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"You should be dead or at least have had a stroke by now" the Doctor said in an accusatory tone, faintly heard through her thick Indian accent. The words rattled around in my head for days until I decided to finally do something about it.
I was considered OBESE! Something I never thought in a million years I would be.
I was a super thin as a kid; a basketball on a stick my dad would often say. I ate like crazy and never seemed to gain a pound. It wasn't until college when I took a weight training class that I learned how to eat right, manage my weight and actually gain weight. I got up to 175 (which was a feat for me since I was always hovering around 150 in my teen years). It was lean muscle and for once in my life, I felt, and looked good. It didn't last long though, since I didn't take the time to learn the most valuable lesson the weight training class offered me. You have to move to keep fit.
I led a sedentary life of movies, TV and video games for the most part with the occasional foray into "working out" that never stuck.
Once I got married, it didn't get any easier. The love of my life, was basically the same person as me, she loved movies, TV and didn't have a workout regiment to speak of. Once kids came into the picture, it got worse. She gained the baby weight....and I did too. She took off quite a bit of it once baby was out and about, but without the benefit of breast feeding...I wasn't going to shed any of that baby weight without some effort. I didn't even bother to try. After baby 2 came, same thing. More food, more movies, more TV equaled more weight.
Fast forward to the ominous Dr. visit and there I was, 266 pounds of lazy American.
My Dr. demanded more than recommended a strict vegetarian diet (with shades of veganism), no alcohol, no cokes and exercise so that I could shed the pounds and save my life.
3 months later and a truckload of veggies and I was down to 240. My Cholesterol and my blood pressure had dropped (not out of the woods yet, but borderline) and my Dr. was quite impressed that I had actually listened to her. The one thing I still hadn't done, was work out. As of this month, I have started walking and lightly jogging. Having a new puppy with loads of energy helps (she loves to run) and having my wife to back me up and do the lifestyle change with me, has helped more than she can ever know. I am now down to 237 and hope to be down below 200 by Christmas. It is a lofty goal, but I like a good challenge and this is one; for my health, my family and myself, I am willing to take on full force!
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