[Kodos]

My story is pretty similar to Quik's. At age 43, I started getting some wake up calls after snoozing through a decade plus of gradual weight gain. My blood pressure started creeping up, which was alarming to me, because in my days as a runner, I had had low blood pressure and a low resting heart rate. At the time (2013), I was having a 500-calorie blueberry muffin for breakfast most days and washing it down with a bottle of Cherry Coke. In the afternoon, I'd have another Cherry Coke. I was averaging 2 twenty-ounce bottles and 1 can of Cherry Coke a day. I was also a meat and potatoes kind of guy. My weight peaked around 215 or so.

In late 2011, I watched Forks Over Knives. It'd been in my Netflix queue for a while, but I finally got around to watching it. (I think QuikSand or maybe someone else on the board had recommended it.) My post-meat life started soon after. I tried being vegan for a while, but found it too restrictive because eggs and cheese are in everything. Eventually, I settled on being a vegetarian. No meat of any kind: no beef, pork, chicken, fish, or anything that ever had a face. I've gone back and forth on eggs, but lately, I eat them only if there isn't another option on the menu that works for me. In the back of my mind, I do consider eggs to be cheating. Ultimately, eggs are still an animal product. I think I will end up outlawing them for myself at some point. Like Quik, my downfall is processed junk food. I love carbs: pretzels, Goldfish crackers, etc. If I cut them out, I'm sure my weight would drop closer to my goal. But I've already cut out so many things that I love to eat (chicken wings, steak, lobster). It's hard to cut the carbs too.

In 2013, I'd been trying to cut back on the soda for a long time. I would have a short period where I imposed strict limits, but there was inevitably limit-creep and exceptions introduced until I was back to 2.5 a day. I tried Cherry Coke Zero, but that was no good. I didn't like the aftertaste. I'd always said I would stop drinking soda entirely before I'd switch to diet soda, and on March 8, 2013, I quit soda for good. I have not intentionally drank a sip of soda since. (Early on, there were a couple of autopilot errors where someone else's drink was next to mine and I took a sip before realizing my error. And it was always some diet crap that wasn't even enjoyable.)

Also in 2013, I successfully reintroduced running into my life. Going forward, I built a bit on the previous year in terms of mileage. Eventually, in fall 2016, I ran the Hartford Marathon and ran just over 1,000 miles for the year. Unfortunately, I accumulated nagging leg issues that eventually sidelined me from running. I have tried to start again each spring, but the leg issues return. So in 2020, during the pandemic, I got a Peloton with one of the Covid stimulus checks, and that has been my main form of exercise ever since. Last November, I also introduced weight lifting a couple times a week.

These days I'm around 203 pounds. I'd like to get back into the 180s like I did when I was vegan and training for a marathon, but getting under 200 is my near-term goal. Like Quik, I find it much easier to outlaw certain foods than to try to limit them. The bright line is easy for me to obey. I'm nearly 53 years old now, and I am not on any prescription medications. On the Peloton, I nearly always finish in the top 10% of riders. I think going vegetarian, along with becoming more active and giving up soda has had real and lasting good effects on my health. If I had stayed the course, I imagine I would be in my 240s (or worse) now and dealing with various health issues.