Stepping out on the edge...

I believe it takes much bravery and effort to put "IT" all out there for the world to see. There is no better time that right now to do this and share my story with you and everyone else. I am a resident of Roanoke, Virginia and have been living here since 1999. My struggle with weight has been a lifelong and I am the only person responsible for the way I am in the past and today. The only time I can really remember actually being this was when I was 17 years of age and probably as close to a normal weight as I have ever been in my life, 185 pounds. After high school and college and dedicating my life to the business of food and food services, I found my self on the yo-yo roller coaster with weight going up and down, and gaining more and more weight back each time I fell off of whatever diet I was on at the time.

In 2012, I found myself at 450 pounds and not really loving life very much. I could barely walk, just to stand up was a chore, I really hated any prospect of walking up one flight of stairs, and I know if I did not make drastic changes to my lifestyle, I was most likely end up dead soon and quickly.

                                                                       April, 2012

450 Pounds

June, 2012

450 Pounds

                                                                        August, 2012

450 Pounds

Towards the end of August, I made the decision to change my life, stop the yo-yo cycle, making permanent and lasting changes to the way I was living and eating. I developed a simple one page quick reference guide to follow, outlining what I should eat and not eat each day, how much I should exercise, and other small steps to take to get healthy.

There are a few things I wish I had done on the day of August 22. I wish I had...

• taken measurements of my body. I would like to know how big my waist and other parts actually were at the time.
• taken before pictures from every angle.
• consulted with a doctor. At the time, I have paralyzing fear of going to see any doctor because of what they would think of me (you need to lose weight (duhh)), of the things they would tell me (your heart is about to explode. you need to have stomach stapling surgery), diabetes, you are going to die. 

My goal was not to lose weight but to get healthy and my plan was simple: Cut out as much processed food as possible, each as much fresh whole foods as possible, drink a bunch of water, and exercise as much as I could by starting slow and walking and lifting light weights. I accomplished all of this and more, making adjustments wherever ad whenever possible and today, I find myself at 283 pounds, with a total loss of 167 pounds so far and I plan on continuing my quest to become a more healthy person. My short term goal is to get to the weight of 249 pounds by March 9 of next year. We will see where I go from here.

On August 6th of this year, I started a weekly spot on the local Fox affiliate, WFXR, FOX 21/27 on Wednesday mornings around 8:15 featuring mostly healthy, low carb, and simple recipes and cooking techniques. I am putting all of this out here in a hope to inspire people to make healthy changes in their own lives. I am not going to hold anything back and will share off of my triumphs and struggles each and every week. I hope you will follow me as I continue my healthy journey.