Author: HarrisGroup

Recently, I took a trip to my hometown.  Because I had been there many times before, I knew exactly how to get there and didn’t need a map.  It’s easy to navigate in familiar places.  However, when we are in unfamiliar places, we often need some help.  When I don’t know exactly where I am going or how to get there, I use a map or ask for directions.  If I don’t do this, I may not get where I want to go.  The same approach applies to weight loss (or frankly any major life change).  To succeed, you must know where you are going and what you want.  You must get focus.  This is the first of a couple of posts about what I mean by focus and how it helped me. 

What do I mean by focus?  I mean getting crystal clear in what you want AND why you want it.  After I looked at the picture, I knew what I needed.  I needed to change.  Rather than saying I needed to lose weight, I got picked a specific number by a specific date.  My what was to weigh 200 pounds by the time my youngest son graduated from high school.  This gave me roughly six months to lose the weight.  It meant I needed to lose about 8 pounds a month.  Every morning, I reminded myself of the specific goal.  I still do this, EVERY DAY.  It helps get me in the right state to face the day.   

It is my opinion that this specific goal, revisited every morning was key to getting the focus I needed to lose weight.  This was the first time I had set a specific goal.  My previous weight loss attempts were nonspecific.  I was hoping to lose a few pounds.  I would lose weight until it felt right, or life got in the way.  I’ll be honest, in November 2020, I thought I was crazy for picking a goal to lose nearly 50 pounds.  I started the process alone and didn’t tell anybody, not even my wife.

Looking back, I know that I set a SMART goal. SMART is a common acronym which stands for:  Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.   There is a lot of information on the internet about SMART Goals.  My goal was SMART because it was specific.  I wanted to weight 200 pounds.  It was measurable because I had a scale and could check my progress (I’ll write more about weighing in on another post).  It was achievable because people can lose 50 pounds.  It was realistic.  It was time related because I wanted to achieve the goal before my son’s high school graduation in May.  

A SMART goal alone isn’t enough.  You need to have your why.  In my next post, I talk about my why.  Have a great day! 

My journey began in November 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic where I live.  The per capita cases, hospitalizations and deaths were some of the worst in the United States.  The tension from the US Presidential election was in the air and the outcome not certain.  I was still grieving my oldest brother’s death from COVID in September.  I was trying to stay positive.  I was trying to be thankful everyday.  Then I took the picture and everything changed.  I was fat, over fifty and fatigued. Something needed to change and it needed to happen how.

At my peak, I weighed 252 pounds (perhaps more).  At the time of the picture, I weighed 246 pounds.  I have never publicly admitted my actual weight before and am embarrassed to do so now.   Today, I weigh 186 pounds. I lost most of the weight in the first four months. A few more pounds melted off over the next four but I have mostly steady. Recently, I committed to getting to 170 pounds which is the weight I believe is the best fit for my body.  Not since 9th grade I have weighed 170 or below.

Throughout this journey, many have asked two questions:

1. How did you do it?

2. Do you feel any differently?

This blog is my attempt to share my journey and answer those questions.  I seek to share what I have learned including,  what worked, what didn’t work and other tidbits. What worked for me, may not work for you.  Yet, I hope it helps or encourages others to seek a healthy lifestyle.  Because I have struggled with my weight for most of my life, I have a lot of experience “trying” to lose weight.  

How I feel today is substantially better than November 2020.   I have more energy.  I have less pain.  My knees and back no longer hurt after a walk.  My sleep improved.  I no longer have acid reflux (prior to my weight loss, I was a Rolaids/Tums junkie).  My heart rate is lower.  My blood pressure is lower.  My cholesterol is lower.  Every major health marker is better. So, yes I feel differently.  I had to purchase a whole new wardrobe.  My clothing sizes are the same as high school and college.  Mentally, I am more focused and happier. 

Though I have struggled with my weight most of my life, this time is different. I feel it and live it. This time, I have changed my habits for good. How did I do it?   I have broken the process into three areas.  FOCUS, FACTS, FORGIVENESS. 

Over the next few posts, I will describe in detail each of the above and how they work together. 

If you want to join this journey, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow my Facebook page dedicated to this group.  I hope it helps you.  If you have questions, let me know.