Our Story

It was November of 2008 when I weighed myself. I had always had a "healthy" appetite, but had always counter-balanced that out with some kind of physical activity - softball mainly, with other types of outdoor sports backing that up in the offseason. In the last few years since the move, I've been unable to find a softball team to join and as a result I have seen the little spare tire around my middle turn into a full fledged Butterball radial in that time.

At my previous check-up two years prior, I weighed in at 275 pounds. I was told that while my bad cholesterol was good, my good cholesterol was bad. Who knew there where two different kinds? And since one was good and one was bad - couldn't they just cancel each other out?

Sadly when I stepped upon the scale on that November day - I knew the answer.

302 pounds. My heaviest weight ever.

Suddenly I was faced with the real possibility that I wouldn't be around to see my kids reach high school not to mention gratuations, weddings and being a grandparent. Ok, so being a grandparent scares the bejeezus out of me - but you get the point. I was shocked.

With the knowledge that Leslie had recently joined a gym and was walking two miles a day at their indoor track, I quickly hopped on board and joined in. While she and Lucy would walk - I would shoot baskets in the gym then would join them for the final 1/2 mile. With our new fitness routine came a new diet and I quickly had to become adjusted to whole wheat bread and salads instead of my normal Double Quarter Pounders from McDonalds. A huge adjustment for me.

Over time the weight slowly started to come off of us both. Leslie joined a "Biggest Loser" competition at the gym and I started looking around for something more to do than just walking.

That was when I found the flyer for a 5K run in the area - along with the Couch-To-5K running program where any schmo could be running a 5K in just 10 weeks. Seeing as I fit the schmo criteria perfectly and that the program would end at exactly at the time of the 5K run, I started.

I wasn't alone. Ever the competitor and NEVER being able to accept that I could actually do something she could not - Leslie joined me in the Couch-To-5K program. It took effort. It took a whole lot of sweat. And it took every ounce of support from each other and our friends, but we completed the program and ran our first race on May 23rd.

We continued to run slowly improving our practice times and our waist lines. We ran the Debbie Green 5K in Wheeling, West Virginia - our first "big" race and while our times may not have reflected our efforts, we knew that this was something we wanted to continue doing. I had lost 65 pounds and Leslie had lost over 100.

Then we celebrated the race with pizza and wings. Then the holidays came rushing in. Before I knew it, I had gained 25 of those pounds back.

Now we are here to do something about it - and using this blog and any readers to hold us accountable. We will be posting our daily calorie intake as well as our exercise regimen so that when we slip - you will berade us until we cower in embarrassment.

It's a rough responsibility for you guys, but I hope you will be up to the task.