THE NEW ME

I75 POUNDS – DOWN FROM MORE THAN 300

I guess this is still me.

But when I look in the mirror, I’m not sure it’s me.

I’m used to a double chin, maybe a triple.

I’m used to cropping every photo at the shoulders – because there was a mountain of fat below.

I weighed 175 pounds before I entered high school.

The last time I was ever my proper body weight for height and age was entering the summer between 2^nd and 3^rd grade.

I still may well suffer the body damages brought on by four-plus decades of obesity…I wonder aloud whether a knee or hip replacement is in my future or if overworked heart and organs will have something to say about the way I treated them.

I’d be lying if I said I no longer crave eating an entire pizza to celebrate something, or to eat two bacon cheeseburgers, a super large fry and chocolate shake to cope with something depressing.

Just this month, while in New York on business, I certainly indulged in a bit more pastrami, slice pizza, cannoli and Korean Fried Chicken than my daily regimen allows.

But I also got up early to run and took a super long walk before day’s end.

I totaled just more than 70 miles run/walked in seven days.

My poor wife didn’t see me get up early to work out more than a half dozen times in the 30+ years she’s been with me.

I’m not sure what she thinks of this guy with a closet full of men’s medium shirts and 32-inch waist pants.

For most of our life, she knew a guy that went up and up and up – till his pants waist was north of 50 and his 3XL shirts were getting tight.

I hope to share some secrets to my success. But it mainly was eating right, moving around more and most of all – believing in myself and seeing food as an energy source, not a drug of choice to medicate all that ails…plus a substitute for love when I needed a boost and celebrated by eating a 7-course meal of fatty, sugary, fried food.