Well, spoiler alert is too late since I already posted it, but I will start off with the good news: I finished my triathlon 
. My sweet mom posted my picture saying I haven’t looked so happy since my wedding day:
So let’s chat a little bit about what it took to get there and show some pictures of the day!
Extended post to come on this.
18 months ago to the day, I made a decision to change the way I ate and lived. I weighed in at an obscene 440 pounds and was on my way to a short life riddled with disease and handicaps.
Today as I sit next to a lake with my beautiful, proud and happy bride with a finisher medal for the Wildflower triathlon around my neck, I am filled with gratitude for my entire cheering section of family and friends.
The race path was filled with cheering people and scriptures. They along with all of your support carried me through this.
The best is yet to come!
It was just a few weeks before Thanksgiving 2010. I had humbly confided in a new very fitness conscious friend that I had just started trying to lose weight. Admitting that you’re trying to lose weight as a morbidly obese person feels a lot like Rudy probably used to when he would tell people he would one day play for Notre Dame. Everybody thinks it’s a nice dream, but almost all of them don’t think you have a snowball’s chance in Arizona of making it.
My friend said something tha unlocked a thought that propelled me mentally into the next stage. He said: “By next Christmas, you could easily be down 100 pounds, maybe even 150! How amazing would that feel?”
The Statue of David by Michelangelo is thought of as one of the greatest pieces of art ever produced. Standing at a massive 17 feet tall, it was carved from a single piece of marble and has been admired for centuries for its impressive display of humanity. I have always admired artistic ability, as one who is completely devoid of such abilities. When Michelangelo was asked how he created such an amazing work, he answered this way:
What does this have to do with a healthier you? Everything.
For those of you that haven’t read the headlines yet or watched the news, a study was released two days ago that talks about the fact that Red Meat will kill you dead. While I don’t consume a ton of Red Meat, as I am obsessed with being a healthy eater and because of a fervent desire to not kill my children with dinner, I felt it important to take a moment to digest the information (see what I did there?). Here’s what I’ve found.
“How do you feel?”
I tend to struggle with this question regarding my weight loss. It’s hard to remember what life was like before.
Pop Quiz Hot Shot: there’s a growling in your stomach. It’s lunch time and there’s an emptiness in your stomach that will cause you to binge if you wait any longer. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?
There has been an extended period of radio silence here on the old blog due to some difficult times in the real world. My father suffered a stroke a few weeks ago and this has resulted in a great deal of tasks and things to attend to. It has also led to an extended period for reflection about mortality, family, physical health and the frailty of everything.
I had the distinct pleasure yesterday of speaking at a group of local ladies from Church who are meeting weekly to discuss principles of healthy living. I was very impressed with their earnest desire to eat healthy and live happy healthy lives. They focus on making good nutrition decisions instead of just losing pounds.
One of the ladies had this great idea…
Checking out the new Facebook timeline, I found my first status update regarding weight loss. I wish I could have told the old me how the new me would feel. He would have loved knowing. I know he does now.
Then of course this update less than a year later:
2011: Clearly one of the best years of my life.
2012: Clearly going to kick 2011′s rear.
