6 Days to Go

Here are the health concerns I hope will be improved by my losing weight:

1) Asthma. It is severe enough that I have been hospitalized several times and near death at least once. I KNOW I'll breathe easier without so much extra lard to lug around. And the increased lung capacity that will come with an increase in my fitness will help, too.

2) Back pain. This just started about two months ago. My back has hurt since I had surgery when I was 12 (spinal fusion). But this new pain is much worse than the ordinary pain. This is a sort of muscle cramping that hits my lower left back and squeezes the nerve that goes down into my leg. So while I'm in pain, my leg is going numb. When I sit on my couch, the pain stops. But when I'm standing or walking, the pain is excruciating. Black Cohosh lessens the pain, but does not completely eliminate it. Though it hurts to walk, I do find that the days when I walk or ride my bike, I feel better in the evening.

3) Diabetes, heart disease, cancer. I DO NOT have any of these conditions. But it is well-documented that obese people run a much greater risk of acquiring these illnesses than those who have a normal, healthy weight. I'm still in my 40's, so I still have a chance to dodge these bullets.

Inspiration

Preview

The Biggest Loser, Season 8 begins on NBC next Tuesday, Sept 15. One short week from tonight. I watched it a year ago, beginning my journey in September 2007 at 279 pounds. From September 17 to December 25, I lost 40 pounds. From December 25 to April 25, 2008 I lost another 20.

Today I weigh 259. And I want to cry. I'm 40 pounds heavier in just a bit less than a year and a half. I know better!!! Oh sure, I've got excuses. My job turned into an absolute hell and I ate out of stress. Then in February of this year, I was laid off and have been medicating my ego with food. Plus, without health insurance and having severe asthma, I am limited in what exercise I can do. But those are just excuses. The bottom line is that there really is NO reasonable excuse for getting this big. The fact is that I put more food in my mouth than I should have and didn't do the exercise I CAN do. And here I am, still living in the fat suit I created myself.

Well, enough is enough. Just because I fell back doesn't mean I'm doomed and should never try again. I want to finally get rid of this fat suit I created and give myself a new slim, healthy suit. And the one word used the most in this blog post is "I". That's the whole key. This journey is mine, and I can either keep moving forward toward my goal, or I can give up right here, right now. I am NOT a quitter. I do NOT give up. My success is all up to me (and I WILL succeed).

This blog is the record of the process of abandoning the fat suit and creating myself a new suit.