Starting Out

I am going to start blogging about my journey to lose weight. The blog will primarily be a spot for me to share about my challenges and victories with losing weight and becoming a more healthy person. Like a lot of people I have lost weight and been successful in the short term. However, I struggle to keep the weight off and establish a real lifestyle change. Recently, I got married and realized that having children was right around the corner for us. (SO EXCITING!!) Then I started to really think about my health and my future with my wife and family-to-be. I knew that it was time to figure out how to change . . . permanently.

Like most obese people, my eating is not just about something physical. It can be so emotional. I love the way eating ice cream makes me feel and the taste of it (I think that is pretty normal). I love seeing a buffet table full of all my favorite types of foods (pretty normal too). But, I know that something must be different from me and people who enjoy eating, but are not obese. What is this difference? Why do I feel such an attachment to my eating habits? And how I can change this forever in my life.

I recently have realized that I may be nothing more than an addict. Unlike, most addicts, I can't just stop eating (we have to eat to survive, right?) But, I must find a way to change how I view food and the role that it plays in my life. That is why I think that blooging will be helpful in this journey. I need a way of sorting out my thoughts, documenting helpful tips and overall just getting my feelings down on paper.

About 5 years ago I lost nearly 90 lbs. I loved the way I felt and all the doors it opened in my life. But, slowly I gained the weight back. This morning I stepped on the scale and realized that I had gained nearly all of my weight back. My heart sank. I know how hard it was the first time. How am I ever going to do this again? Then it came to me. I am not going to do that again. I am going to change my lifestyle and this is a new way of accomplishing an old goal.

Part of the reason that I think that I gained the weight back, is that I did not journal or keep track of my progress emotionally. This blog is going to be for me to mark where I am in the moment, so that when I reach the end of the road, I know how far I have come, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually. That way, I can continue being healthy and I can live a full life with my family and friends and enjoy an even greater feeling of existence in this life I have been given.

Weight Today: 272 lbs