One day, I took my 325 pound couch potato self to Disneyland for a vacation. It was around Christmas time in 2009 and I wanted to show the family a good time. Then, the unthinkable happened. My world came crashing down as I was kicked off of a ride in front of everyone because I was too big to fit in the seat. It was humiliating, embarrassing and unexpected. But, it changed my life.

I realized that my life needed to change. I also realized that I have missed out on so much in my own life because I never took control of my health. I missed out on serving in the military because I was too big, I missed becoming a police officer because I was too out of shape, and I missed achieving some of the dreams in my life.

Not any more. I threw away the fear of failure and dared to do something impossible. In one year, I lost over 100 pounds and did something that I never thought I could do – I ran a marathon. I achieved the impossible and it was the most amazing thing ever.

The next year, I traveled the country, seeing new cities 26.2 miles at a time on a marathon tour, all while training for the impossible - the title of IRONMAN!

On June 24, 2012, I crossed the Ironman finish line in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, listening to Mike Reilly announce me as an Ironman, after a long day and 140.6 miles.

I am continuing on my journey, getting through the ups and downs of maintaining a new, fit lifestyle. Life is good, and I want to live it to the fullest.

This blog celebrates our ability to achieve things that seem impossible.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Weight is down again, 9 pounds from the 100 pound loss mark!

Ever since my little rant about being stuck on a plateau a few days ago, I have been watching the scale numbers drop slightly. Well, on the official weigh in day this morning the scale showed me another new low number, 233.4. That puts me 91 pounds down now overall and only 9 pounds away from my goal of loosing 100 pounds!

But, there is another big milestone that I will hit when I loose 7 more pounds. When I started this blog I described myself as one of the "American Obese" surviving on fast food, sodas, no food volume control, and no exercise. That term "obese" comes from the BMI charts. Now, before I start talking about the Body Mass Index, it is important to qualify the discussion with the fact that BMI is a standardized number. In other words, the labels that the BMI charts place can be wrong. Numerous people are "overweight" on the BMI chart but are actually very healthy because of their physical makeup, so only use BMI as one factor in determining your health picture.

Anyways, back the the milestone that I will hit when I loose another 7 pounds. The BMI chart has several categories. If your BMI is under 18.5, you are underweight, 18.5 - 24.9 is normal weight, 25 - 29.9 is overweight, 30 - 39.9 is obese, and 40+ is labeled "morbidly obese." Once I drop to 227, I will no longer be in the "obese" category and will drop down into being considered just "overweight." So, I am proud of the fact that I was considered morbidly obese with a BMI of 42.8 when I started in January but now I am within 7 pounds of no longer being obese. This has been a long journey but it has all been worth it!

If anyone is interested, the shorthand formula for BMI is = (Weight / Inches of height) / (Inches of height x 703)

So, today is going to be a good day and I will be walking around with my head held high. I have a gym strength training workout today at lunch and just a 10 mile run scheduled on Sunday because of the tapering off for the race which is now only 9 days away. I can't wait!!!

Life is good!
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