..You know what that means.
It’s another day to get up, try and prove myself to those around me, and then go to bed and do it again.
It also means the time we have on earth is short, and anyone who knows where I got the post title from, knows just how true that really is.
I’m officially 40 years old as of last Thursday, May 12th. It honestly feels no different than when I woke up the day before and I was still 39. I told a friend of mine that I’ve had enough past trauma and emotional stress to make me struggle every day, that turning one year older doesn’t even move the needle.
But like all the years before, my wife and my kids, help keep me on the path of moving onward and tackling every day. They are my beacons, and the reason for every breath i take. But a change is needed. A big one at that. Physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Back when I was on Keto and walking every day, I used a hashtag on all my posts, #OneMoreMile. It was how I kept track of the work I was doing, as I’d go back and look at the hashtag and see the progress I was making. It was a good self-reminder that I was making progress. This, mixed with the help of someone else who felt they needed a change in their own health and lifestyle, kept me motivated to keep at it.
Ultimately, I had a health issue that forced me to take a couple months off and by the time I returned, I had lost my diet buddy, and motivation. In the following year I was diagnosed with diabetes and needed my blood pressure medicine adjusted. By the time I started to find the drive to get back into it, Covid happened.
In the following years my already fragile mental health had taken a drastic nosedive and going into the Spring of this year I started making plans and trying to figure out ways to make the necessary changes. Easily the biggest issue for me has been motivation. I feel as if I have all the support in the world from the people around me, and while that should be motivation enough, I find it hard for anyone to see my struggle when a majority of the people in my circle are in excellent shape, and or not concerned with their own health to make the same changes.
When I was doing #OneMoreMile, I found myself receiving a lot of support from people who I didn’t even know but had found the hashtag or seen it from other people posting it. It was odd to me but I found it cool and it added in my motivation. I’ve also come across a lot of people via social media doing their own challenges to lose weight and their holding themselves accountable by posting it on a regular basis seemed like something I wanted to try.
This brings me to #Project150
My Goal weight is 250 Pounds (and down to no less than 200). I’m currently sitting at around 400. That’s both embarrassing and difficult to admit. The goal is to lose 150 pounds by my 41st birthday- May 12th, 2023. Along with this weight loss goal, I’m hoping to get my blood sugar under control, first with the provided medication from my doctor, and eventually without. Lastly, and possibly more importantly, is getting my mental health worked on. Admittedly, this will be a challenge due to the poor health care system in this country and the cost of adequate help.
I’ll be documenting everything via Instagram, with cross posting and other stuff on twitter and TikTock. Everything related to #Project150 will receive the hashtag and have a dedicated spot here on my personal site www.bnichols.me . I’ve been doing some different experiments with my eating habits over the last two months, and I am working out a daily schedule of not only eating but exercising as well. Starting June 1st, I should hopefully have an entire plan in place to make this goal a reality, and I look forward to and hope to find support from everyone and meet new people along the way.
I’ll post updates here over the next couple weeks of milestone goals I’m setting for myself, as well as things im doing to stay motivated, and how I’m adjusting my diet. Stay tuned!
