My health, my responsibility.

Who is responsible when things have gone wrong?  I was overweight with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar (type 2 diabetes).  The doctors call those three the deadly trifecta that come just before a major heart problem. Both my mother and youngest brother had died at the age of 47 from heart attacks. It had all crept up on me so slowly.  I weighed just 185 when I graduated from the Citadel in 1976.   This is a military college and all of the training you go through while you are a cadet generally turns out very healthy people, and I was no exception.  I hadn't seen an ounce of fat on my body for at least 4 years and I could lift, work,and run with anyone.

Less than one year later I was married to the love of my life and everything was going my way.  I had a good job, a nice place to live and we were starting our own family.  I was enjoying my new life, but it didn't involve any real physical activity.  Occasionally I might run but only to the refrigerator to get a snack.  I worked out of my car every day, and began to eat out all the time except at night when I got to eat my wife's delicious cooking.  We both grew up in the south so fried chicken, country fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy all became a part of my regular food consumption.  Good food and good times always seemed to go together, but it takes a toll, gradually.

I can't remember gaining more than a couple of pounds in one year but I gradually passed 190,and eventually went all the way up to 258 lbs. I went from a 30 inch waist to a 44. I wasn't much different from most people my age, gradually falling into a middle aged malaise of eating more and moving less.  Only now things had gotten drastically worse because even though I had lost some weight recently I was finally asking myself how I had gotten into such an unhealthy place, and more importantly, what could done.This is a question that many people never get right and because of that they remain stuck in poor health and eventually die too young.  This is happening every day all around us if we will just see it.  I was just 57 with 5 kids, a wonderful wife, 3 grandchildren, a relationship with God and way too many productive years ahead of me to give up and just fade away.

I had to face the "how" question to understand why was I in such bad health?  All through these years no one forced me to eat so much.  No one made me eat all those rich meals or desserts.  This was not the fault of McDonalds, Burger King, or Taco Hell.  It was my fault.  I had volunteered for every unhealthy meal I ate so there was no point in getting mad at anyone who made the food, or  sold it to me.  This was my health that was in trouble, not my wife's.  She isn't responsible for my health, I am.  If I suddenly find myself standing before God 30 years early there won't be anyone else to blame but Dan.  Blame doesn't change anything, it only makes you think that you are a victim when you are not.

This was my health.  These were my decisions, and this was my responsibility!  I was determined to find some answers, and I have, but nothing ever changes until we come face to face with the real culprit in this story.  I looked in the mirror and discovered it was me.  Unless I got educated, got my body moving, and changed my personal relationship with food I wasn't going to go very many more years.  I hope you'll be encouraged by my journey because the truth is that you can change your life!  They just started a new season of "The Biggest Loser" on television and I get excited every time I watch it because I can see many people in far worse shape than I was that lose weight and get healthy.  So be encouraged today and continue to join me every week as we share my journey to reclaim my health.  I don't have all the answers, and the ones I have found may not be for you.  I am just willing to share the journey and hope that it encourages you that your life can change.