The Beginning of the End

Hello, I am Marshal Latham and I am morbidly obese.  {Hi Marshal}  And I think it is safe to say that I'm far beyond the clinical definition.  I say this not in  pride, but in shame.  All of my previous weight loss successes don't matter.  I'm beyond where I started from the previous attempts.

I'm sure most people look at me and think, "How could somebody let themselves get so fat?  Why doesn't he do something about it?"  The answer is:  I love food.  I get a lot of enjoyment out of eating, and for the last three to four years, I have not been very disciplined in limiting myself.  I know I am unhealthy.  I know I am getting older, and my body will not hold up much longer.  I know my capacity to lose weight quickly is also diminishing.

So what's new?  What will be different this time around?  Up until last year I have been able to continue to still physically do the things that I like to do like hiking, camping, etc.  After a trip to Yosemite last summer and just getting back from a trip to Las Vegas, both of which required a lot of walking/hiking, at least the activities I wanted to be a part of.  And I found my self limited by my weight and my body.  Yes I am getting older and am a middle-aged man, but the sheer weight of my body is taking its toll.  And I just moved to an area that is overflowing with hiking trails and wonderful hiking destinations, etc.  It is one of the reasons I moved here.  And now the thought of not being able to do those things is crushing.

Plus, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired, to quote Dave Ramsey regrading debt.  It applies to weight loss as well.  In fact, to carry the catch phrases even farther, I am going to eat and train like no one else, so that each day I can LIVE more and more like no one else.

So how am I going to do this?  Again, channeling Dave Ramsey (along with Richard Dreyfuss/Bill Murray), it takes baby steps.  I can't do it all at once,  But I can start somewhere.

Right now, I just need to eat a lot less: reasonable meals, no seconds, only light snacks, mostly fruits, with some veggies.  I will also get some form of exercise every day, mainly walking.  I am not going to count calories, or WW points, but I know that it is important to track the food that I eat, and to be accountable.

I am going to use this new blog to log what I eat, and the exercise I do each day, and I may some pictures as well.  My friend, Big Ankelvich, used to post pictures of everything he ate throughout the day on his blog in his effort to hold himself accountable. I won't post everything, but I will probably post some regularly.

Weekly, I will post my weight and how much I have lost (or gained).  I have always been embarrassed to tell anyone how much I really weigh, even my wife, but I think that is part of holding myself accountable.

We'll take it from there and see how it goes.