It is not hyperbole when I write that I am in the worst shape of my life.  Last Saturday, August 15^th, I was shocked to discover that my body weight had ballooned to almost 255 pounds!  (244.85 to be exact)  That’s 26% body fat!  I don’t know to what extent my extra body fat is contributing to my pain, but the soles of my feet HURT!  It’s painful to walk!  I don’t have a single pair of comfortable shoes – and my shoes are less than a year old with very little use.  A friend of mine, Zach Weis, who is a swimmer on the University of Minnesota Swim Team, teaches a boxing class at Los Campeones gym in Minneapolis.  He has a gift for making his clients feel good about themselves.  Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve gone there to workout.  But the warm-up of jumping rope KILLS my feet.  Not only that, but I can only do about 10 to 15 revolutions of jumping rope before I need to take a break.  I can’t do a three minute round.  I can’t do three minute rounds of bag or mitt work either.  Then there’s the simple of movement of bending over.  I won’t write anything further on that.  Being this over-fat (obese) has made doing simple things harder.

Last July 4^th, I was at JC Penney in Burnsville Center.  As I was walking through the store, some little kid said, “Look at that fat guy!” (pointing to me).  That day, I discovered that I have stretch marks around my lower gut (I don’t have abs)!

My greatest enemy to my success is my binge-eating/overeating.  Last Spring, I talked with Joe Biancardi, one of the on campus counselors at Northwestern College.  He told me that my binge-eating/overeating has more to do with relationships.  During the last five weeks of the semester, I focused on my workout relationship/friendship with Mike Swanson, a state champion wrestler from Nebraska and Northwestern College Football Player.  Two-to-three times a week, we’d put in a wrestling workout. 

On my off days, Noah Hadro, a football player on the Northwestern College Football Team, let me tag along with him when he lifted weights.  Again, I was able to lay the foundation for a workout relationship/friendship with him.  As I did so, the binge-eating/overeating tapered off significantly.  I was losing weight almost effortlessly.  I was also doing activities I enjoyed.  When Mike returned home to Nebraska and Noah went on a short-term missions trip, I lost my two new friends.  From continued stress from school, unemployment and finances, not only did I quickly regain my lost weight, but I quickly added new weight.

I have tried, without success, to find someone else to replace Mike and Noah in my life.  I could find someone, but at the cost of $85.00 per training session.  And it wouldn’t be a true friendship like I started to develop with Mike and Noah.  This person would be my paid friend/workout partner/trainer.  It wouldn’t be quite the same.

Nutritionally, I’m genuinely confused.  I have one model I followed for over three years.  It was given to me by Shawn Myska, a NSCA-CPT, CSCS trainer and NSCA Minnesota Trainer of the Year.  Now, I’m incredibly bored with it.  This past March, my friend, Chad Scheitel, who is a physical therapy rehab specialist/trainer with a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and CSCS certified, sent me an outline of a diet that I’ve tried to follow.  Not enough menu variety, however, and I’m easily bored.  I’m confused by the information Shawn and Chad sent me.  Which model do I follow?  The Mediterranean Diet?  The Atkins Diet?  Do I trust my government and the dietary guidlines they put out?  Absolutely not!  They’re controlled by special interest lobby groups.  I NEED a diet I can live with, not a short term fix.  Dennis has given me some sound foundational help with my nutrition and it’s helping.

Saturday’s coming up.  I hope I’m down to 243.85 pounds.  Only 523 more days to go until I reach my goal weight and body fat levels. 

I purchased a one year membership to Live Strong/The Daily Plate – a website that allows you to track your daily calories.  It’s an online food diary website with LOTS of extras.  According to this website, if I successfully lose one pound a week, I can expect to achieve my target weight by January 26th, 2011 (524 days).