Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2012. I, Daniel Flatt, have decided that it will be the best year of my adult life.

"But Daniel" (one might say), "how can you just say that it will be the best year of your adult life? There are so many factors and so many unknowns."

Because this will be the year I FINALLY lose the weight and reclaim my life. Though that last bit may sound a tad on the dramatic side, I believe it's accurate. Right now my life is not my own, instead it's ruled by junk food, laziness, and the all mighty pounds. I'm ashamed of myself, my esteem is at an all time low, and even when I'm sweating profusely I wear a jacket or a sweater to try and cover it up. Thank goodness it's Winter right?

Anyone who knows me, and even those that don't know me that well, know I've been trying to lose weight most of my adult life. At 5 feet and 6 inches I'm not exactly a tall man (ok, I'm a borderline Tolkien style dwarf) and currently I weigh a whopping 293 pounds. Alright now pick your jaws up off the floor. Yes I really am that big of a fatty. While that number fills me with white hot shame, I gather the guts to post it by knowing that I'll never be seeing that number on the scale again. I'd like to say I don't know how I got this big but I most certainly do. All one has to do is proverbially look behind me at the trail of destroyed, empty, discarded pizza boxes to know the truth.

I've begun this blog so that I can make my entire journey from beginning to end available to all who care to read it. I do this in hopes of two things. First, that it will motivate others around me and second that it will motivate me to keep true to my original goal. In fact I'm hoping that writing this blog, whether read or not, will grant me the willpower and strength that has been so lacking in my diets and weight loss ventures previously.

Quickly do I approach 300 pounds but I vow to myself, and to all reading, that it will not happen. I refuse to gain another inch, another pound. It's not only for my appearance but my health that I do this. My body is riddled with health issues because of my weight and currently tying my shoes is not a simple action, but a danger riddled race against time not to pass out. When you truly know your fat folks is when you drop a quarter on the ground and ask yourself, "Is that really worth getting? I mean it's a quarter, yeah, but it's all the way down there.".

Most of all I do this for my son, Logan, and for my unborn child. I want to be around for them for years to come and be the sort of dad that can run and climb and play with them. Currently I play like that with Logan, but it's fast approaching the time where I can't. Lethargy often rules the day and recently I find it difficult to even walk around while he rides his bike. Hopefully when my newborn looks at her (or his) father for the first time she (or he) sees a happier and slimmer man whose health issues are a thing of the past.

On this blog I will post my experiences, tips for losing weight, my various research on the matter, as well as a weekly progress report. Hopefully I'll post at least 3 times a week, though certain life matters may intervene at times. I encourage everyone reading this that needs to lose weight to not only comment below with your story and goals, but join me in this adventure.

We'll laugh, we'll cry, we'll eat lots of whole grains, but most of all we will come out the end stronger, healthier, sexier, more confident and ultimately happier. Let's get this party started folks. Just nobody bring any cheese dip to the party, ok?