Goal #14: Make A Difference

April 29, 2010 @ 10:08 am

I have dealt with my obesity my entire life. The only time I've ever been close to thin was when my mom put us all on a diet while I was in the third grade.

All my life I've dealt with the issues of obesity. It's hard as a kid; you don't really understand what's going on inside you, you're teased and tortured on the playground, ostracized and ridiculed. There aren't many resources out there for kids and kids haven't necessarily built the self-actualization skills needed to stick with their weight-loss goals.

But adults, too, have some serious issues with this. Our generations haven't been taught the right things as kids, and so why should we expect adults to know anything either? I read blogs, listen to friends, see forum posts from people who are clearly clueless about healthy living and weight loss. It's no wonder that the fad diet industry does so well for itself; our problem is cultural, we want a quick and easy fix we don't have to think about. Meanwhile we don't understand the basics of food and nutrition and exercise because for the most part we don't have to - the food industry takes care of everything for us.

With over a third of the country obese and two-thirds overweight, we've got a problem. I'm not really in a place to lecture anyone - I've failed more times than I've tried! This blog is never meant to lecture, teach, extol, or anything of the sort. It's just a place for me to document my journey and write the things I'm learning along the way. But I don't want that to be the end, and I when I ultimately reach my goal weight and am living the healthy life I want, I don't want that to be the end. I want to make a difference. Some how, with someone, I want to help others in their journeys and battles. I'll have learned a lot, I'll understand their struggles in a unique and personal ways, and I'll be living breathing proof that it's possible to beat back the bulge.

I don't know exactly how to accomplish this goal yet. I could write a book, I could open a gym or boot camp or nutritional consultancy. I'm considering getting certified as a personal trainer, I could go back to school to study kinetics or nutrition. I could work with kids and families. But whatever I do, I don't want to lose weight just for me, I want to help others do it too.