Welcome to the Journey

Well folks, here it is the blog that I have always wanted but have never been able to bring myself to do, except this blog isn't just about my navel gazing thoughts.  This blog will be about allowing you, my friends, to come with me on my journey.  To boldly yet vicariously go where this man has been only once before.

Where is that you may ask? Well I wish this was about me going to some far off destination with warmer climes than Edmonton, AB Canada, but alas it is not to be.  No my friends, this is about a journey to somewhere I have not been for a very long time a normal, healthy weight.

Over the past few years I have tried and failed a few times to get my weight issues solved, I have tried Weight Watchers (too expensive), fasting (that was hard), crazy exercise regimens  I have ran the proverbial and literal gamut.  However, over the past few months I have really had the 'light' turned on in my life about how unhealthy I am and how my 'normal' is anything but 'normal'!

A few weeks ago my sis-in-law Tina and I had a very long and frank discussion about my weight.  I had asked Tina to 'train' me (she is a personal fitness trainer).  Her response was pretty simple, 'Unless you eat right all the exercise in the world won't do any good for you'.  She is so right.  Food for me is not just food, food for me over my lifetime has been so much more!!!  Food was comfort when I was depressed, it never let me down, it was always there, like a warm blanket inviting me into it's arms when the cold, cruel world pushed me around.  Food was entertainment, always exciting and never the same way twice.  Food was romance, I never got rejected by my pizza delivery guy (I just thought he liked big guys!)  The point is food was and is an addiction for me. When I felt emotionally, spiritually, or physically hungry, food filled the gap just like alcohol, and drugs do for others.

I turned 30 on March 14.  A few days later I had the opportunity to reflect on what that meant, and what that could look like.  One of those things became very clear, my 20's which were full of emotional, spiritual and physical upheaval, were not something I wanted to revisit. I realized that for my 30's to be different though changes MUST be made.  I want my 30's to be the most positive decade I have ever had, and I want the work that God has been doing in my emotional and spiritual being to be reflected on the outside.  I want to be able to enjoy the new life my wife and I are creating.  I want to be able to play with my kids without fear of injury to them or me, I want to have a quality of life that is active, and full.  I want my ministry and career to be long and fruitful!  In order for these dreams to be achieved, my physical well-being must change.

So here's the deal.  On March 17th I weighed in at 425lbs.  (On March 24 I weighed in at 421 woot woot).  I am 6'4'' tall.  My BMI (Body Mass Index) should be between 18-25% it is around 65% which puts me in a special class of obesity which is called 'super obese' (I think the next class is the one where they get the crane to get your fat arse out of bed).  For a healthy BMI I should be between 205-225 lbs.  Which is pretty friggin' scrawny, so I might make my goal 250lbs depending on how things look when I get there.  So the ultimate goal will be as of now 200 lbs lost.  Did you know that I was 225lbs once before?  Yeah I think it was Grade 6 (not joking).

My wife (Amy) asked me today if I thought this was going to be the hardest thing I have ever done (she jokingly said 'next to marrying me' which is so not true).  The answer is, absolutely, positively I don't know how this is going to pan out but let's go for broke YESSSS!  

So my friends, come along on the journey, feel my pain, hear my carb craving filled rants, and smell my sweaty clothes because this is going to be one very sweet road trip!