In June of 2002 I weighed 285lbs and had a 42” waist.

In March of 2003 I weight 175lbs and had a 32”waist.

I have never looked back since.

This is my weight loss story

Ever since my sixth grade year I was chubby. I can remember when Levis 501 Blues came out and I begged my mom to get me some, so that summer we went to our local Sears catalog store (do they still have those?) and she ordered me two pair of button-fly 501s. The two-week wait began.

I vividly remember picking those jeans up at the store. It was during the time of the Cass County Fair and we were going to the demolition derby that night. This, of course, was the perfect time to break out the new jeans. I rushed home, ripped open the package and started to put them on. “What the heck!” I thought to myself, “What’s the deal?” They didn’t fit. It was like trying to put on wet spandex (don’t ask). They were so tight around my thighs and butt that I could barely breathe. I fought them like the women in those old Special K commercials fought their jeans, but to no avail. They just didn’t fit. In case you didn’t know this fact, Levis 501 jeans are slim fitting, they didn’t have relaxed, boot cut jeans back then and 501s were especially slim-fitting.

It was that day my battle with my weight began. For the longest time I blamed the heads at Levis but finally realized it wasn’t them, it was me. I used the excuse that I was just “large framed” and that I could never wear pants like that. I lived that way for a long time.

My weight issues continued through high school and into college. I played JV basketball in high school but quit because 1) I was too lazy to get my butt out of bed to practice on those mornings when we didn’t have school, and 2) more importantly, I was too embarrassed of the way I looked in those short, tight uniforms (this was the 80s/early 90s). This is a decision I deeply regret because, despite my size, I was a decent athlete. I didn’t play basketball in college for the same reason.

I did suffer through baseball in high school and college, but my weight and self-consciousness definitely hindered my progress.

My wife Amy and I met in college my freshman year. We fell in love. She was a beautiful blonde (with a lot of hair…remember, it was the early 90s). I have no idea to this day why she loved me. It definitely wasn’t for my looks! Looking back I think my weight issue did cause some strain on our relationship, because of the way I was embarrassed of my looks.

We were married my junior year of college. I did manage to drop a few pounds for our wedding, but I was till not happy.

Our first son Joshua (Josh) was born in 1999, almost four years after our wedding. Nathaniel (Nate) came soon thereafter (2000) and in 2002 our third son Andrew (Drew) was born. We had three little boys all under the age of 4. Needless to say with my health and weight issue I really had a hard time keeping up.

In June of that same year (2002) the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back happened.

Through all these years it wasn’t that I didn’t want to lose the weight, look better and improve my health. It was that every time I tried something got in the way. What happened that summer of 2002 changed everything.

I am a lifelong Stl Cardinals fan. I follow them closely. I can remember that day in June like it was yesterday. The Cardinals were set to play the Cubs. I turned on the TV to watch the game and saw Joe Girardi standing on home plate in Wrigley Field with a microphone in his hand. He then preceded to announce that a starting pitcher for the Cards, Daryl Kile had passed away that morning and the game would be cancelled. It sounds a little strange, I know, but that day something inside me broke and I realized it was time to change.

I started to think about my family, my wife and three young boys and how they needed me. They needed me to stick around as long as I could. So that day I changed my lifestyle. Just like that. Nine months later I was in the best shape of my life, down to 175lbs and a size 32” waist. I was full of energy. I felt great.

People often ask me how I did it. I will provide more details in future posts but here were some general guidelines I adhered to.

• No more regular soda. I only drank non caloric drinks, including diet soda.
• I ate six smaller meals a day rather than two big ones (I didn’t usually eat breakfast).
• I exercised 5 days a week. I did some cardio, some basic weight training and played a lot of basketball.
• I rewarded myself. When I hit 50lbs I treated myself to a Springfield original horseshoe. I did the same at the 100lb mark.
• I cut back on portion sizes, especially at restaurants. When I was done with 1 plate at dinner I got up and started cleaning up. No sitting around having seconds or eating what the boys didn’t eat. At restaurants I would immediately cut whatever I was getting in half and put it in a to go container.
• I did not completely cut out sweets. I limited them to reasonable portions. If I wanted Oreos I had two rather than 10, if I wanted ice cream, I used a small bowl rather than a big one.
• I did not eliminate any one type of food. Each food group is important. I just made better choices. I ate carbs but stuck to whole grains. I ate fat but tried to stick to the healthy fats.
• I stayed positive. I hear so many people talk about their “diets” in a negative way. “Oh, I can’t eat that. I’m on a diet.” I never, ever used the word diet. It’s so negative. Diets make you focus on things you can’t eat, not the things that you can eat.

In future posts I will take each one of these suggestions and provide more details. In the meantime, if you are struggling with your weight, make a commitment today to change…and stay positive!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”