Step 1: It’s time to make a change

I have always been overweight for as long as I can remember. Since I was young, I was always that little bit bigger but it never really became a problem as I was still quite active.

As I got older, it started to become more of an issue. I won’t sit here and write a full long drawn out story of how terrible my life had been growing up as a means to justify why I ended up becoming as large as I was, I mean we all have a different set of circumstances that can be seen as a potential cause. At the end of the day, the only person that caused this was myself.

No one held a gun to my head and told me to eat that bag of chips and box of chocolates or order a family pack at KFC and drink almost nothing but coke and then have a different takeaway for dinner. I chose to become the way I did.

Admitting that was the first step for me.

I had tried all the normal avenues like weight watchers and jenny craig (as ashamed as I am to admit it) but nothing ever really worked. I have some ideas why but I will leave that for another post!

Over the years, it just got worse, I just kept letting myself reach new and new highs. I would tell myself I am too busy with my career and that I can sort it out later or that I am really not that big, I mean they have special shops for people as large as me so it’s a common thing. Heck, in medievil times I was probably admired for my obesity!

But in reality, my life was being affected. Since getting married in April 2014 I added nearly another 20kg (44 pounds)  and balooned to my biggest ever weight of 180kg (396 pounds) by June 2016. This made me extremely depressed. I struggled with basic tasks (putting on socks, going to the toilet, taking the rubbish out) it all just became too much effort and I felt like I was a failure in all things.

But the one thing that tipped me over the edge was the thought of having children. I was on a path to slowly killing myself and I realised one day that my chances of seeing my children grow were slim at best. Sometime in June of 2016 I made the decision that I needed to do something. Anything.

So please, if you are reading this and can relate to my situation, make that first committment – stop placing the blame on everyone or everything else. Only you caused this, only you can change it. Whatever your circumstances are, whatever baggage drags you down in life, only you have the power to overcome it and once you admit to that you will find a determination to change like never before.