I have to toot my own horn here…it’s my 2 year anniversary (well, August 12th is, and I am typing this on the 11th…close enough).
Posting this disclaimer right here: this is NOT a WiFi or tech post at all. Not that anyone comes here for the tech, but in case you did…consider yourself warned 🙂
So, what is this anniversary?
2 years ago, on August 12, 2018, I made a choice that has changed my life. This time two years ago, I was morbidly obese. I am not afraid to admit, when I stepped on the scale, I checked in at 324 pounds. I had just one month earlier purchased shorts for vacation with a waist measuring 52.
Yikes. Seriously…yikes.
So, why did I do it? Millions of reasons. I wanted to be around to see my kids grow up…not that where I am at guarantees I will be, God knows when I am going to check out. But, where I was 2 years ago, it wasn’t good. My own father died when I was just 15 from a heart attack…and I was a lot heavier than he was. So…yes…change was needed.
The last straw was a business trip to Orlando in late 2017, coupled with our planning of a 2019 family vacation to an Orlando theme park. During the business trip, I could not fit on one of the rides. Thankfully my kids weren’t there, so I could brush it off…but when we planned the vacation in 2018, the deal was we wouldn’t go if I couldn’t fit. So…I had to fit.
I have talked about it before, but I will share it again (and if anyone is actually reading and wants to talk about it more…ask. I am happy to share what worked for me, if it may work for you too).
I use an app (LoseIt, free version), coupled with my Apple Watch. The app asked for a goal weight and timeframe, and with that it sets daily intake targets. You stick to that and it works out. I was aiming to be 200 pounds (though I forgot my target date). I had lost most of that ahead of our 2019 vacation (and yes, I did fit).
So, a year ago I was just shy of 200 (believe I was like 210-215). Now two years in, I am down to 181. The quarantine has been a tough time for a lot of us, and I don’t want to blame it for this…but I know I’ve changed my dieting and basically been relatively static for 6 months.
For me to really hit my goal, I need to lose another 12 or so pounds and stick there. Trying to change that quarantine diet up a bit to finally get back into (and stay) in the 170s.
The upside for me? This is the healthiest I’ve been since I was a kid, probably. I mean, I did the weight loss thing before college too (but gained much of it back by graduation). I did it again when I got married, but didn’t keep it off then either. This time, it’s staying off…and the plan is to make this time stick for good.
So, it’s fun to look back and see where I was 2 years ago. Sure, I lost most of my weight in that first year (115 to 30), but it’s all progress. If things can continue to trend in the right way, this time next year I can be in maintain mode at like 165-170 and enjoying life.
So if you are considering starting your own journey…there is no time like the present. If you are hitting a wall in yours? Not alone. But no matter what…it’s totally worth it 🙂
Wifi John 