Once…when I was ten years old, I can remember thinking…I wish wasn’t a skinny little geek. I was 5 foot nothing, weighing 100 and nothing…and wished all the time I could get some more meat on my bones. I played outside a lot as a kid, like most. Played a variety of outdoor games as a kid back then ranging from football, to baseball, to manhunt, to whatever the neighborhood was doing. I remember starting to exercise and put some muscle on. I was not the biggest kid in high school…no where near it, but I certainly wasn’t the smallest. The metabolism back then was amazing as I could eat pretty much anything and not put on the pounds.
Move ahead to being 20. I joined the Navy, had gotten a mini-gut if you will from all the fast food, and junk food that one would eat back then. And still I didn’t care about my weight gain then. I wished I could shed a couple of pounds…slim the belly down a little. Decided to exercise before I went to Navy Boot Camp…so I wasn’t a complete out of shape guy suffering during the PT that would take place. Well, I went into Boot Camp at 175 pounds, and I came out 8 weeks later at 160. I felt great. I felt amazing. Went to my specialty school to learn my field, got 2nd overall choice of orders out of 40 students in the two classes. Options were stateside, at both ends of the US, Japan, and Italy. Wow…a chance to go to Europe. I was 20 years old…when would I get an opportunity like that again?? So I took it.
Skip ahead to being 21 in the summer of 93. It was a time for preparing for the Fall PT tests. I weighed in…wow…I am 200 pounds??? I gained 40 pounds from June of 92 exiting Boot Camp, to August of 93. Is that right?? It sure was. But yet I didn’t think I had a problem. The Navy started me on a mandatory PT program called ‘Fat-Boys’ at least that’s what I was called, along with a few others because we didn’t meet the standard. All I needed to lose was 8 pounds. I had to be 192 maximum. So I worked out, and kept in pace, lost the 8 pounds by the Spring PT tests in 94. Came off of the mandatory program, and that’s when it all went downhill. By the next set of Fall tests, I had put on another 20 pounds. Now I was up to 215. Why?? I stopped working out, and started eating more of the Italian Delicacies, and I went thru a couple of rough patches with a death in the family, and a BAD break-up with my ex-fiancé. What was my reassurance of life, or my feel good solution?? What else…but food!!!
Well…now skip ahead to the summer of 97…new command, shore duty…still same rules!!! At this point of my life, I was almost 27 years old, and weighing a not so slim 240 pounds. I have been on put on the ‘Fat-Boy’ program yet again…and stayed for the remainder of my tour, and final duty station in the Navy. I tried, I did. I worked out every day, I tried to eat healthy…but I was unsuccessful. Mind you one little key thing…I was able to do all fitness requirements, the run, the push-ups, the sit-ups…but not maintaining the low weight. Maintain…that’s what I ended up doing. Never really gaining or losing. That was the story still.
Then in April of 2000, I got out of the Navy. No more mandatory workouts, no more PT tests, no more watching what I ate. What happens?? Well…I will tell ya…within 18 months I got up to 262 pounds. In my opinion…about me…the Goodyear Blimp was smaller!!! I started to have health issues. I started to have breathing problems. I started to have heart stress issues. It was time to do something. I started going to the gym. Walking, bike riding, exercising any way that could help me lose the weight. I managed to lose 5 pounds. But that wasn’t enough. I tried the crazy pills, Stackers being one of them. It was terrible for me. I lost a few more pounds, but was experiencing terrible heartburn and acid reflux. I tried anything and everything to lose weight by my wedding day. I didn’t wanna embarrass my wife on our wedding day. I lost around 10-15 pounds. And I felt better. We got married…and I went on with trying.
But then…I got sidetracked…gained again…what to do?? I tried Power 90 and lost 15 pounds in 90 days. But then I stopped, and put some of the weight back on. My wife got pregnant, and I gained again with her during the pregnancy. Time went on…Jack got bigger, and mobile…I couldn’t keep up. By this point I weighed 257 pounds. I decided that was enough…something had to be done. I joined Weight Watchers. And with their help…I tracked what I ate, and I exercised…and in 18 months…lost 27 pounds. Now I was down to 230 pounds. I felt great!! I was happy!! Christy was happy!!! Jack was happy I could keep up with him…as was I!!!
I started to plateau…and I stopped WW…that was a mistake. I gained back 20 pounds in 2 years. After a little bit of trying on my own…I am back on WW, and they have revamped the program. I like this one even better than before. So far, in less than two weeks since joining again…I have lost 6 pounds. Let’s hope I can keep that off by weekly weigh in time!!!
What is the moral of this story?? Dunno if there really is one, except that when you hit a brick wall, you keep trying to get around it or over it until you do. There will be no giving up at the first plateau I hit. I will conquer it. I will lose the weight. I will just do it!!! Another lesson or moral if you will is to ask for help. I was too selfish and insecure to ask for help when I was having the stressful problems everyone experiences in life to deal with them. Food is not the answer!!!
Till next time!!!
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