I began running in 2009 - the year I found out I was going to be a father. I was very unhealthy and overweight, but I had made some progress. When I left the Marines in 1993, I stopped doing anything remotely healthy. As a result, my weight ballooned to over 400lbs. In about 2002, I had surgery to correct problems related to sleep apnea and started a medical wellness program. I dropped some weight but not enough.

When I started running, I also started Weight Watchers. With that combination, I made a lot of progress. (though I stopped weight watchers in 2014) Eventually, I got below 300lbs. When that happened, I started this list. This is the list of all the things I left behind thanks to running, Weight Watchers, and adopting the mantra "eat food, not too much, lots of plants".

  • Not being able to weigh myself on a standard physician’s scale (Those go up to 350);
  • Not being able to weigh myself on most home bathroom scales (Those go up to 300);
  • Needing a seatbelt extender on airplanes. (I used to own one so I didn’t have to ask for one. This was a particular low point for me.);
  • Buying all of my clothes at Big & Tall stores and none at regular stores;
  • Having people look at me sideways when I got on an elevator (and then a quick glance at the weight capacity posted);
  • Taking an elevator up one or two floors because stairs would be too difficult;
  • Not being able to fit comfortably in stadium or movie theater seats;
  • Taking up almost half of the other seat on CTA buses and trains;
  • Needing to know the weight limits of chairs and carnival rides (and frequently exceeding them);
  • Receiving dire warnings and threats from my doctors about my weight;
  • Having pain in my knees from walking more than a few blocks;
  • Being unable to wrap a standard bath towel around my waist;
  • Deliberately avoiding anything “all you can eat” for fear of being told “no, not you”;
  • Squeezing into a booth at a restaurant and sometimes not being able to fit;
  • Not be able to wear anything that’s marked “one size fits all” or even “one size fits most”;
  • Having difficulty tying my shoes
  • Not wearing purple for fear of being compared to a certain dinosaur.

The next entry I am looking forward to adding is “Being overweight according to my BMI, instead of obese”. I have about 17lbs to lose and my BMI will drop below 30. That is the threshold between “overweight” and “obese”. When I started in 2009, my BMI was 41.1. At my heaviest it was about 48, maybe even 50. As of my most recent weigh-in, my BMI was 31.2. I'm also targeting to be below 25% body fat. I'm at about 30% right now.

I have a long way to go still. But I’ve come a long way and it is good to reflect on my progress to remind myself that I have enjoyed a lot of success so far. I'm looking forward to earning some cash with more success on DietBet!