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My
story isn’t that
different than most people. I didn’t grow up overweight
or even a little heavy for that matter. Actually, growing
up I was very thin and very active which fostered a great
metabolism. I could eat what I wanted, when I wanted
and it never really seemed to matter. In my late teens
and early twenties I lived on things like pizza, hamburgers,
chips, soda, steak, and burritos. And because I was extremely
active I didn’t gain very much weight so the cycle
continued.
Then at some undefined point in my life, all that
changed. My career became more sedentary, I spent more
time sitting and less time moving. And, like a lot
of people, the weight gradually came on. Over the years
the pounds stacked up.
My eating
habits certainly didn’t help. As I
moved less and my life became busier, I consumed even
more of the high calorie, fat dense foods I’d
come to rely on. The pounds really started packing
on and I went from overweight to obese without
really taking notice.
I got
heavier and heavier. And when I finally did take
notice, I made excuse after excuse and raised
the benchmarks
for “dieting” higher
and higher. Sure, I did try to lose weight on and off
using fad diet after fad diet. But the diets soon gave
way to old habits and the pounds would eventually come
back… with friends!
Friends
and family began to make comments. My wife later
admitted that she figured
she’d be an early
widow and had come to grips with it. I recall one morning
when a friend in my Rotary club pulled me aside and
said, “Jay, you really need to get a grip on
your weight. You are going to die if you don’t
and we want you around.” He’d
obviously been struggling with the best way to approach
me with it and, true to form, chose the most direct
approach.
Still,
though, when I looked in the mirror there was a part
of me that only saw a “heavy” guy.
I thought I carried the weight well and that I looked
okay. Even when health
issues began to crop up, I still made excuses. “I’ll
get serious about losing weight when I hit ‘X’ pounds.”
It wasn’t long before I began
hearing off-hand comments by strangers in public places,
or friends
in private. That's when I started getting self conscious.
I’d
do my worst eating in private. Once I caught someone
in a car next to me staring with a disgusted look on
their face while I devoured a hamburger and fries at
a stop light in
my
truck.
I
vowed to stop eating
in the
car when I could help it. Publicly, I carried on as
if all was okay. I even drew attention to my weight
in a joking way. "Better to get it out there," I
thought.
As I neared 350pounds, I privately
told myself I’d
do something about it when I hit 400 pounds. I knew
there was something wrong when I'd made that mental
statement. But I had convinced myself that this was
the way it was
and I’d just need to carry on and deal with it.
I felt hopeless. In the middle of 2005 I stepped
on the scale and weighed in at more than 340 pounds.
I went on another diet,
lost twenty to thirty pounds and slowly slipped back
into the old ways. My daughter was born and sleep was
a luxury I'd not had in some time, I was stressed with
my professional life, and I immersed myself in
everything but being mindful of my health.
Then one
day in mid 2006 I went to the doctor. I’d
been having problems with my feet, my knees, and just
not feeling well. After a series of tests and physical
therapy I weighed in at 334 pounds (my weight was climbing
again) and the doctor informed me that if I didn’t
do something, I was headed for an early grave.
I looked at my beautiful daughter
and made a decision. My family needed me; it was time
for a change. The
Journey, as I call it, began for me at that
moment. I spent nearly the next year working towards
my goal
with diet
and
exercise. I built a foundation for success and created
winning elements to benchmark both successes and failures.
And I applied my years of experience in business coaching
and team development to my personal well being.
Today I lead an active lifestyle
by design. I changed my life from the inside out and
am enjoying the
successes and learning from the failures that come
with weight maintenance. It continues to be an incredible
journey from which I learn daily.
The story
is remarkable and I want to share it with you. I’ve
learned a lot about myself, The Journey, and about
dealing
with the trials of Life after Obesity.
Contact
me today to learn more!
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