Jeff Dowdy's Blog

In my later years of college right before I got married I put on a little bit of weight to about 180-185 lbs. I felt in ok shape even though I had stopped running and also wasn't working out. I started to become a little less active as I was trying to finish college and was working at a church. I finished college, got ordained, started full time ministry and got married in the span of about 4 months. I started seminary later that fall. I did not have the funds to join a gym and had convinced myself that my knees were in to bad of shape to do any consistent running. Yet I still ate everything I wanted. I started to put on more weight but really was still in a zone close to my ideal weight so I did not worry about it.

I continued to be active only because I was a youth minister and chasing kids around. I would get in a pick up game of basketball or football every now and then. I might have a chance to play golf and walk the course and thus get in some walking but for the most part I was fatigued and tired alot. I was very busy with work and school and a new wife. I still ate everything I wanted.

Four years into our marriage we decided to have a baby. We got that opportunity and began the pregnancy. Yes at this point my wife and I would eat at the same times which was all the time. I packed on a good bit of weight and got to about 210 or so. I still looked at myself as being in ok shape but I definitely started to see pictures where there was a little more lopping over the sides. My "love handles" were getting bigger. I was a little more sedentary and still ate everything that I wanted. I remember a picture that we took after our son was born when we traveled to San Francisco. We are standing beside a trolley car. I saw that picture and saw my gut and I was not happy with that, yet I made excuses for why I could not work out and ate everything I wanted.

By this time I had convinced myself that I could never be on a nutritional diet of any kind, because I loved food way too much. It seemed as well that I loved the fattiest food which seem to always taste the best. I weighed between 210 and 215 during this time.

We moved to Florida and I knew that we would go to the beach. I had become a little self conscious about taking my shirt off at the beach. I just did not think my big gut would cut it. My family had made a couple of comments about my size but I blew it off. I was loved by a great wife who by the way lost her baby weight and looked (and still looks) phenomenal. I did not lose my baby weight and looked big.

We hired a middle school pastor to come to our church who we nicknamed "Johnny six pack." This guy was built and always went to the gym. I minimized his effort and made excuses for myself still that I could not get up that early to go, did not have any other time, and did not want to eat any different.

My wife and I decided to have another baby. We were very excited. As in the first time we were pregnant we ate all the time and often. I knew I couldn't eat as many times as she did this time but I didn't miss too many times. By the time our little girl was born I weighed 225 and was badly out of shape. I had more comments from my family about my "big gut." My parents had both been through weight watchers in the early 2000's and had lost a good deal of weight. Both of them looked fabulous. My Dad was under 200 lbs and looked slim and trim. By the way they still do. I did not want to count points, calories, or any other system to lose weight. I wanted to eat whatever I wanted.

I finally got the opportunity to get a free membership to the YMCA. I decided to try it out and I knew the middle school pastor was a member as well. We began to work out together. I was so weak and a little intimidated. I remembered what I used to do in the gym and I could not even come close to matching it. This was about 2005.

Just to update I had gone from 180 to 225 in about 7 years. I ate whatever I wanted. I made very excuse in the book for why I could not work out (lack of money, lack of time, lack of energy) and I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. By the way my big vices were BIG bowls of ice cream at night with a lot of chocolate syrup, Yum! I was out of shape and knew I had better do something. I was a bit discouraged at first but starting a workout plan was my biggest obstacle.

Til later...