My Name is Dan, and I'm a Fat Loser

I know most people don't typically tell people what they weigh, especially when they weigh almost 300 pounds, but I'm pretty excited about this reading. This is the least I've weighed in almost 3 years, and it's just short of 25 pounds less than I weighed in January. It works out to be about 2/3 of a pound per week, which doesn't seem like much, but over time it can add up pretty quick.

I wish I could say that I'm doing some magical diet and exercise program, but I'm not. I'm just paying more attention to what I eat and how I spend my free time.

Ever since high school I've consistently gained weight; never much at a time, and I'd fluctuate a lot, but the trend was always upwards. It seemed like no matter what I did I'd continue to gain weight. Just a pound or five a year, but year after year it adds up.

When I got married I weighed 270 pounds. Annie claims I weighed nearer 290, but I think she's thinking about how much I weighed when we returned from our honeymoon cruise. (Yes, I probably gained 10-15 pounds on the cruise...and don't regret it!)

My weight peaked around 320 a couple times and I felt helpless to reverse course. But then, this last January, we started a weight loss competition at work. I started watching what I ate (and by that I mean that I ate good things, not that I watched all the bad things go into my mouth). I switched to diet soda (which I'd vowed never to do, but I can't drink regular soda anymore now). I put more effort into getting out and at least walking around the neighborhood, or running a little if I could. Nothing big, just little changes.

I'm certainly not a perfect example of what someone should eat (wait, did that come out wrong?) In fact, I'm planning to go downstairs and buy a raspberry fritter in about 30 minutes. Mmm... Fritter... I still eat at McDonald's, and still order a double quarter pounder with cheese most of the time (you gotta get the cheese). Occasionally I have a milkshake or ice cream (like last night). But, generally speaking, I make better eating choices than I used to.

For years and years I thought that my weight was out of my control--it still is, to a point--but now I know that if I make smart choices (even amongst all my bad choices) I can regain control of my weight.

Here's a song that describes me pretty well--except for all the healthy stuff.