Today is the Day! 269 days left...

I'm not quite sure why today is the day.  Is it because it's 4/20, which is the international day to smoke weed and get high?  Perhaps.  Maybe I'm just high.  Except I don't smoke weed.  Maybe it's a runner's high?  Except I don't run...yet! 

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.  I've made the commitment to run in the Baton Rouge 1/2 Marathon on January 15, 2012.  Which basically means I've made a commitment to get healthy.  I currently weigh 269 pounds (with my clothes and shoes on...heavy shoes...and a sweater) and there are 269 days until the marathon.  Coincidence?  I think not. 

I've never been very open about my struggles with my weight.  It's not easy to talk about, but for some reason much easier to write about.  Food...correction...unhealthy food has been my vice since I was a child.  I've participated in every fad diet.  I've been to every kind of doctor.  I've even had weight loss surgery.  And it is at this very moment that I finally feel ready.  Deciding to run in this marathon is more than just a goal.  It is a decision to make a lifestyle change.

I figured I should go ahead and blog about my experiences over the next several months for two reasons...the first is because it holds me accountable.  I need accountability.  And the second is because its therapeutic.  I hope to provide some fodder along the way...God knows I will need to laugh my way through this (plus, laughing burns calories...I'll take whatever I can get).  I'm not necessarily looking to inspire anyone, which may sound selfish.  I'm just looking to get inspired.  I'm not looking back, y'all.  Tit for tat.  Fit not fat!