My Plan

In January of 2004, CB talked me into starting the Atkins diet with him.

By Summer of 2005, I had lost nearly 70 pounds and looked and felt awesome! I followed the diet to a T and vowed never to revert back to my old ways of fast food and no exercise.

In November of 2005, my grandfather passed away unexpectedly.  Sure he was 90, but he was as healthy as I was – or so I thought.  His passing hit me hard and I started turning to poor food choices once again though I did still exercise.  I also started smoking again.

By September of 2006 I was completely off the Atkins diet and CB and I went to Vegas for a week.  By the end of the trip, I couldn’t walk; my left foot was extremely swollen and very painful.  I couldn’t exercise much as a result either.

In November of 2006, I severely sprained my ankle resulting in a complete hault to any exercise (I owned an elliptical).

In January of 2007, I went to a foot specialist and was diagnosed with an accessory navicular bone – an extra bone in the my left foot.  When aggravated, the bone can cause swelling and lots of pain.  The doctor put me into what I like to call a bionic boot for several months to ease the impact onto the foot and hopefully ease the swelling and pain.

In March of 2007, the doctor told me removal of the bone would be the only way to completely get back to normal.  I was getting married in June of 2007 and opted to wait until after the wedding.

In August of 2007, I had the bone removed from my foot and was in a cast for six weeks.  After the cast, I was put back into the bionic boot for another six weeks followed by having to wear a custom brace, which I’m currently wearing.  (The good news is that the date of the surgery was the last day I had a cigarette.)

In November of 2007, the doctor said that I need to still take it easy with my foot, but that I could try walking more - on a flat surface – and riding a bike, but that I needed to stay away from stairs or anything with an incline. 

The weight I lost by 2005 has come back – and then some (was actually all back in January of 2007).  Basically, I started eating like shit again and then I eventually stopped exercising all together.

I know several people who’ve lost weight – and kept it off – by exercising and good food choices, including portion control.

I *need* to change my eating habits.  I have *no* energy, *no* stamina anymore.  My weight is at the highest it’s *ever* been and I’m sick of it. 

I just want to *feel* good again.

I *will* start reporting my food every day – no matter what I eat or how much of it.

I *will* start utilizing a resistance band to build muscle in my arms and legs which should, in turn, burn more calories.

I cannot walk a lot or run a marathon quite yet (per dr’s orders), but I *will* be more active any way I can (daily house cleaning, etc).

I *will* do this and I *will* feel better.