A Catalyst For Growth (by shrinking)

There are many things in a person's life that can become annoyances. Some of these things are relational, and some are physical. Some things are out of our general control, and others are well within it. The commonality of all the things in life that hold us back, however, is that they cause lasting damage to us. I believe that as a Christian, and as a human, it is necessary to weed-out whatever it is that trips us up. For me, that has become looking in the mirror each morning.

I seldom remember a time when I haven't been overweight. In high-school, I was pushing the limits of the 'youth jeans sizes', and in grade school, I used to pride myself and brag about the large portions that I could consume. When my parents divorced around when I was 12 years old, I sought food as a refuge. I wasn't wholly aware of what I was doing at the time; the consequences of these eating-habits I was forming alone were severe. I let it happen though. Nothing around me forced me to eat more than I should have (portion control has always been my vise).

Fast forward to the present day...

I am quickly approaching 30 years old, and weighed in this Saturday, February 18 at 259.6 pounds. What does this mean to me? That if I don't make a change to my lifestyle and get my weight under my control, I will certainly experience a shortened life-span, with a multitude of health issues as a preamble to early death. With a family and an exciting life still ahead of me, I am unwilling to sacrifice my good life on the cheese-burger alter. I am changing my ways.

This new resolve led me to begin my quest for thin-ness that very night of the weigh-in, after watching 'Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead' on the couch scrounging the last piece of apple pie that will touch my lips for some time. Afterwords I stepped on the scale, and was just done. Done with being overweight, done with shopping for clothes and having trouble finding attractive items in my size, and done with looking at the old Zak in the mirror each morning. Yes, this is the catalyst... This is the time for change.

So I made my way to Costco that very evening. The super-store that contributed to my big-box look was now going to aid me in trimming down. My shopping list was spontaneous- I filled my cart with easily-sourced fruits and veggies. Apples, bananas (you can't juice these btw), mangos, oranges, pineapples, a humongous bag of spinach, broccoli (can't juice these either), tomatoes, blackberries, and nectarines all fell into my cart in a haste (Costco was closing in 5 minutes). I grabbed a 3-pack of Contigo water bottles to segregate my juice from our normal food supply in the refrigerator (if it doesn't say Contigo on it, then it isn't for me now). All my juice is poured into these 24 oz. containers that no one else may use (or else!). I am either a planner or a completely spontaneous person generally... This evening was quickly shaping up to fall into the latter category.

That night, I had my last go at it with the final piece of the apple pie (also from Costco btw-- they make the best apple pie!) while explaining the plan for my new adventure to my amazingly supportive wife Jesse. It was going to be the last piece of food that touched my lips until D-Day, April 18th. My 60-day fast is set in motion now, and I am ready to begin what I'm sure will be a challenging time filled with many ups and downs along the way. This blog is dedicated to the journaling of my experiences, good and bad, and is posted openly in the hope that it will be an inspiration to those of you that share in a long-term struggle with weight control and obesity.

Luke 12:22-24

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?"

I'm going to be contemplating these words in my first days as my mind wonders towards the smells of cooked food, and the thought of a hot meal. I pray that they will inspire me to put my faith, trust, and hope where it needs to be during what is certain to be a difficult time.