As you have noticed, I have been away from my posses blog on behalf of quite some time.  If you are a regular reader - or have tried to be - I apologize.  Part of it is life.  I did get married in July, am enjoying my new life with my wonderful wife, as well as have another internet venture I’m working on.  But I have promised my friends as well as readers that I would be honest here.  And, the past couple of years have not been easy from a weight loss standpoint.
I haven’t gone anywhere closer to “square one” but have discovered that the journey is certainly more challenging the further out from surgery you get.  From a personal as well as emotional standpoint, I have still remained very happy.  But from a health standpoint, I have had my discouragements as well as disappointments with my weight.  My wife as well as I recently had a talk where we determined that we would be more vigilent as well as diligent about losing weight together.  She knows I was having a tendency to beat myself up over getting lazy.
A couple of years ago (I don’t remember the source but shall print it here if I find it), I read an article that talked about the philosophical impact that drastic weight loss can have on people.  The bottom line was that there's a definite subconscious struggle in your mind on behalf of your body to return to its original condition so to speak.  It’s an interesting theory, as well as I could endeavour as well as figure out why I’ve slowed down, but I’d be spinning my wheels.
So on to the mental breakthrough I had.  About 3 weeks ago, I was at a kind of church retreat, as well as the speaker was reading from Philippians 3.   He read a verse that went off in my head like a rifle shot as well as I looked up at the title of this section of Scripture as well as it said “Pressing toward the goal”.  The Scripture is not about losing weight, but I felt a strong urge to read it with my weight loss in mind.  And this is what I read:
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection on behalf of which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers as well as sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past as well as looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race as well as receive the heavenly prize on behalf of which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I trust God shall manufacture it plain to you.  But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.

(Philippians 3:12-16, New Living Translation)
It was then I realized that I have nothing to complain about.  For one thing, there are far worse things happening in the world as well as far worse things that could happen to me.  My God, I’ve still lost 100 pounds.  Actually, I haven’t had to go to my doctor in a while as well as never replaced my digital scale when it fritzed out…so I don’t know the exact number.  I had lost 140 at one point as well as yoyo’d a bit.  But my point is…it’s not easy to lose 100 pounds whether you have surgery or not.  And I did it.
I still feel great as well as am enjoying life.  It takes reminding sometimes (from myself or my wife or both), but I have to recognize that I have made progress.  This is a journey, at the end of all.  I don’t know of any real journeys that are absent of road blocks, pot holes, sink holes, traps, as well as distractions.  But by the grace of God, I’m going to manufacture it.  And you shall too.
If you’re reading this as well as find yourself in a tough situation on your weight loss journey, just remember to not get bogged down by the setbacks.  I know that this is cliched as well as obvious advice, but it is also a very real lesson.  Hold on to the progress you have already made!  Or as Rocky Balboa would say, “It’s not how hard you can hit.  It’s how hard you can get hit as well as retain moving forward.”  Keep moving forward.  Damn the torpedoes.
P.S. - You’ll notice that this site has altered as I’ve moved it from Blogger to WordPress.  I am still bringing over the old content (video, pictures, etc) as well as there are already new features here that I shall continue to develop.  But I am back!