in profoundly terrible ways that are hard to describe. My weight has fluctuated a good bit over the years, but for the most part I have always been about 50 pounds overweight. But now, in early 2012, I have found myself in the worst physical condition of my life. And I need your help.
In 2011, I dove into losing weight in what I thought was an all or nothing way. I joined a gym, held to a strict low calorie diet, and lost about 20 pounds in three months. Then, I plateaued and, tragically, allowed job changes and stress at home to take their toll. I slowly stopped working out and began to allow myself to have things that I had said no to earlier in the year.
I am here to tell you today that I gained every ounce of that weight back, and then some. Now, my willpower is at an all-time low, my cholesterol is high, my chest pain has returned, and I lack the energy I need to be the person I want to be. I am embarrassed by what happened last year, and I am forced to look people I love in the eye and tell them, "I failed. I'm not strong enough."
So, at my weakest moment comes this blog. It will tackle many subjects – among them food, fitness, spirituality, and the joys of life – and will document my struggle to balance all things together in a way that will fundamentally change me from the inside out.
I hope that you will follow my journey, and I ask you to leave your comments with suggestions, constructive criticisms, or encouragements. I can't do this alone.
