Just A Bump In The Road

Recently, After Years Of Observing My Mother Losing Hundreds Of Pounds I Decided To Join TOPS. Take Off Pounds Sensibly Is A Wonderful Weight Losing Organization That Encourages People To Shed Their Weight In A Sensible Manner.
I Never Considered Myself To Be Obese. It Wasn't Until I Quit Smoking That I Saw The Weight Accumulate On My Body. I Was Always One Of Those Persons Who Ate To Live. My Weight Hovered Anywhere Around The 130-140 Pounds For Many Years. I Weighed 126 Pounds When I Joined The Navy.
After Years Of Coaxing From My Mother To Join I Didn't Think I Needed An Organized Group To Help Me Shed The Weight. Being 40 Pounds Overweight Has Not Been An Important Issue With Me Until Recently. My Mother Thought By My Joining Would Encourage My Brother To Lose Weight As Well. My Brother And I Have Competed In Alot Of Different Things Over The Years. This Is One Time I Hope To Lose To Him.
On June 6th 2006,(666)My Brother Became A Victim To A Heart Attack. He At That Time Was Living In California. All We Could Do As Family Was Sit At Home And Pray For God's Healing Hand To Be Placed Onto Him. After Inserting 6 Stints He Got Another Opportunity To Live. His Heart Is Better Yet The Weight That Contributed To His Attack Is Still There. If I As His Loving Brother Can Help In Any Way To Prolong His Life Then I Am Determined To Participate.
My Second Week Of Weighing In I Lost 4 Pounds. The Following Week I Gained Two Of Those Pounds Back. In The Meantime My Brother Tuck Has Seen A Loss In Two Straight Weeks. I Hope He Continues To Lose Each Week.
As For Me This Has Been An Every Winter Ordeal With Me. I Am Very Active In The Warmer Months With The Charitable Work That I Am Involved With. This Keeps Me Very Active From April Through October. Lifting, Loading And Unloading Trucks Is An Everyday Activity For Me. I Eventually Lose All Of The Weight That Had Gained Over The Previous Winter. However, I Decided To Join Tops This Year Because I Need To Rid Myself Of More Weight Than What I Had In Previous Years. Once I Have Accomplished This It Would Make My Life So Much Easier.
As I Get Older I Find Myself Unable To Be As Active In The Things That I Do. Instead Of Waiting Until After April 1st To Lose My Weight, Why Not Lose It Before I Put It On? That's My Plan. Now That The Holidays Are Behind Me I Can Focus More On What Matters Most. If I Were To Lose 25 Of The 40 Pounds I Feel I Am Overweight, Then That Makes Things More Simpler In The Warmer Months. Losing 15 Pounds Is Nothing For Me In The Summer Months. Because Of The Heat, I Sweat. I Continue To Mow Grass By Pushing The Lawnmower. Come April After A Long Winter Of Eating And Lounging I Find It Harder To Push That Lawmower The Distance Needed To Complete The Task. Walking The Woods And Hills For What I Call The White Man's Soul Food(Mushrooms). Simple Things As Getting In And Out Of The Back Of My Truck Has Been A Struggle.
So I Say To Myself, Self, It's Much Simpler To Lose The Weight When You Have The Support From People Who Are Fighting The Same Battle. People Who Encourages You To Lose And Continues To Support You When You Gain.
My Two Pound Gain Last Week Was Depressing. Instead Of Wallering In Self Pity I Must Be More Determined Than Ever Before If I Am To Lose The Weight. No Different Than The Time I Quit Smoking. After Years Of Trying I Failed. It Was So Difficult And People Just Did Not Understand The Addiction. Now That I Am On The Other Side Of That Addiction It Has Come Clear To Me That No Matter What, I Would Have To Make Some Life Changing Decisions. It's Not Important To Other People If I Weigh More Than I Would Like. It's Not Important To Other People If I Smoked Or Not. What Matters Most Is What's Best For Me. When I Stand In Front Of The Mirror I Want To Say I Like What I See. I No Longer View My Body In A Full Length Mirror Because I'm Ashamed To See What I Have Become.
From This Day Forward I Commit Myself To Lose More Weight Than I Ever Have Before. Not Because I Want To Compete With My Brother. I Want To Lose Weight So I Can Again Feel Good About My Body. So I Can Continue Helping Those Less Fortunate As I Have For The Past 24 Years. That's What Is Important To Me. I Was Told Years Ago By A Friend That I Would Never Quit Smoking Because Of The Price. He Had Told Me My Chances Were Better If I Were Told By A Doctor I Had Better Quit Or I Would Die If I Didn't.
Whatever Your Reason Is for Quitting Or Losing Weight, It Must Be Important Enough For You To Accomplish It. So, No Matter What Your Reasons Are For Setting Your Goal Always Remember You Can Do It. So You Gain A Pound Or Two In The Meantime. I Think That's Just To Remind Us We Are Human. It's Just A Bump In The Road. Move Forward!