No, Im not sick.
I dont have scurvy, hepatitis, cancer, bulimia.
Theres been no gastric bypass surgery, lap band procedure or related cosmetic change.
Havent tried hypnosis, I dont subscribe to Weight Watchers nor have I tried any fad-of-the-month diets.
Still, Im a much lesser me than I was a year ago.
Just how much less?
The honest answer I have no clue. (I never weighed myself before I started this journey, so any answer north of 90 pounds is purely a guess.)
I do know roughly what I weigh now, and from what Ive seen in various medical expert journals, its described as a normal weight for a person my height.
In short, Ive gone from bleh to average.
Ive lost enough to get the attention of those I encounter on a nearly daily basis.
Most conversations follow the same pattern.
Have you lost weight?
Yeah, a little.
Wow, you look great! Are you sick?
I TRIED my hand at getting fit a couple of times in the past. I even ran a half marathon about 10 years ago in an attempt to impress a girl. (Spoiler alert: it doesnt work when you finish last.)
And with a work schedule just chaotic enough to justify being a couch potato, that fitness soon became fatness.
Alas, my opportunity for change stemmed from a civic project brought forth by a couple of locals.
Ben Alexander, who now owns Southwind Cycle and Outdoors but previously worked with Thrive Allen County, and Harry Lee Jr., owner of LaHarpe Telephone, joined forces a few years back in an attempt to bring a wellness center to LaHarpe City Hall.
Their vision was to obtain a grant big enough to hire a coordinator who could do a variety of tasks, from treating patients suffering from chronic illness or injury, or to lead smoking cessation or weight-loss classes.
Their efforts were partly successful.
The grant from the Kansas Health Foundation (now the Health Forward Foundation) was enough for a new security system and exercise equipment. A fitness center in one of City Halls empty storage rooms opened its doors Sept. 18, 2018. I signed up that day.
I tried my hand with the centers recumbent bicycles, weight bench and heavy punching bag.
They were fun, but lacked the appeal of what I was really wanting to try the Precor EFX556i elliptical trainer.
