Starting Over

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” ~Jim Rohn

If I had two words to describe my life in the last year, they would be ‘starting over.’ One year ago, I was recovering from an emergency appendectomy. Before that, I had taken off a month from work because of depression and anxiety. At that time, I weighed about 240 but after the surgery, I was down to 220. I was not exercising so obviously, the weight loss was due to medical issues and not healthy means.

Still, I was 220. The last time I weighed 220 was in 2010. Then I was a high school basketball coach. Although I was not eating properly, I was active everyday, all year long. In 2012, I started a medicine that one side effect was weight gain. That is when I weighed 240. Still, I was not eating properly and was not being as active, but my weight was stable at 240. I was not happy about that, yet, I did not nothing about it. I accepted it as a by product of the medicine.

So I started buying larger clothes. I wanted to lose the weight so I would try different gyms. I would walk around my neighborhood, sometimes. I even tried to change my diet, at times. Overall, I would try this and that but always ‘fall off the proverbial wagon’ and always start over. I was missing the discipline of consistency.

In 2015, I moved to Atlanta. I immediately joined LA Fitness but soon cancelled my membership. I went to a personal trainer but he proved to be too expensive. I decided to walk around my neighborhood but winter came. When spring showed up, I had lost the desire. I even tried to change my eating habits but would fall back into my old habits of eating quick and eating out. I loved a daily hearty breakfast at Waffle House, just to give an example.

Along came 2016. By summer, I noticed a real change in my clothes. My yearly physical alerted me to a weight gain. I was 250. I had never been that heavy. My physical also told me I was pre-hypertensive and pre-diabetic. My doctor’s recommendation: eat right and lose weight. Duh! Yet, it was easier said than done.

I tried again to eat right but feel back into my old habits. I tried to be active but feel back into my old habits. It was not until September that I realized I actually had fallen into a deep depression. I took a month off from work. Then my surgery and I took another two weeks off from work. By December 2016, I weighed 225. I was content with that size but it was short lived.

2017. I ate poorly. I look back on it and it was ridiculous. Buttered toast. Wendy’s 4 for $4. Sonic. Zesto’s. You get the point. I was not active at all although I have access to a gym in my building. I just ate and ate. I have no reason why. I just ate. By July, I weighed 265. I was officially a heavyweight. I have never been so heavy. Although I became depressed, I wanted to make changes. I researched and found Body By Fadi.

I met with Fadi and enjoyed his energy. He came across as more as a teacher than trainer. I could tell he was interested in my well-being because of his passion for helping people get healthy. I began his 52Fit Course Curriculum. I followed it for a few weeks but I went back to work (my excuse).

Here we are in November and I am still the heaviest I have ever been. Fadi reached out to me to see how he could help. I realized I could not do this alone. On November 1, I met with Fadi. We discussed my fitness and eating goals and how he can help me achieve those goals. So guess what? I am starting over. But this time, I have Fadi by my side. I will keep you posted of my progress. I hope you’ll find inspiration in my journey.

Until next time,

Stay healthy my friends.