I weighed myself yesterday and I've lost thirty pounds now on my diet. It didn't really sink in how much that is until this morning when I got dressed to go into Philadelphia. The clothes that I haven't worn in over a month were suddenly much looser. I buttoned up my shirt and spun around for a minute with my arms outstretched. I felt like...Cary Grant, even though I don't look anywhere near what he looked like. I still felt very stylish and fit.
I thought to myself "Ten more pounds to go." I've promised myself that once I'm below three hundred pounds for two days in a row I'm going to have a party, with all I can eat steak. I'm going to cut loose, but it's still going to be diet-friendly.
However, I have to keep reminding myself that I can't rush this. This is not a race. Well, scratch that. It is a race, just not a sprint. It's a race against that moment when the doctor looks at me and says "You've ignored the warning signs for too long and you have diabetes." or "You're not going to live past 40 years old." But this is about changing myself in more ways than just my appearance. This is about being a better husband and a better father. This is about setting the example for my kids that taking care of my health is just as important as working hard at my job and spending time with them. It's easy to get distracted in the rush of parenting and give in to bad behaviors. I've done it, and I see my friends do it. It's hard to cook the right things for yourself and your family. Just throw some mac and cheese on the stove and cook some hot dogs and we'll eat that. And then we'll go get ice cream because it's the only time we can get together as a family.
I'm fighting against that. I'm showing my kids that I'm fighting against that. I got myself a bike and I ride with them almost every night. I'm teaching my kids how to jump rope. We play on the trampoline, we go swimming, we go walk on the golf course at dusk and look for lost balls. I'm trying to turn our family time together into something other than dessert and watching TV. Though I do still take them out for Rita's once in a while.
Once I've hit my intermediate goal I'll reevaluate what the next milestone will be and what my reward will be for hitting it.
But truly, between the clothes fitting better, feeling better, having more energy, and spending time with my family, what I'm doing to lose the weight is just as rewarding as the treats I promise myself along the way.
30 lbs! That's awesome! Way to go, and keep up the good work. I'll bet your clothes are a little looser. That was the watershed moment for me. Sometimes you can't see the changes in the mirror, but when I went from a 40 waist down to a 36 (then to a 34 later) that was when it really hit me that i was making real changes. Keep it up!