It was December 9th, 2008, just two days after my birthday and I was sitting in my doctors office, waiting to been seen. I was there to ask for help with trying to get rid of all this excess weight I had been carrying around for several years now. I'm a disabled veteran you see, with two rods in my back going from T2-T9 that were put in to help fix 4 crushed vertebrae I suffered in an accident. It was a pretty bad accident, thankfully leaving me with the opportunity to learn to walk all over again. I broke my wrist as well, which took 3 plates, 9 screws and 3 wires to put it back together again. Needless to say, my range of motion in my back and wrist has been drastically lowered since my accident, and just walking around was pretty painful. I also inhereted a few nerve problems from my accident while serving in the Army, all of which made excersizing quite difficult, heck walking became difficult. I'm a married man with 3 children, and am now 36. It's been 7 years since my accident, but over those 7 years, I slowly but surely gained weight, growing to just over 261lbs. The pain I was feeling was becoming overwhelming at times, and it slowly taking over my life. All I wanted to do was to stay in bed, take a few pain pills, and just go to sleep because everyday life was now becoming more of a hassle than a gift.

It was December 9th, 2008 and I was in my doctors office. I was there because I had made a choice. I wanted life to be fun again, and I knew that I needed help. My doctor recommended that I start excersizing, and that I join a program called Move! It's a program that was established for Disabled Veterans such as myself, who were having problems maintaining their weight. I had my first orientation/counseling session on January 2, 2009 with the Move! program director at my local VA Clinic, and boy did I leave there excited. I had two professional doctors, guiding me, and advising me of how to lose the weight I had gained. It took awhile, but after a few weeks, I began seeing some positive results. My weight was slowly coming down, and my clothes were starting to become to loose to wear. My energy level was rising, and I was moving better than I had in a long time. The biggest benefit was being out with my family, and once again being able to go out and do all the fun things I had long since forgotten were fun. I was out hiking to the highest point in Texas, and some of the most beautiful underground caves I had ever seen in Carlsbad, New Mexico with my family. After a few months, I was out jogging, only for about 15 minutes a day at first, but now I'm running between 2-4 miles per day, 5 days a week depending on the workout planned for that day. The people at Move! really took the time to help me reach my goal of becoming healthier, and happier.

It's April 30, 2009, and I'm at my final Move! program meeting where I just weighed in at 199lbs. I've lost 62lbs in 5 months and am down almost 7" around my waist. I was a 44" waist before, but am now closing in on having a 36" waist. I'm not the type of guy to get really emotional when it comes to certain things, but man...I just couldn't help it today. I laughed and cried, and hugged everyone at that meeting today. All they kept saying was that it was me who did all the work, but without them and my family, I don't think I could have done as well as I have so far. My back still hurts just as bad, even worse on some days, but when I look in the mirror now, I'm really happy and proud of myself for what I've acheived. During the program, I was told that keeping a blog to keep track and to let others keep track of my achievements and successes would be a good idea. I didn't do it, as it just felt a bit weird. I've never posted a blog in my life, but today is different. This blog really isn't about what I've done, but it is a thank you to all those who supported me and helped me reach my goal. My first blog is dedicated to the people of Move!, both doctors and patients, and my loving, beautiful wife. I really felt as if I were becoming an ugly duckling in her eyes, despite her words and affection. I know she'd never think that way about me, but it's hard not to think that from time to time. Well, 62lbs down, and about 15-20 more to go. At 5' 11" tall, I think I'll feel pretty good at about 180lbs, and think I can get there in about another 2 months or so. I plan on posting again soon, but I want to add some pictures I have taken during these last few months. I think they'll tell the story better than I am able to, and, my family who is far away reading this now will see the results they helped me get to.

Thank you Move!, thank you Baby (my wife), and thank you to everyone else who helped me.