Friday, August 3, 2012

Story

So I had pretty much resigned myself to being a really fat man the rest of my life. My lie: There weren't that many things I was missing out on. I am enjoying life. I can work with this. I am a confident man who knows his limitations. I'll be ok.  Besides, who wants to go to baseball or football games, concerts, overseas vacations with my family, ride a motorcycle or bicycle or run. Doesn't sound like I'm missing much. Well, I was wrong. I wasn't just missing a few things, I was limiting myself in pretty much everything I did on a daily basis.
Fat people always have to start anything new from a negative place. Everyone sees you as fat even before they see you as a person. When you're fat, really fat, there is no hiding your failures.

At 35, it almost killed me.  I hit my highest weight, 530 lbs, right before I went into the hospital with a bacterial infection called Necrotizing Fasciitis. A year later, afer surgery and many weeks in intensive care,  I had a scar, many failures, but no real change. I wish I could tell you it was just a switch that I flipped but it wasn't. It was failure after failure which finally turned into a small victories. Then taking the small successes and turning them into big ones. I am at 280 lbs, three years from the 530 lbs, and, by no means, done with my journey. This war with myself and food will last the rest of my life. A relentless battle, but I am so glad I started fighting.

~Mac

2 comments:

  1. We're all very proud of you, Ryan. Your relentless road has inspired the family and my prayer is that it eventually inspires many people who have lost hope. Well done!

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