Week One in the Books

Trying to decide if I'm going to start this thing by putting myself over...or go ahead and admit to all the mistakes I made this first week of my transformation week. Hmmmm. 

My thoughts exactly. I will brag first. I exercised and was active from Sunday to Friday, six straight days. Wanna know the last time I exercised six days in a row? Probably never, and you can forget the probably. I have also denied myself from fried foods for ten straight days now. Want to know how hard it is to sit in Margarita's Mexican Restaurant and not dive into a basket of chips and salsa? Real dang hard! That is a miracle y'all. No fries, no chicken fingers, no big, juicy, delicious hamburgers (sorry, typing it was almost as good as eating it). 

I'm down about ten pounds from day 1, currently around 232 lbs. Yesterday I completed an entire workout at the gym and felt really good afterwards. I feel stronger and definitely notice an increase in energy in the evenings. 

Now the bad. Even though I am not eating fried food and curtailing most of the impulse eating decisions, I haven't been nearly perfect. I am supposed to be tracking what I am eating. I did, for about half a week. Gotta do better. I have indulged in a couple of sweet snacks I should've said no to. 

All in all, not a bad start, but definitely room for improvement. Gotta get better. Not giving up!

The Night Before My Life Changed

My coach gave me this assignment. He said to start a blog and my first post should be called, "The Night Before My Life Changed". Ok Coach, here it is.

First, a little backstory...

I am a 36-year old husband and father of an almost-3 year old boy. My eventual tombstone has an end date and that end date is moving up a little bit faster than it should every day. Why? It's because I'm an addict. Those who know me chuckle at that notion because I don't drink or do drugs. I'm kind of a prude I guess. So why do I consider myself an addict?

I am addicted to food. Whew. There, I said it. First step to recovery is to admit you have a problem right? I am though, there's no doubt about it. I make self-depricating remarks about my eating habits. I laugh it off and make a joke out of it, but the fact remains. I am addicted to bad eating. I'm killing myself. I'm eliminating days with my wife and son. You would think that they should be enough to drive me towards a healthier life, I mean who wouldn't want to spend as much time as they could with Grady Mac? He's incredible! The fact is they should be, and yet here I am. 250 pounds, about 60 pounds more than I should be. Type II diabetic that isn't controlling it properly at all. On 4 different medications: metformin for diabetes, lisinopril for blood pressure, and 2 different cholesterol medications: fenofibrate and atorvastatin. All of this, and 0 exercise. None. Nadda. Zip. Zilch. Pretty brutal right?

Oh I've tried off and on to "get right", but nothing sustainable. I keep falling right back into the same habits. I eat whatever I want, usually in excessive amounts with no regard to what it is doing to my body. I keep telling myself that I have time. It's a lie. I don't. I have to make changes and right now.

I want to start tonight, with this blog. I want this to be the first shot fired in my battle with weight, diabetes and lack of activity that is COMPLETELY self-inflicted. I blame no one for where I am but myself, but I need your help. I am making this battle very public. I NEED support and accountability. Right now I have no self-discipline or willpower. If I had a Zaxby's chicken finger plate with extra fries in front of me right now, I'd probably quit typing and get to ripping the foil cover off the Zax Sauce and start cramming it all down my neck. If you know me, you know that's gospel.

I have reached out to people before. My friend Jocelyn, bless her heart. She tried. I've even recently had a friend that I haven't seen since college reach out to me on Facebook offering to help me. I guess my pictures tell the tale. Can't say I disagree.

All this being said...

I have asked one of my best friends to help me start anew yet again. This time, in a very public way. He works with me at Feagin Mill, we worship together at the same church and, he just happens to own his own strength and conditioning gym called On the Platform Strength and Conditioning in Bonaire.

He is now my coach in exercise and nutrition and we are going to put it all out there. The whole ugly truth. I really hate the idea that this process very well may make me the proverbial "oversharer", but I can't fail again, and accountability on social media is where I am turning.

I remember this quote at the end of one of my favorite movies, "It's a Wonderful Life" starring Jimmy Stewart. Clarence, the little old angel, leaves a new copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer on top of all the money the town raises for George Bailey. Inside, Clarence inscribes, "Remember George- no man is a failure who has friends". Y'all pray for me, fuss at me, cuss at me if you have to. Just don't give up on me yet!

Time to get to work!