David's Story

My post this morning is something that my husband wrote. He wanted to share a few of his thoughts on what he's been through on his weight loss journey in hopes that it will encourage and inspire. I won't say anymore, I'll just let him share.

For those of you who don’t know me I am David, I am the husband of the master mind behind Yum to the Tum Megan. First off I want to say how incredibly proud I am of her. It’s great for me to see the fulfillment that she receives out of taking what we are learning and sharing it with all of you. I hope it is making as big of an impact in your life as it is mine.  

I wanted to take a minute to share a very small part of my journey and hopefully encourage all of you. I have battled with health and weight my entire life.  Over six years ago I weighed in at a whopping 366 lbs. I was pre-diabetic, hypertensive and had already begun to lose circulation to my extremities. After an eye-opening Drs. Appointment I knew I had to make a change.  Over the course of three years I lost 166 lbs. I can’t say that it was all downhill there; I had several times where I fell off the Wagon and actually gained weight back. By the time my little girl Tessa came along I was back up to 296 pounds. Once again here I was in a familiar situation but this time it was not only about me It was about this little life that God had given me and I wanted to be there for her. I lost another 98 pounds putting me at my lowest weight of 196 pounds.  I really felt like I had accomplished all that I wanted to accomplish I ran a sprint triathlon finally saw the number that I wanted to see on the scale all is good. Unfortunately for me meeting those numbers were good enough, and I became complacent. The combination of complacency and the battle with infertility were enough for me to gain over 60 pounds. By this last Christmas I was back up to 266 pounds. 

So you may be asking what can I take out of this story. What encouragement or wisdom can I gain from this? The first thing is none of us are perfect we all have our up and down moments, some more drastic than others. You can’t change what you have or haven’t done in the past so move on dust yourself off and persevere. Secondly, the scale is obviously a great tool in weight loss, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. For so long my goal and accomplishments were solely based off the numbers I saw on that scale.  My translation of being healthy was what I saw on the scale, and that is why it was a rollercoaster ride for me. Don’t base your success according to the scale only, make healthy habits your lifestyle. For example: eat more greens, consume less sugar and artificial sweetener, eat lean cuts of meat, be active, last but not least, water, water and more water.  So yes shoot for a number but don’t let that number be what drives you. Focusing on your healthy lifestyle first is key and will ultimately bring success on the scale. Think of the long term benefits that the number on that scale will have on you and your family, and never settle for complacency your better than that. Set a goal for yourself, and honestly challenge yourself we are so much stronger than we often times give ourselves credit for. Let me fill you in on my health goals this year. I am challenging myself to ride a minimum of 75 miles on the bike a week. I would also like to see myself free of artificial sweeteners, and supplementing with more water in my diet. As a reflection of all of these lifestyle changes I would like to see myself weigh in and maintained at 190 lbs. No more rollercoaster dieting for me!! Be accountable it is so much easier to accomplish your goals as a team than it is alone. We can and we will do this together!! Never give up and continue to achieve your goals you can do it!!