AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of blog posts that will tell the story of how I got my self into some of the health problems that I currently face, and how I have made progress in undoing some of those problems.

I have a confession to make, I have struggled with my weight since I was a kid. I ate a lot of junk food, drank a lot of pop and avoided fruits and vegtables like the plague. I also did not control my portion sizes, and my father did not set a good example for me. Despite that, I was moderately active as a kid, namely playing at my neighborhood park, riding my bike and played hockey while growing up. I was also on medication to keep my autism under control (a subject for a future post), and that helped me keep my weight down.

When I transitioned to adulthood, the majority of my bad habits grew in to major problems. I was drinking up to 8 cans of Pepsi a day, ate multiple times a day (even when I wasn’t hungry), and did not improve my diet. I was less physically active (the result of me taking two jobs, and made the mistake of coming off my treatment for autism, as a result of graudating out of pediatric care. As a direct result, my weight ballooned from 155 lbs in 2008, all the way up to nearly 230 lbs.

I have made some attempts to get my weight under control over the last decade, but most of those attempts ended in failure due to lack of focus on my end. One of the problems that I have encountered is that my family dines out more frequently than a typical family. In my first attempt to stop my dependence on pop was succesful until after the 2015 NHL All-Star Weekend, and resulted in me getting the bike that I currently ride. Unfortunately that streak ended, and within a couple of weeks, I was back to drinking pop like it was going out of style.

In the summer of 2019, I finally got the courage to start riding my bike to work, and while I got some workouts in, I did not see results on the scale. After the conclusion of the Blue Jackets playoff run in May 2019, I begun a second attempt to eliminate soda from my diet, and have not had any soda since then. I then began drinking multiple cups of coffee a day to get my caffeine fix. On several different occasions during the last couple of years, I would drink Slim-Fast in an attempt to lose weight, but I could not over come my portion control problems.

This year began on a promising note, as I had managed to lose roughly 20 lbs. by the first week of March. I used a different strategy than previous years, by drinking fruit smoothies and protein drinks with my lunches. I had plans to start riding my bike to work in March, earlier than previous years, and get a gym membership. Unfortunately, those plans (as well as the progress that I had made losing weight) came to a abrupt halt when the COVID-19 outbreak went critical.

In the early days of the pandemic, I managed to keep things on track, but as spring turned to summer, I started having problems with my stomach, had major issues at work, and was over eating again. By the middle of July, I had undid all of the progress that I had made at the beginning of the year. I relized that I needed to give myself a kick in my complacency, and an opportunity presented itself in the form of #MyPelotonia.

When I signed up for #MyPelotonia, I had four main goals that I had set out to accomplish, Ride 250 miles on my bike, Walk 250 miles, lose 20 lbs and train for my first 5K race next year. While I managed to accomplish some of these goals. It quickly dawned upon me that I needed to make some major changes to my diet. One of the successful changes that I have made was to incorporate more fruit into my diet (namely in the form of homemade fruit smoothies.) I also made a more concerted effort to control my portions, and got a lot more exercise.

As summer turned into fall, the problems that plagued me nearly cost me my job and my reputation. After years of trying to find a doctor, I finally made an appointment with a doctor that everyone else in my family goes to. Within 24 hours of that appointment, I was back on medication to treat my autism, and I decided to start packing my lunch. Not long after that, I went to a chiropractor and found out my spinal column was completely out of whack, and started treatment to address that issue.

In the weeks since my doctors appointment, I have managed to not only get my weight loss back on track, I have also addressed some of the issues and obstacles that were preventing me from making progress on getting healthy. I got a small TV recently, to help with my at-home workouts, for now it is mostly stretching and a little bit of yoga. I have also cut my caffeine intake significantly, and have continued to make progress on my diet. I have not eaten out at a restaraunt since before the pandemic, and on most occasions have resisted the urge to order takeout on a regular basis.

While it is nice that I have made some progress on my weight loss goals, I still have some work to do. One of the next things on my plate is to sharpen my cooking skills so I can cook meals at home, instead of eating out. After a week to recover from the marathon that was #MyPelotonia, I will resume my at home workouts tomorrow morning. I also plan to get a gym membership once it is safe to do so.

My goal now is that by this time next year, I will finally be the best shape of my life, and have a new wardrobe. It will not be easy, but I am now confident that I will be able to put my weight problems behind me once and for all.