Can you think back to New Years Day of 2019? I can, it's a day that like all of you reading this right now, made a New Years resolution and swore to keep it going. Well, to repeat myself, like all of you reading this right now, you probably failed to deliver on that resolution and found yourself saddened or disappointed. I will raise my hand and shout guilty as charged as my resolution was to finally lose weight & I never even started to try!
So then came along February 1st, 2019 and I'm not sure why but I looked at myself in the mirror & literally asked myself- do you want to die early in life from something like being obese (which according to by BMI index I was) & man is that just depressing in itself or do you want to get up off your ass an do something about it! So that day I decided to install the My Fitness Pal app and log my starting weight. Now I haven't really shared that starting figure with a lot of people as it's something I'm truly embarrassed about and for sake of my sanity, let's just say it's a high number.
So on that morning I logged my starting weight and set up a daily calorie goal based on wanting to lose two pounds a week. I knew the cold turkey method would only drive me back to old ways so I decided to start slow. I never really was a breakfast person unless I was at work & those choices weren't always the healthiest of ones, so I decided to do some research. Before I forget, I have to thank one person in particular, I won't mention any last names but Michelle, I can't even begin to thank you for all of your assistance during this ongoing journey. Your own weight loss story, personal experiences & recommendations for protein powders to recipes forever changed my life & I could never ever repay you.
From there I had to eliminate my crack, my niche, my drug- MOUNTAIN DEW! Talk about withdrawals, at any given point in the day in my past I was probably drinking anywhere from 4-5 cans a day without blinking an eye, probably a little bit higher on some days at work as we have it on the fountain guns and would just add a splash here and a splash there. So I went to Diet Mt. Dew, again they say this isn't the best alternative but as I don't drink coffee, I had to find something to help with the caffeine addiction to start my morning otherwise cue a headache. After about a week or two of it, it turned out it was actually kind of a breeze, much to my surprise, so that was another road block hurdled.
Now came probably the most challenging part of the entire thing- WORK! For those of you who don't know I work in a restaurant five days a week and am surrounded by temptation! Literally a menu full of delicious, mostly unhealthy options for someone looking to lose weight and change his lifestyle. So I said hello to some new friends- bagged lunches from home, salads & chicken! It was the ultimate mental tug of war. There were days where I wanted to say fuck it, I give up, but I would always think about one thing- do you want to see your son grow up and his kids grow up? Call me crazy, but it worked.
Sure the food cravings didn't end after a day, a week or a month but over time my cravings for the junk food were eliminated due to seeing results on the scale. I wanted to lose 50 lbs by Jan 1, 2020 and I actually lost 50 lbs with like 8 weeks to spare & I decided to keep going. Constant walks outside w/ my son in the stroller and using the Bowflex bike I purchased for Christmas this past year, it was all the motivation I needed to keep going.
So what has the endgame results been- I'm proud to say that at my highest I've lost 73 lbs in just about 13-14 months. For those of you who've ever said you look great, keep it up or any other positive words of encouragement it was the fuel that kept me going through all of this and I truly mean that. Hearing positive well wishes was such a motivator I can't begin to describe it. For those of you thinking about making a change you owe it to yourself to try it & STICK with it. Sure results won't happen over night and they might not happen in a month or two, but if you look at yourself in the mirror and reach down deep, you can achieve anything you set your mind too.
I have never looked better, felt better or had more energy and I need it more then ever w/ my son running around and keeping me young! That's it, that's my secret path I took when this all began. So what's your New Years Resolution going to be come 2021 and will you stick with it?
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