How I lost (am losing) the FAT

So far I’ve lost 72 pounds, I’m 53 pounds from goal.

I get ask a lot, “what diet are you following?” I am not dieting. I’m changing.

Diets are short-term fixes to a long-term problem. I ate more than I needed … not just for a few weeks or months, but for the past 20-ish years. I can’t undo that over night.

People have the capacity for great change – every one of us. But very few really want to. It’s easier to sit on the sofa and complain. Blame the fast food industry. Whine about genetics or invent a glandular condition. That won’t get you anywhere.

You have to change. Stop eating more than you need. Get off your ass and exercise.

That’s all I’m doing

270 Pounds of FAT

In mid-January of 2008, I weighed 270 pounds. Yes, 270. Well, at least that’s what I think. When I first got up the courage to step on the scale – after dieting and exercising for 6 weeks – I weighed 265.


I cried.


For the first year of this multi-year diet, I lost 5 pounds a month, so I’m guess-timating that I weighed 5 pounds more when I started.


Only a couple of people know the actual number. It's not like it was a secret. I've seen pictures. I looked my weight. But saying it ... that's so out-there-for-all-to-see. I don't want to watch their expression. And the comments ... I can just imagine. "You weighed how much!" "Really, I thought it was more." I'm not ready for that.


I'm dealing with it to a degree. I've lost 72 pounds -- roughly 3/5s of the way to goal. But this is about more than loosing weight. I need to confront why I gained over 100 pounds. Otherwise, I can slip back into my old ways and put it all back on. I need to change.


The picture above is me in December 2007. It rotates with all the staff pictures in the lobby where I work. Even though I've lost part of that weight, I can't escape the great white neck picture. I hate it, but it's part of the reason I quit procrastinating.


I plateaued in early in 2009 and broke free … and now it’s happening again. I need to refocus and I hope blogging will help.


I'm fine with total strangers reading this. If you're going through something similar, maybe this will help. You're not alone. But will I tell my friends and co-worker? I'm not sure. Maybe not.


But there’s more to my life than weight loss – hence the title – Fat, Family and Other F Words.