One month down, a journey to go

I now understand the anxiety each Biggest Loser contestant feels when it comes to the weigh-in. When I put myself out there by starting this blog, I didn’t expect to wrestle with the emotions of an open weigh-in. It is really a vulnerable spot to be in and on the day I was to weigh-in, my insecurities started to flood my mind with questions. Did I lose enough weight? What will others think? If I only lose half of what I expected, what will next month look like?

Well… My first weigh-in was at the house of my good friends, Jonathan and Alysia Tarpley. They so kindly invited us over for a wonderful Chinese chicken salad lunch and an afternoon of chill time, but before we could dig in, I threw my shorts on and headed over to step on the scale. As the scale calculated my weight, I couldn’t help but hold my breath. WHAhaha 266.8 I couldn’t believe it. I lost 26.4 pounds. That’s incredible. The time and effort had really paid off.

But now I am rethinking the questions I had that morning. What would others think, if I didn’t lose very much or what would next month look like, if I only lost half of what I expected? These are telling signs that I have not arrived in my pursuit of a healthy self-concept. Should I be any less pleased with myself if I had only lost 12 pounds? Of course not, but this still tends to be the way I think. I have quite the journey still ahead of me and I am not sure if it has much to do with weight loss, but I am ready and willing to learn. Month two here we come.

"Losing it" can be difficult without You around.

To my family, friends and all those who love to encourage others in their heroic attempts to better themselves in spite of life’s challenges and the scorn of previous failures,

I am in need of your help.

Wait a minute! Let me settle your nerves by letting you know that this has nothing to do with money. Whew… I thought I might have lost your attention there for a second. What this is all about - is me. Well… Not exactly all about me, it’s also about Cheryl and Maddison. And in a roundabout way it’s about you.

I'm on a journey to find me - the real me. The youthful energetic person that got lost somewhere throughout the last decade and has been replaced with some overweight and under-energized clone.

So you might be thinking to yourself, "Well... good for him. That's great if he wants to lose some weight and become a healthier person, but what does this have to do with me?" Good question. I need you to help me become the man that I cannot become on my own. I am looking for encouragement and accountability. So here's the plan.

Starting July 30th, on my birthday, I am making a pledge to lose 80 pounds over one year’s time. Each month I will be weighing in at a predetermined family or friend's house. It's kind of my version of the Biggest Loser show, without the $250,000.00 reward. I will journal along the way, while posting pictures and weigh ins monthly (assuming I can figure out how to do that on this blog site). And it is here where I'm going to need everything that you can give - respond to the post, send an encouraging e-mail, send a text, call. Seriously, I can't do this without you.

My goal is not only to lose weight, but also to inspire all those out there that desire to live a healthier life. So... come on, take this journey with me and I will promise to do my best to become a better and healthier husband, father, friend and inspiration.