Since February 2013 I have been working on losing weight. Before today the only time I would really talk about it was when people asked me about my new appearance. I decided it would be good to share since even though I have lost a significant amount of weight I still feel fat since I have not gotten to my ideal weight just yet and these weekly blog posts will help me to record the positive changes in both my body and mind and maybe get me to start realizing the great changes I have made to myself.

I have spent the majority of my adult life overweight and about 10 years ago I entered the morbidly obese stage. I had always talked about losing weight and from time to time I would lose 20 lbs. and then gain them all back plus a few extra. Partially due to some family tragedies and partially due to my laziness, I just gave up and decided I would be fat and, as I used to like to say, “We all die someday whether we are fat or skinny’. Not the most positive way to look at things, but that was where my mind was a couple of years ago. Despite diabetes being on both sides of my family, I still had the attitude of “there is nothing I can do about it”.

The turning point happened in December 2012. At my previous employer I would spend my lunch break on paydays shopping at a nearby Walmart for non-perishable groceries. It was a way to get out of the office and help my wife with some of the grocery shopping. While there I saw a display of baking supplies since it was the holiday season. There were 1 lb. Hershey’s chocolate bars and being the chocoholic I am, I decided to buy it. I figured I would eat a small piece once a day and that should not be too bad for my health. Well, I got back to work, ate a piece, and then 10 minutes later the whole pound of chocolate was gone. I questioned what I was thinking, where I was in my life, and just felt gross.

Around this time I learned about the Weight Watchers Points Plus Program. Basically, points are assigned to every type of food imaginable and you can only eat a certain amount of points per day in order to lose weight. You start off with quite a bit of points allocated to each day and then the points get slightly lower as you lose weight until you get to your goal and then your points remain the same in order to maintain that weight.

In the middle of February 2013 I decided to give it a shot despite my reluctance to diet. My weight was at 267 lbs. for a 6’0, 38 year old male. I figured if I lost 20 lbs. I would be healthier and then I could stop. Well, a couple of months later I lost those 20 and felt so much better that I continued the diet and do not have any plans to stop.

Fast forward to last Friday and I am currently at 207 lbs. A 60 pound weight loss was something I could not even dream of when I started this diet and now I am looking forward to losing about 20 more lbs. and getting to the ideal weight for my age and height.

Dieting is an interesting process. Initially, it seems like a major pain in the ass until you actually start doing it and seeing results. Now I look at it as a positive change in my life and I am glad I started it when I did since I turn 40 later this month and will be in the best shape of my adult life up to this point. Going from morbidly obese to just plain obese and then down to overweight is a strange thing to be excited about, but I am. Now I am closing in on my goal weight of 185-190 lbs. and feeling great about it. The only thing that I find a little frustrating from time to time is that I am still not in shape to the point where I am comfortable being shirtless at the beach or by poolside. That is why my wife and I decided to start increasing our physical activity. Hiking on the weekends is first and then in a couple of weeks we are purchasing DDP Yoga which will help us to increase our stamina, flexibility, and assist us in toning up so the next time I visit the beach or go to a pool party I will not be embarrassed to stand in front of others without a shirt.

Last Saturday we started our hiking regimen at Bear Canyon Lake in Arizona. There was a light rain part of the day, the weather was around 68 degrees, and it was a perfect day. We hiked for 2 hours with a slightly difficult decline and a more difficult incline on the return back. It felt great and we are already planning our next hike for the following Saturday. It felt great to be out in nature and away from the city and it felt even better to start some decent physical activity. It is also providing me with opportunities to see parts of our state I have not seen. It is easy to look at Arizona as a big, hot desert which it is in the city, but once you head just a couple of hours north it is nothing but beautiful weather with terrific scenery.

I am sure wherever we decide to go next weekend it will be just as beautiful and I cannot wait!