Jeremy vs. Jeremy: It's time for a change

As many of you already know I have made a commitment to lose weight. A lot of weight.  When all is said and done I will have lost a total of 225 pounds.  That's an entire person... 2 people if they're small.  To get an idea as to how much that is go find a 5 pound bag of flour or sugar and just hang on to it for a few minutes.  Walk around with it.  You kind of want to put it down, don't you?  Now imagine carrying 45 of those around with you everyday... ALL. DAY. LONG.  Welcome to how much weight I'm talking about.

Back in May of 2012 when I hit my highest weight I set the ball in motion with an eye on just losing weight.  I was disgusted with myself and I was sick of my joints hurting and sick of getting winded just going up a single flight of stairs.  I was sick of being afraid I might break any chair that I sat on... I was sick of not being the person I wanted to be.  The first 25 or so pounds came off relatively easy and by December I was looking to cross the threshold of being under 400 pounds for the first time in a couple of years (yes you read that right).  It was at this point that I caught a show on the Discovery Channel about ordinary people who were put in extreme situations and were able to survive. The one that struck me the hardest was the story about a father and his two children whose car had gone off the road into a river.  The father was able to save himself and both of his children.  I felt sick.  I realized that if that had been me with my children... yep.  By continuing to live in the physical condition that I was (and still am) in I was not only risking my own life, but the lives of my children as well.  Maybe I would never be presented with that kind of scenario... maybe.  I had to ask myself if it was worth the risk.

I knew then that it wasn't going to be enough to lose the weight... I needed to get in shape.

With this new goal in mind I set a deadline for myself... 2 years.  By my 40th birthday I want to be in the best shape of my life.  It's not unreasonable, and frankly if I make even a modest effort it's a goal I can hit early.  That said I want to wake up on my 40th birthday and put myself to the test.

What test?  Well... I'll tell you.

When I was 18 I wanted to join the military after I graduated.  It seemed like a good option.  It would give me some time to figure out my direction in life and at the same time I would be continuing a long standing tradition of military service in my family.

It didn't happen.  I couldn't pass the entry physical.

Now, even though the age limit for enlistment has passed I want to prove to myself that I could have done it. I want to pass the minimum physical fitness requirements to graduate from Marine Corps Basic Training.

Here are the current requirements as published:

• 3 pull-ups minimum (20 max.)
• A minimum of 60 crunches in 2 minutes (100 max.)
• Run 3 miles in a maximum of 28 minutes (18 minutes minimum)

I just want to prove to myself that I was good enough.  I want to prove to my kids that goals can be achieved and more importantly, I need to be an example of healthy living to them as well.

So, there it is.  Maybe I'm crazy, but I will do this for myself.  I have come to the conclusion that the price that I might pay if I fail is far too high.