Weight loss journey still on-going but the struggles have crept in

I have not commented much on my weight loss/health journey in quite some time.  To recap, I started sharing my story about 6 and a half months ago.  I began a new eating plan at 320, after coming down on my own from 338 the year before.  When last I left you guys I think we ended with me weighing about 265 sometime in January.  And there I left it.

Well, the difficult entered in and the struggles again are real.  Hopefully, I have learned some real lessons over these past 6 months so I am "holding my own".  What does that mean?  Simply, it means food choices are becoming a real battle again and weight loss has slowed down.  Here is the good news: Since last I updated you I have indeed lost another 7 lbs. and weigh in the 258 range.  This was recently confirmed on a visit to my cardiologist office, who commented that taking off over 60 lbs. is significant to improving my health.

The good and the bad of these past 3 months include struggling with the taste, texture and smell of the pre-packaged food, giving in more easily to some less than great choices juxtaposed against a knowledge that enough is enough, staying faithful to my water intake, begging my wife to make more salads.  Like I said, the my previous life would have been talking about putting weight back on.  So far, this is not the case.  In these past few weeks, as I also prepare for a daughter's wedding, I have boxed up and put away about 8 pair of entirely too big pants, brought back to life about 6 pair of slacks from the bowels of my closet that now I fit in again, had to even order smaller underwear, and, because of the wedding, purchased the smallest suit I could in about 15 years!

But make no mistake, there are two realities I am squarely trying to deal with; first, 258 is still big and not optimally healthy and secondly, I need to improve these results over the last 100 days. 

My early check ups with my primary doctor and cardiologist were really good; sadly, the effects of rheumatoid arthritis are still painfully with me everyday and the debilitating pain from a bad knee is getting worse.  After this wedding, and hopefully even more weight loss, I need to see about possible knee replacement. 

So here I am, struggling but trying and very desirous of even more weight loss and hopefully some relief from the pains I deal with.  Look, let me be blunt and even address friends and readers who are too big, perhaps morbidly obese.  Do something; it can be done.  Go back and read my earlier posts when I began this.  I weight right at 340, ate horribly and all day long, drank liters of diet soda daily.  And I did not care, I embraced that lifestyle and even defended it.  There is no defense for eating and drinking yourself to an early death.  The plan I have been on, even with the current struggles, is solid and works.  Getting up and moving, don't call it exercise, call it moving, can be done, even a big boy at 340.  Do something! And when you stumble or even fall, acknowledge it, share your journey, rededicated yourself to stronger efforts.

I'm just trying to keep it real this morning.  I am struggling but also claiming victory for what I have done and what I know I still need to do.  Pray for me, and I will certainly pray for you!