My first Blog!

Hello and Greetings!

I have decided that I am going to start an online blog to chronicle my weight loss journey. I think that this will give me an added layer of accountibility and will act as a journal of sorts, so that my experiences can be passed on.

A lttile bit about me. I am 34 years old and live in Winder, Georgia. I have been married 10 wonderful years to my wife Jamie and we have 2 beautiful children. Addisyn 9, and Preston 6. I am originally from the great State of Washington. I also lived a few years out of the country when I served a full time mission for my church in South Africa when I was 20 years old.

I was always very athletic growing up and played golf, basketball, baseball, football and just about any other sport I could get into. I am a very passionate fan of the Atlanta Braves and my beloved University of Washington Huskies! I still like to play sports and watch them as often as my hectic schedule allows. I play and manage a mens softball team here in Winder and love every minute of it.

So I guess this is where my new journey begins. I woke up one day to find I had ballooned to almost 300 lbs! When clothes didnt fit I would just buy a size larger. That worked well until most stores stopped carrying my size. How dare they! We recently went on a family vacation to Disneyworld and after reviewing the pictures was in disbelief. How had I let myself slide that far? I had tried other diets and had lost weight in the past but had never reached this size. Its true what they say. Ignorance is bliss, and so is fast food! Those pictures spoke volumes to me and I just came to a point where I realized enough is enough. I dont have to accept being this size, its not me. So shortly after our trip I made a commitment to myself to lose 100 lbs. I started weight watchers in mid October and in just over 7 weeks have lost 20 lbs! I feel great, but I dont want to get too excited. I still have a long road ahead of me. This is a great start. I have always been strong out of the gate, but I am terrible finisher. I know that if I can follow through and finish what I have started it will help to propel me in all aspects of my life, not just my weight.

I have been inspired by the television show "The Biggest Loser" and want to be able to run a marathon by the end of 2011. I will be posting several before pics, and some updated photos of where I am. I will also be giving weekly status reports, miles ran and weigh in totals.

I am open to any advice, encouragement and any other words of wisdom you may have for me.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the journey!