Fat Chance

Yikes! This post brings back some awful High School memories.  I had some baby fat in high school nothing too crazy. As a freshmen I had a 30 inch waste with a little hang over but when you pair that with a name like Chance well its a recipe for ridicule. I remember one jerky kid in particular. We were in gym class together and this week we had swimming class. The coach gave us free time so of course we all lined up to do cannon balls off the diving board. The jerky kid was behind me in line while I was going up the ladder. He grabbed me by the love handles and yelled HEY FAT CHANCE! My immediate reaction was to kick him in the face. There was blood flowing out of his nose.  I though for sure I had a suspension coming. Instead he just told the coach he had a bloody nose and headed for the locker room. I went in after class and found him waiting for me. He didn’t want to take revenge or anything just wanted to give me back the towel that he stole from my locker. He used it to mop up the blood on his face.  “Fat Chance” haunted me for a long time. I was even referred to as “Fat Chance” in the year book. Kids suck right.

I was 180 pounds when I started driving trucks in 1993. After years doing sedentary jobs and having a consistently bad diet I found myself in 2012 at 286 pounds. I gained over 100 pounds. I started a new job about this time and I nearly failed the physical. The Dr told me I had pre-hypertension and would only give my a 1 year DOT card. This was really starting to get serious. I needed to do something. I started to exercise thinking I can fix it all with exercise. In 2013 I decided to run the Chicago marathon. I started training in March of 2013 and I finished the Marathon in October 2013 weighing 240 pounds. Yay success! Very short-lived success. By the end of the year I had put all the weight on again and maybe even a little more. I had stopped training, I mean who can keep up with that kind of training? I guesstimate I had gotten as big as 300 pounds (see picture) but I was too ashamed to get on the scale. I had made no real changes. I was trying to out exercise a bad diet and I couldn’t keep up the pace. I hadn’t made any dietary changes and all the cardio I was doing training for the marathon may have caused me to lose muscle mass and actually caused me to gain weight faster than I would have. I was completely discouraged and just accepted that I am “Fat Chance”. 

April 2016 my Brother-in-law challenged me to do a 125 mile bike ride benefiting MS research called the Tour d Farms. I started training with him and it was obvious how out of shape I was. After short rides I could feel my pulse in my ears and I was huffing and puffing, but I stuck with it. After a few weeks of training I was feeling stronger and stronger. I knew I lost a little so I stepped on the scale for the first time since my last DOT physical and I was  286. I consistently trained for the next two months for this ride. On race day June 10th I stepped on the scale weighing 265 pounds. I had lost 20 pounds. Race day was brutal 40 mph winds and 95 degree heat I felt like I was going to die or be cooked out on the course. I came to a point where I was riding due East into the wind and going up hill. I couldn’t go fast enough to ride a straight line so I was walking my bike up the hill. I saw the SAG van going by and the driver asked me if I was ok. I told him I was done and he gave me a ride to the finish line. 62 miles of a 125 attempt. It is still my personal record. I’m finished with the training, what’s next? Do I stop and get fat again just like after the marathon?  I had a decision to make am I going to stay “Fat Chance” or am I going to make sustainable changes?

I am done being “Fat Chance”. I looked all over the internet, trying to find something that works. I signed up for free news letters, listened to sales pitch after pitch, click  after click  trying to find something sustainable. There are so many gimmicks, beware! 

I found the Fit Father Project. This wasn’t gimmicky. It promised hard work and effort. No quick fix here but it made sense and I felt that my struggle was understood. I signed up for their news letters and watched their You Tube videos. To get my feet wet I started their free 24 minute workout, and used their free 1 day meal plan. I was surprised when by the end of the next week I was down another 5 pounds. I kept going. I started implementing new changes slowly before long I could see big changes in my body.  August 2017 I finally purchased the FF30X program. I took my time looking at all the information. There was a ton of information and tips. I would  implement new things slowly, new recipes, new workouts. Now there was one thing stopping me from “officially” starting the program. I had to have a why. Why do I want or need to lose weight.  I needed to write a mission statement. After some deep consideration and some long heart to hearts with myself this is what I came up with.

“I am achieving losing 15 pounds of fat in the next 30 days, because my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, I want to live the life I was created to and live it to the fullest. I want to be an example of determination and courage to my wife and children. I realize there is a cost and sacrifice. The cost will be NOT eating whatever I want and NOT eating whenever I want. It will cost me time, time to schedule and plan meals and exercise. I need to keep the appointments I make with myself. I am willing to accept these costs because they pale in comparison with the coat of not taking action. I am a man on a mission to be the strongest, fittest and greatest version of myself. I need to do this because my family needs me and they need me healthy and I need to do this for me so I can enjoy all the years I have in the best health possible.”

December 2017 I started FF30X at 239 pounds. Today is April 22, 2018 I am 203 pounds and I am starting Phase 3 of the FF30X program. In total I have lost 80 pounds and that is through Christmas, New Years, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. My goal is to get down to 186 pounds. Big goal I know but I’m only 20 pounds away. I can do this. I have a big reasons.

 Am I going to quit? FAT CHANCE!