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Losing it! - Don Sornson Jr.
"You need to change your eating habits or you're not going to live to be 60" those are the words that changed my life.
I have always struggled with weight. Growing up living in the Appalachian area of Southeastern Kentucky fried meats, fried potatoes, fried bread, and thick gravy was just a part of life. I joined the Marine Corps out of high school and though it helped keep me in check I still always had to fight to stay off the weight control program. After I got out it was more of the same, it seems like the jobs I picked had me more often than not eating from drive-through windows or greasy diners. I got fat, really fat. At 32 I felt motivated to join the Army National Guard, so back to dieting, back to exercising, and trying to get fit. It worked and in January of 2001, I passed the physical and joined.
For the next 14 years, I managed to keep myself in check. I would have times that I injured myself and here came the pounds. I love to eat so I have to exercise when I can’t exercise I keep eating like I still am. Then disaster struck. I had an accident that left me with a broken neck, a broken back, a crushed shoulder, and a pelvic girdle that was horribly out of alignment. I got huge. With the help of some friends and a supportive family, I managed to get it back under control but I went from a happy 203 pounds to a constant 240 pounds. Thanks to exercise I managed to stay in the Army body fat range but I was always having to starve myself when it was time to weigh-in and I was always wasting money on fad diets or body wraps just to meet the minimum.
In 2014, I retired. No mission, no weight restrictions, no physical fitness test, no accountability. I got bigger than I ever had been in my life. Over 300lbs and then came the doctor's visit. I was already miserable, I couldn’t exercise, my wife was searching the classifieds to find me a used mobility scooter. I knew I had to change but I didn’t know how. I started volunteering to walk rescue dogs at the local shelter and suddenly I had a mission. My wife took notice of my new found motivation, I was smiling, I was trying to eat right, I was walking every day. I go to her for all things tech, so she convinced me to get a smartphone and caught me looking for pedometer apps, fitness tracker apps, and food diary apps.
“You should get a Fitbit,” she said
“Nah, I don’t need anything that fancy” I replied.
“Here, let me show you something.” She pulled out her smartphone and opened the Fitbit app.
“It automatically tracks my steps, I can use the food log, track my water intake, it’s paired to the bathroom scale so It logs and tracks my weight and I can log in other exercises I do and track those as well. It tells me how many calories I’ve used and how many you’ve burned. If you set a weight loss goal it keeps you in check.”
After that, I became a Fitbit evangelist to all my friends. Anytime someone would ask how I was doing I would say “Get a Fitbit.” I went from over 300 pounds to 193 in less than a year. I went from wearing a size 44 pants to a size 32, I felt amazing! I took it off and kept it off, until…..In December of 2018, my mom was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Her lungs were turning to leather and no one could do anything about it. I stopped taking care of myself and started trying to take care of her. I stopped exercising, I started gaining weight, I lost focus. She passed away in June of 2019 and I went into a depression I tried to eat my way out of. I still get up every morning and walk the dog that I ended up adopting from the shelter but he was starting to think I don’t love him. I had to buy new clothes in November because my previous years didn’t fit. Up to 34 pants, not good. It started warming up in March so I pulled out the shorts and t-shirts, way too tight, up to 36 pants, really not good. Last week I couldn’t button the size 36's.
I looked at my wrist and realized that’s not a watch, it's a Fitbit, you used it before, use it again. I’m down 6 pounds already. I’m coming for you 32's.
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Please note that content published here is written by Fitbit Community members and does not reflect any opinions or official positions of Fitbit. The Community Blog entries are published as submitted and are not edited for grammatical or other accuracy. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.
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