Divorced Man Gets in Shape

Thanks much to Eli who sent in this inspiring weight loss story:

In March of 2008 I had been married for almost 18 years. For the last 5 or 6 years of my marriage, I had gained weight exponentially each year. Not only was I obese (6'1/2" 280 lbs), but I was also a heavy smoker. When I got separated from my ex-wife close to 3 years ago, I had an epiphany. I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't believe what I was looking at. How had I allowed myself to get like that? I wanted to live a longer life for my 3 children and I wanted to be happy with myself again. These things made me take the first step into my journey of weight loss which has now become a passion for fitness.

I had yo-yo dieted for many years and tried many of the fad diets. I was "successful" in losing weight those times, but I never kept it off because I was not making a lifestyle change.. The most important change that has lead to my success is knowing to take things one day at a time. When I started on my quest, I did not join a gym and I did not exert myself enough. What I did was ask myself, "What am I willing to do NOW which will help me continue to do it for the rest of my life?" My answer then was to walk for 15 minutes each night and I made small adjustments to my horrendous eating habits. Today, I can run up to 10 miles at a 10 minute per mile pace. I also weight train 5 days per week and my bad eating moments are most people's best eating habits! I am proud to say that today I have a body fat percentage of 12%!

As soon as I started to see the weight coming off, I was motivated to continue on this path. The most challenging thing for me was changing my bad eating habits. I saw results right away. I started to lose weight after the first week and it never stopped from there.

My life has changed in many ways! I am healthier physically, mentally and emotionally. My self esteem although never low, is at an all time high. I have been the inspiration of many to start their own quest of a healthy lifestyle change and I have finally found a real life passion!