One of the questions asked of me frequently concerning
my dramatic weight loss is “what made you decide to do
that?” After living 30 years of averaging a weight of
about 300 pounds, it is understandable that people are
curious. What makes a person change? I can only tell
what happened to me. It happened on July 16, 2009. I call
that the day that changed my life. Of course, several
events led up to this day.
In March 2009, we went on our annual family cruise. If
you have ever been on a cruise you know that there is no
shortage of good food. I always gain weight on a cruise.
It is expected. When we got home from the cruise, my
weight was 302. It was time to go on another diet. I did
my routine low-carb diet and began to drop weight just
like I always did. The first few pounds are always the
fastest to come off. This was no exception. Over the
Spring, I lost 15 pounds. That was par for the course. I
wasn't excited about it but was losing back to the upper
280s which was lower than my average weight over the
last 30 years. Not too bad.
On July 14, 2009, I had my annual physical. I have been
very faithful getting annual physicals. I am a believer in
it. On this day, I was feeling pretty good because my
weight was down a bit. My regular doctor had taken a
different position and was no longer at the office so I had
a new doctor. Dr. Brown did my physical that day. After
the exam, he questioned me about my life and my weight
goals. I told him my story of being overweight all my life
and how I would like to lose weight. I was saying what I
think he wanted to hear. He asked me “what weight goal
would you like to reach?” I told him 250 sounded good. I
had to say something and randomly picked 250. He told
me that was a great goal and that I could live a long,
healthy life at that weight if I took care of myself. That
made me feel good except for one thing. I hadn't been
250 in over 30 years. It was almost an unrealistic dream
but I went along and we continued to talk. At this point,
he made “the” statement. It was one of those statements
that clicked with me and I give it the credit for being the
beginning of my wakeup call. Dr. Brown said “you
know......the first symptom of a heart attack is a heart
attack.” I heard bells and whistles go off in my head. I
don't remember anything he said after that. It was one of
those “wow” moments. It may not be that way for you,
but for me, it nailed me. That statement stuck with me
and still does to this day.
I think another reason Dr. Brown's statement hit home
with me was the realization that I am not young anymore.
My Dad passed away at age 53 and I was 54. This is the
real deal. My wife and children never knew my Dad.
They would have loved him. He would have loved them.
He didn't take care of himself. Is this what I want for me?
I want to be alive to enjoy my grandchildren. This is
serious. I had to do something.
I was introduced to the great motivational speaker, Jim
Rohn, through Success Magazine. In each Success
Magazine, there is a CD with various speakers. My
favorite was Jim Rohn. If you are not familiar with Jim
Rohn's work, do yourself a favor and research him. His
website is www.jimrohn.com. What a wonderful man he
was. On July 16, I began to listen to one of the clips on
the Success Magazine CD. It was Jim Rohn talking about
living the day that changes your life. Can I change my
life? I had to change my life.
Mr. Rohn talked about the greatest day of your life is the
day you have “had it.” It is the day you realize that you
are totally disgusted with your life. Along with the
statement Dr. Brown made, still resonating with me and
realizing I am older than my Dad when he died, Jim Rohn
had just messed with my emotions. This was it. I lost it. I
began to cry and yell at myself for being fat. I hit rock
bottom and spent the whole day reflecting on the disgust I
had with myself.
I was mad at me. How did I allow myself to get this way?
I began to go through all of the excuses. None of them
were valid. Then I screamed “I am done.” I hit a level of
disgust that caused me to make a decision. “I am never
going to be fat again,” I screamed. I am done with losing
30 pounds and gaining 35. I am tired of it. I am sick of it.
By the end of July 16, 2009, I was a changed man. I
hadn't lost one pound yet but I was never going to be fat
again. I had decided. I felt a burden lift. It was almost a
spiritual experience. Maybe it was a spiritual experience.
I discovered Mark 12:30-31. I am going to love God with
all my heart, soul, mind and strength. All My Strength.
I lived the day that changed my life. It was July 16, 2009.
I will never forget that day. Can one day of an emotional
experience really be the catalyst for a changed life? I
have lost weight before. I am an expert at it. What is
different about this experience? Time will tell. |
Acts-pert Poster
Posts: 16509
5/26/16 2:40 pm
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"All My Strength," Chapter 3
