No I'm not talking about George Bush. I'm talking about the one that plagues millions of Americans every year: WEIGHT.
It has been said that as you age more and more things get taken away from you. I contend that often with age the most heinous things are added to you; namely your waistline, your love handles, and your spare tire, or what I like to call the Monster's evil minions.
I look around at our country and I see an America so abundant in food that many of us (myself included) have over indulged to the point that our asscheeks look like two boars fighting over a duvet. The amount of childhood obesity in this country is staggering.
Equally staggering is how much I feel like I've let myself go. When I was a senior in high school I weighed 160 lbs. As of today I weigh 237.5 lbs. "How?" I ask myself, "How did I get to this point?" The answer as you might suspect is fairly obvious: too much food and not enough exercise. But I've realized that the "how" and the "why" aren't important.
Today I reached a point that Tony Robbins (yes I've read Tony Robbins) calls Threshold. It's basically a point where the pain is so pervasive that the person has no choice but to change. I realized today that I'm just sick and tired of being overweight. My energy level stinks, I have sleep apnea, my back hurts, and I avoid mirrors. I'm a pretty positive guy but anyone overweight who tells you that it doesn't effect their self esteem is either lying or more delusional that Mel Gibson's father.
I consider myself very blessed. I have a family and a wife who love me unconditionally. Having said that my decision to change my habits, starting today, doesn't have a lot to do with them. In fact sometimes someone saying, "I love you just the way you are" even spoken with sincerity (and I know it is) becomes a crutch, an excuse. People have told me that getting back to my high school weight is unattainable, that everybody gains weight as they get older and you just have to learn to live with it. Dr. Wayne Dyer proposed a great question when faced with excuses, "Is it true?" I emphatically say NO. Not only are there numerous instances to back up my theory, I speak from personal experience. Eight years ago I lost 48 lbs. I went from 236 all the way to 188...and gained it all back.
Well now my journey to a better weight begins again. People think I can't get back down to 160? WATCH ME. Anybody who reads my blog I encourage you to send me your thoughts and prayers as I start this long road. I'm going to be doing weekly updates on my progress so look out for that. There will be struggles ahead I'm sure of it. But I'm ready.
And to prove my dedication I've made a decision. Any important life changing path deserves a visual reminder. As Herm Edwards former NFL coach said, "Be a man! Put yo' name on it!" Well I'm going to put my beard on it. As of this moment until I reach the 200lb mark I am not going to shave my fu man chu. Once I reach it I'm going to shave it and then not shave it again until I reach 160.
So there you have it. This is week 1 of the Corrye Weight Loss Project. It's like The Allan Parsons Project only not as crappy.
Week One Weight: 237.5 lbs.
There was a really cool book written by a foodie who planned to lose 50 lbs and it is hilarious. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. Good luck to you on your weight loss, but please don't lose yourself on your journey. You are a wonderful and talented person at any weight. I've been trying to have a healthier relationship with food. Surprisingly my greatest inspiration was an episode of Glee (no joke). Quinn said when she got pregnant it changed her relationship with food because she had to nurish someone else. She asked herself if she was willing to eat well for someone else, why wasn't she willing to do it for herself. Sometimes I have to ask myself,if I was pregnant would I eat this? That said, I still have a little dessert everyday. :) Balance, balance,balance. And here is one more piece of advice (I promise I'll step off my soapbox after this.) Instead of beating yourself up try to treat yourself like a best friend you are trying to help. Good luck! -Annie
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice Andrea. I really appreciate it. Good analogy by the way. Ah the life lessons of Glee! Working on that whole beating myself up thing. If you remember that book let me know.
ReplyDeleteYou can do it Corrye. I just went on a 15 week diet/cardio binge and lost 20 pounds. For the first time in 11 years, I don't have any love handles. It really sucks to do, but it's worth it. Give me a holler if you need any advice or support.
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