Enough Is Enough

 My wife and I are both school teachers (I teach math and computer science at the high school and college levels, while my wife is an elementary school librarian) and school was out for the summer. It was June 17, 2021 (my 26th wedding anniversary) and my weight had grown to it’s highest point of 370 pounds. I woke up that morning and said “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”. I was unable to do some of my hobbies or even drive because of my eye sight from the pituitary tumor, but I could walk and exercise. I put on my shoes and headed outside to walk up and down my street, which is about a third of a mile long. Over the next couple of weeks, I continued this routine and also added in some cardio from several YouTube videos at The Body Project channel.

Eating habits needed to change as well. Along with daily exercise, I started logging what I eat in the MyFitnessPal app. My son had started doing this several months earlier to try to lose some weight as well. For years, I have been a huge (pun intended) Mountain Dew drinker. However, I felt if I restricted myself from anything, it would make me want it more. But logging what I eat and trying to keep my calories reasonable, I didn’t want to waste so many calories on one drink. I started drinking more flavored water, unsweetened iced tea and even green tea. At one point, I estimated that I have saved almost $1000 in six months of not stopping at a convenience store to buy 2 or 3 sodas a day. By July 4, I had lost my first 10 pounds and felt quite good about myself.