First things first, to any fathers out
there reading, Happy Father's Day! Hopefully you get to spend the
day with your children or enjoying your favorite dad hobby whether
it's fishing, golfing, or just relaxing.
I became a father on August 17th,
2011. It was a very happy and momentous day. There is a lot of
emotion that comes with being a first time father and it's also a
very overwhelming time because your life rapidly gets thrown into a
tail spin.
Flashback to December 2010, my wife
approached me with a big smile on her face and pregnancy test in
hand. After the initial joy of pregnancy we settled back into our
routine preparing and getting ready to bring the little one home in 9
months. I had a moment of self reflection one day (in the mirror)
and realized that I was no longer the fit, svelte, young man I used
to be. I looked at my waistband in my jeans and saw a number over
40”. I looked at my closet and saw a lot of XL clothes and even
some XXL's. I climbed on the scale and saw that my once lean frame
was now carrying close to 235lbs! I am only 5'11” tall, so that
put my BMI (body mass index) at a whopping 32.8, that qualified me as
OBESE, something I never imagined ever being. My joints hurt, my
feet hurt, and sometimes it even hurt to bend over and pull on socks.
I made the decision at that point to get back in shape and be a good
role model for our child. I signed up for Weight Watchers for men in
January of 2011, and begin walking on a treadmill hoping to work my
way up to running again soon.
On the day of Noah's birth I had lost
35lbs and was able to run 5 or more miles at a nice clip. I was
slowly getting back into form. Flash forward to today and I am
currently at 185lbs and a much healthier (but not perfect) BMI of
25.8. I recently ran the marathon relay with a few of my coworkers
here and plan on running the Half Marathon again next year. I am
also biking and training to do a sprint triathlon this year as well.
I only have a few more pounds to go until my goal weight of 175lbs.
My joints don't ache anymore and my feet don't hurt even after a 12
hour day at work. My clothes are getting too baggy now, and pretty
soon I am going to need to go shopping to update my wardrobe.
Adam asked me to share my story with
all the fathers (and mothers) out there because it doesn't take a
special person to do this. I am not special, I am just a normal guy
who decided he needed to take his life back from the grasp of
obesity. Your kids look up to you everyday and they emulate and
imitate their parents because they don't know any better. Setting a
good example for your children is the best gift you can give them.
Healthy changes in your diet are as
easy as putting down the chips and having an apple, substituting
broccoli for fries, or skipping the second helping. I don't profess
to be an expert or a dietician, but simple changes in how we eat can
go a long way. Cutting your portions down can save you precious
calories and exercising for 30 minutes a day 4 or 5 days a week can
help speed your metabolism and help you lose those pounds.
Are you interested in losing weight?
Do you struggle with making the right food choices? There are plenty
of resources available to you, just ask your Doctor. Get a physical
to make sure you are healthy enough to exercise. Join a program like
Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, or download a calorie counting app
for your smart phone. There is no magic pill that will make you
healthier and there is no prescription that we can provide for you to
lose weight without the will and motivation to do it yourself. Sure,
there are prescription options available but unless you change your
diet for good there is no pill that will ever totally fix the
problem.
My father always set a good example
for me growing up, he worked incredibly hard (now retired), he came
home grumpy sometimes and as a kid I didn't understand why. But he
didn't take out his frustration on us he took it out with weights and
cardio. He religiously exercised after work for an hour to vent his
frustration. He would spend hours outside in the yard chasing us
kids around, playing run down, catching football, playing frisbee, or
competing in obstacle course races that we created. I didn't have a
lot growing up, my family was large and all our money went to food,
clothes, and savings. What we did have was a lot of love, two
parents that cared more for us than we could ever begin to imagine,
and we had each other. We didn't have cable so my brothers, sister,
and I spent a lot of our time outside playing until the streetlights
came on. I want to be able to give that gift to my child too, I want
him to grow up in a responsible family, and I want to teach him to
make healthy choices. I won't be able to force him to do anything
once he gets old enough to think for himself but I do hope that I can
show him the mistakes I made so that he isn't destined to repeat
them.
This father's day I would like to ask
all the dad's out there that struggle with their weight or their
fitness to take some time for yourself. Improve your life, take the
steps necessary to make sure that you are healthy enough to be a good
role model for your children, and someday your grandchildren.
Getting up every day and exercising before work or finding time to
squeeze in a walk instead of watching TV for an hour every night
isn't glamorous, but the benefits it provides far outweigh the risk
of doing nothing. I struggle sometimes to find the motivation to
workout just like everyone else. But I also tell myself that I will never regret a workout when it's
completed...but I always regret the workout I skip. Do you need some added motivation?
Join me for a run sometime or if you mountain bike or cycle on the
road stop by and visit me at the store maybe we can meet up in South
Park. If I have time I would be happy to join anyone out there who
is looking to improve their fitness. As a pharmacist I interact with
the general public everyday, and I see the way being unhealthy and
overweight is killing our society. If I can give back to help you
out I would be happy to, just stop in and chat sometime with me. I
would love to help motivate you to get out and change the path you
are on.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” -Mahatma Ghandi
If you are interested in following me
on my personal blog you can follow me at
www.fitdadorfatdad.blogspot.com
Happy Father's Day,
Ron Obringer
Father, pharmacist, and reforming fat
guy.
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