When I was just 17, if you know what I mean....

August 31, 2007 - 1st post

Good morning.

I’m Steve, and I’ve got to get my weight under control.

I’m 57. I am 5 foot 11 inches tall, and this morning the scale said 273.5.

When I was 17, I weighed 162. I had a 30-inch waist then and I could run a mile in well under 5 minutes. I don’t expect to see any of those numbers again, but I have to get this problem in hand.

At this point, I would be very happy to get to 220 and stay there. In the 90s I used to run marathons. I was a big guy then, around 230 most of the time, but healthy as a horse.

Then I blew out my ankle, overdoing it in a couple of road races in a 6-day period. I couldn’t run for over 2 years, and I was never the same. The weight started piling on. By early 2003 I was up to 281, but I fought bravely back and got down to 209 that November. Here I am again now, like a yo-yo.

I have a lot to be grateful for in my life, and I try to focus on those things each day. But it is very important to me to whip this body into something resembling good shape again, and to maintain that. For myself, because I feel better, enjoy life more, and move around much more easily when I am in better shape. Also for my 9-year-old son, because it would be better for our ability to do things together and for his own future if he could look up to a dad who was not a fat tub o’ lard.

Not to mention the very important fact that I would like to be around, and healthy enough to enjoy life, for another 25 or 30 years.

I’ve done every sort of diet. I’ve probably lost a half a ton in my life while dieting, but gained back a little more than that while not on diets. So I hit on the idea of writing about my progress, of trying to be an open book about it all. It might, I am thinking, help me stick to my plans and my goals if I am transparent about them and write things down every day. I am an active member of a 12-step program for recovering gamblers, and living the principles of that program in a supportive surrounding program has worked wonders for me.

Once I thought about writing about my quest for health and fitness, it seemed natural to blog about it. I am hoping that over time I can share enough of my experience and hope that it might help give strength to others. God knows it isn’t easy to lose weight, get healthier, and keep it off.

I am going to commit myself to writing about this every day. We’ll see how it goes.

Have a good day,

Steve