Weight loss

After many years of being over weight, and never really trying to get in shape; I have decided to get to work on it. In high school I was in shape and a decent athlete. Since high school I have become sedetary and still eat like I am active. About a year or so after I gained weight I was working at an after school daycare place. The kids there gave me the nickname Bigdog and it has stuck. I have a tatoo with the name Bigdog on it, and a bunch of Bigdog shirts. I love that I have that nickname, and part of me has never wanted to lose weight because I didn't want to lose the nickname. My friends have always told me that they would call me that no matter how much I weighed, but it doesn't make sense to call a small guy, big dog.

I do have aother nickname ...Dad. I have had it for close to 4 years now, but it has taken me this long to come to the revelation that losing wieght is what I have to do. Last week I was playing with my little girl and I realized that if I died young she would never know me. She would never realize how much I lover her, or how much she loves me. My father died when I was two, and I don't remember anything about him. I can't control the fact that I could die today in a car accident, but I can control not dieing young of heart disease. I made the decision last week to lose weight, and yesterday was further persuaded. My 4 year old son was walking toward an electric fence and was a good 150 yards away from me. He sat down on the fence, and thankfully the fence was turned off. I was running as fast as I could to him, but it kills me to know that if that fence had been on, his daddy wouldn't have been right there to save him, because he had made too many trips to the buffet line. I realize that there are other factors, and I can't keep my children safe simply by losing weight, but it sure can't hurt.

I decided to start the Atkins diet after doing much research and rereading some of the book. There are studies out now that say that it is actually the healthiest diet out there. The downside is that any diet you go on will ultimatly fail if you can't follow it to the letter. I plan to be vigilant, and will blog daily on how I am doing, and what I have eaten. I am also starting to excercise over my lunch hour, so I am hoping I can keep that up as well.