That Roll of Fat on Your Back is Gone!

"Wow, that roll of fat on your back is gone!"

This is what my wife said to me about a month into my weight loss program in 2010.  My first thought was "there was a roll of fat on my back . . . and you never told me about it?" 

Rewind to a month earlier.  It was June 2010.  I believe it was a Wednesday, which was my wife's yoga night.  While she was at yoga, I put the kids to bed.  Afterword, I went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.  I undressed I looked at myself in the mirror.

Now, I don't have any pictures of myself with no cloths on, which is a good thing, so you will have to take my word for it.  The view was troubling, to put it lightly.

The closest analogy I can offer is this.  Below are two pictures, one from the Fall of 2009, the other is from the Fall of 2012, before I ran my first marathon.  You can see it in my face.  Big difference!

Fall 2009

Fall 2012 - Bay State Marathon

Well, I didn't like what I saw in the mirror that night, so much so that I was finally determined to do something about it.  It was hot that evening, so I put on a pair of shorts, but no shirt, and went down into my basement to run on my scarcely used treadmill. It was dark out by that point, and my treadmill was next to a window, so I could clearly see my reflection in the window while I was running.  You can see where this is going!!

The roll of fat on my back was not the only roll of fat on my body at that time, and I could easily see all the rolls roll in the window to my right while I ran.  It was a horrendous sight, I'm sorry to say, but I didn't stop running. 

I kept going despite the horror show in the window.  I kept going after my wife came home, saw me running, and quickly turned around and went back up stairs (I don't blame her).  I kept going despite the burning in my lungs and the pain starting to form in my legs.  I just kept going.

I don't remember how far I ran, or how long, but I worked up a good sweat, and that was enough for me.  I kept going the next day, and the day after that.  A month latter, I heard those words from my wife . . . "That roll of fat on your back is gone."  Those were sweet words!

Now, 35 pounds lighter, and three years later, I'm still going!  Not only is my weight under control, but my cholesterol numbers are better, my diet is better, and my self esteem is through the roof!  What more can I ask for?

One of my favorite movies is Shawshank Redemption.  The best quote from that movie is when Andy Dufresne says:

 Well, that day, I finally got busy living!