I wish that I had all of the answers, it would make life so much more certain and safer, but so much less interesting.
A handful of people know the story regarding my battle with the scales, but over the next few weeks I will share some of the story that you may not be aware.
It’s a war that I declared victory on November 17, 2017, when I reached 175 pounds. But my nemesis, seems to never completely go away, the battles continue. The day to day challenge with weight has never been about the food on my fork or the next push up but will always be about my will to stay the course. The will that I speak of begins and ends in the mind. The course isn’t flat and straight for anyone. It has turns, some sharpe, it has hills, some are mountains, but it’s the couse that you and I have a choice to remain on.
Stay the course between the lines as you press forward!
On March 2, 2017, the day after my wife Angie and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary, I stepped on my bathroom scale, something that I felt so defeated by and seldom would do. The number that I expected was somewhere around a whopping 290 plus pounds, but the number that stared back at me that morning seemed like so much more than 10 extra pounds, the scale read 304 pounds.
To be over 300 pounds, appeared to be such a disaster at the time, and it was.
Even though my health was relatively good for a 55 year old man, at 5’11” tall and 304 pounds, I knew that I was living on borrowed time.
As I stood there for a few seconds, it seemed like an eternity. I thought of the literally thousands of senior citizens that I had sat with selling life insurance over the past several years and I could not recall one man that was 100 pounds overweight and at least 65 years old. I am sure they are out there, although the numbers are likely few, not because these men are hiding, but because these men are dead.
Standing on the scales I realized that if I didn’t change I would likely be dead in less than 10 years. A death sentence of my own making , not a medical diagnosis. All of those tasty bites, all of the, “Oh what can it hurt, it’s just one more scoop, or the I’ll start a diet tomorrow,” seemed to have just piled on the scale with me.
It was a complete disaster, again of my own making.
Then I did what any 21st century smart phone owner would do, I took a picture of that scale. I guess that I just wanted to mark time with that event. I had no idea what would follow.
There it is, it was all about time, it was never about the weight, it was about the time that I was willingly trading for my lack of self control with food.
I cannot help but think of the people that have been given news from their doctor, that they have only a few months to live. How they must long for the ability to do something about their situation, but cannot.
I was literally giving myself a death sentence one bite at a time. How selfish that was. I realized then and there that I was in control, it didn’t have to be this way.
Next week I will continue with the account of my journey out of obesity.
Staying the course is likely to never be comfortable.
Comfort is overrated.
Put every aspect of your life on the scale and weigh daily.
Pressing Post as I press forward.
Alan Thomas
I facilitate a mastermind for overweight men that believe that their weight is holding them back from living the future they were destined to live.
It focuses on changing the mindset to shed the weight while creating accountability, and community.
It’s called the From Fat to Fulfillment Mastermind.
If you are interested in applying send an email to
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