Ty Randall Writing
Ty achieves 2009 weight loss goal and offers encouragement to others
I am pleased to announce to the world that I managed to achieve my 2009 weight loss goal 4 weeks ahead of schedule. I am also proud to announce that I am no longer considered an obese American. I am now just another overweight slob like most other people.
As you can see from the photo evidence below, I have managed to trim the big belly bulge off. I reduced my overall body mass (to below 30), but it is most noticeable from the waist. If you have never been obese or struggled with weight issues, this is probably no big deal, but if you have ever been seriously overweight and have tried to lose that weight, you may know what I have gone through.
For anyone reading this that doesn't know me that well, please bare with me for a little personal history. I have never been skinny. I have been slightly plump since I was born. Fortunately, when I was younger and less busy, I was always active enough to not get too huge. I did not get obese until I got older, my metabolism changed, and I didn't stop eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. About five years ago I got a thyroid disease that almost killed me and I've been trying to get that and the weight swings under control ever since.
I have educated myself, changed my eating habits, and become more active like I used to be to get my weight under control and no longer be obese. It has definitely not been easy, but I suppose it wouldn't be as rewarding if it was. I am not by any means skinny yet or close to the "normal" weight for my height. I am only announcing this because I am excited to finally say that I am no longer obese. Maybe someday I'll be close to "normal."
In the photo below, you see me standing next to several piles of clothes. Those are all my fat clothes that no longer fit me on their way to the donation center. One of the bad things about losing so much weight so fast is that I have to buy all new clothes, so it is expensive. One of the good things about it is that I get to buy all new clothes so I can finally get rid of some of the rags I've been wearing for too long.
Two years ago I considered getting a Santa Claus gig in the mall because I wouldn't need any padding. Now I have significantly cut my chances of having a stroke, heart disease, diabetes, or other serious illnesses (up to and including death). I don't know the exact percentage of risk I reduced by the amount of weight I lost, but I know it was a lot. The simple and documented fact is that obesity helps cause many other health problems so if you merely reduce the size of your waist; you ease the strain on your heart and body and increase your chances for a longer life. In other words, fat kills so kill fat before it kills you.
HOW MUCH DID I LOSE?
To be perfectly honest, I am ashamed to admit exactly how fat I got and why I got like that. I hope to reveal full details at a later date, but for now I will tell you this - SO FAR I have lost over 10 inches of fat around my waist and if it's still posted on my blog, you can see a photo of me holding up a pair of pants that I used to fit snuggly into (click on the link below for "Ty's Personal Blog").
HOW DID I DO IT?
Without revealing every minor detail at this time, I basically educated myself, ate better, and moved more. I didn't starve myself, I didn't go on a fad diet, and I didn't join any program (other than doing it "The Ty Way." Losing weight is much easier when you have so much to lose as I did. It is really just a matter of how many calories you shove in your mouth and how many you burn each day. The good part is that your body automatically burns calories just by functioning without doing anything so the more you do on top of that, the more you will burn.
HOW QUICKLY DID I DO IT?
Once I got my thyroid problem under control with treatment and medication, I began losing a little weight in 2008 and then the majority of it in 2009. I did not hurry, I did it safely. As I said, at the beginning of the year I set a goal for myself to lose enough so I was no longer obese, which meant really stepping up the effort this year to achieve that goal.
WHY DID I DO IT?
Despite my looks, I'm not really that smart. I didn't really even know (or care) that I was obese until I started reading about BMI (body mass index) and other health topics a few years ago. As it turns out, I've been obese for a long time and had no clue. Once I learned what the standard is and how overweight I was, I wanted to do something about it. I am also not the one running the universe. I merely did what I had to do at the time. Now I have other things to do and I need to be alive and healthy for many of those things so that required a different lifestyle and eating habits.
One of the things I am here to do is help others. If you are reading this and struggling with your own weight (or other) issues and would like some help or advice, please feel free to ask me. I don't claim to be an expert at anything, but you don't always need an expert, you sometimes only need someone to help, encourage, influence, or enlighten.
WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY?
I'm a busy guy. I don't have time to do thorough planning. I don't have time to look up in books how many calories, fat, or carbohydrates something has before I consider eating it. I don't have time to keep a diet or exercise journal to track my every move. I have to keep everything as simple as possible and "the Ty Way" does that. I am spilling my guts like this to offer encouragement and assistance. If you want to hear more about my secrets of easy weight loss, let me know. Click on the "Contact TY" link at the bottom of the page.
You need your heart ticking to stay alive. Many factors affect how long and how strong your heart ticks including age, life-long use (or abuse), toxins (such as smoking, food, chemicals, pollution, etc.), heredity, physical activity, and weight. Life becomes more precious when people get older and most decide they want it to last longer. You can't do much about your ancestry, but there are many things you can attempt to prolong your life (beginning when you are young). Some things include what you put into your body, what you do with your body, and some of what you do with your mind. Sometimes a reminder is all you need. Sometimes you need to learn some things that you do not know yet. Sometimes you need a little help or encouragement. Sometimes you need a major life event to shake you up enough to change. If you want to live long and prosper, I hope you do what you need now while you can. Let me know if I can help in any way.
