Weight lost

What was the one experience that completely changed your life? What happened? How did it change your life?

Several years ago my wife asked me about purchasing a treadmill. She said if she had one she could start to shed some pounds. So we went looking for a treadmill, found one and purchased it and brought it home. I just got myself a clothes hanger and just cost me one easy payment of 500 dollars! I had the resolve in my mind to not make it a clothes hanger.

So I got up early the next morning and went for a walk. The following morning I got up went for a walk again. After a couple of weeks of walking I thought I would try jogging on the treadmill. I was hooked! Each morning I got up and left my wife in bed and headed for the basement for a run. I soon made the decision to start tracking my weight and circumference of some of my body parts. Once a week I would do a weight in and measure my body. Changes! It felt good! I couldn’t believe how simple it was to take off a couple of pounds. Then the question came to me, How much weight could I lose and could it be realistic. You know when watch the Biggest Loser show people are losing 2-5% of their body weight each week. I have a real life, work, family and a small farm. So what would be a realistic lost per week? I chose 2 pounds or about 1% per week. With a few calculations I figured I could lose about 25 pounds before the start of summer. And it worked! I had taken off 25 pounds going into summer. I felt great, I had more energy and aches and pains were going away. I planned to enjoy my summer and just maintained and planned to go hard again in the fall.

In December the company I work for was changing their insurance plan and adding a wellness program. And guess what, we are having a “Biggest Loser ” contest in our company. People formed teams and nobody would ask me to be on their team. Then it came out, “you have lost all your weight!” It was the first time in a year anybody at work said anything about my weight lost. I was down about 30 pounds. I tried to tell them I still had 20 pound to go. And they all responded with “you are already to thin and you need to stop losing weight!” Bu it didn’t stop me from continuing what I had started.

The next spring my one co-worker ask me if I ever ran outside.

I said “no, why?”

He said “for a change of scenery.”

And I responded with “I’m not that fast!” But I did start running outside and I loved every mile. I started to wonder could I do a 5k race? How about a half marathon? So I Started looking for a race. The first race was a 5k race in my hometown on the 4th of July. I was on top of the world for what I had accomplished! I knew that I was ready and signed up for my first half marathon.

August 1, 2009 race day.

I had planned to run race I knew that was in me. Ten minute miles, that will give me a finishing time of 2 hours and 11 minutes. The gun sounded and I was off. When I got to mile marker 1 I was running a 9:30 minute mile. I was ahead of pace and felling strong. The calculations flooded me head. Could I run under 2 hours? I had to remind myself to stay focused and keep the pace and the time will be your best effort. I ran hard and finished in 2 hours and 2 minutes!

On Monday, my co-worker asked me about my weekend and what I did. I told him I ran a half marathon.

He asked “on your treadmill?”

I said “no, there is no change of scenery!”

Many times in our lives we don’t know how much inspiration we are to others. But since that time there have been many people who have looked up to me because of my accomplishments. I have given many words of encouragement to others, telling them they can lose the pounds, run the race and take on a new challenge in their life. And some days it is hard to believe these words of inspiration came from a $500 clothes hanger.