At age 36, I had a revelation…I am overweight. What brought me to this epiphany you might ask? Well, in May of 2008, as my wife was at a dinner conference for her work, the children were safely tucked in their beds, and daddy had yet to eat his supper. “Hmmm, what shall I have? Salad?, Tofu? One of those foo foo low cal frozen meals? Ahhh, better yet, a frozen pizza! The all-American (Italian) meal!
Thirty minutes later, in front of the TV, I am in heaven! Savoring every single bite of this hot, delicious, grease dripping treat! One piece, then two, how about three? Sure, if I insist! After heading to the kitchen for my third trip, I notice there are only two pieces left. I surely couldn't let them go to waste could I? With that, I wiped out those last two pieces, like they were nothing. As I sat and reflected on my day, it came to me…I had just eaten a whole pizza by myself! Not that this was such an amazing feet, I was more stunned that I could eat that much, and still be hungry for more! What had happened to me?
In high school I was athletic. I could easily run 3 miles, work out, etc. I was six foot tall and weighed maybe 185 pounds. I could eat whatever I wanted and not even have to think about gaining weight! But a lot happens in twenty years. Slowly the weight starts to pile on, and we just accept it. “Ah, I am getting older, so my weight is going up.” Is this really acceptable? Twenty years of being out of shape and out of mind!
So, that pizza made me come to my senses. I had always wondered about all of those fad diets and pills on the market. Do they do what they claim they do? Is there a miracle drug out there that can make me thin in two weeks? Sadly there isn't. At age 36, 247 pounds, high blood pressure, acid reflux, and sleep apnea (yes, I use a CPAP machine at night to sleep) I sought the help of real medical professionals in weight loss management.
This is not an endorsement to those people, or the product they use. It is merely my story that, in fact, is just beginning. Six weeks ago I started this weight loss program. I knew it was going to be hard, but it I had seen others do this program and knew it could work for me. The first phase of the program is to be put on a 1200 calorie per day diet. The thought of that nearly killed me, but over that week I learned that with moderation and the right foods, I could be satisfied and not hungry. I also lost over nine pounds. The real diet came next. The following week, I started a regiment of meal replacement formulas and nutritional bars. I have a combination of six per day for a total of 960 calories per day. I have also began working out on the treadmill (which has made a great clothes hanger over the years) daily. I try to put in at least 2 miles at an active pace that keeps my heart rate up. Sound difficult? Not really. I have found that after 5 weeks of this 12 week phase, dieting and exercise can be very simple and for once in my life I now know the true feeling of my body being hungry. Notice, I didn't say starved. I have not been starved once in this phase. I know when my body needs fuel. That is another thing I have learned… food is nothing more than fuel for our bodies.
So what happens, when you fuel your body as opposed to feeding or stuffing your body? Well, so far I have lost over 31 lbs. I weighed in this week at 216 pounds. Next week I will be half way through the first phase of the program. At week 13, I will get to phase back in on food. Hmmm, what will that first bite of real food be? Pizza? Cheeseburger? I don't really know just yet. What I do know is this: what ever it is, it will be in moderation, and it will be good for my body. It probably won't be fried food, or sugary food. It will be something delicious and nutritious. Two things that you can easily combine into any meal.
My goal is to get close to the weight I had in high school. I would love to be at 190 pounds. I have already dropped a pant size in my waist; my clothes have never felt better. For once, in a very long time, I feel good about who I am, how I look and most of all how I feel. My doctor has already taken me off the reflux medication I had been on, and my next goal is to get rid of the blood pressure medication and the CPAP machine at night.
I am an average person from the Midwest. I have a career and a family. I want people to know that if I can do this, they can too. Weight loss is no secret. True, I am getting professional help to get me through this. However, if you do any research on the internet and consult your family doctor, you can develop a plan that will work for you. The main things I have learned that I will make a daily part of my life once I get back on real food is to eat food in moderation, to eat small meals throughout the day to better fuel your body, and to exercise daily. Making these changes in your life will make you lose and maintain your weight. You can do it!
