200by40 :: Weight Loss the Right Way :: No Pills, No Surgeries, No Excuses, No Regrets

Since I have completed my quest, I suppose it’s now time to take a moment to thank those that made it possible.

To my always outrageous wife, Ann, who graciously put up with my heartaches, triumphs, successes and failures over these past few years. She’s been the preparer of meals, my rock in my darkest hours, the yin to my yang.

In addition to listening to me complain even more than you readers have on this blog, she’s been married to me for over 15 years. At least you guys can close your browser if you get tired of me; she lives with this. If anybody deserves any kind of recognition for anything, I think it’s her. Take a bow, sugar beet!

To my son, Anthony. It took looking into those little brown eyes in 2006 for me to wake up and realize that I had an obligation to fulfill: to raise him with the healthiest father he can have.

The way I saw it, it was unfair to him to have Daddy be a lazy oaf that didn’t have the energy to keep up with him, carry him, or just do the stupid things that sons and fathers are known to do together. Fortunately, things are a bit different today and I’m glad to report that he gets winded trying to keep up with me, not the other way around.

So thanks, Anthony, and I hope you’re prepared to go on that camping and hiking expedition I’ve been promising next year. We’ve both earned it. I love you both!

To my doctor–that really is him in the picture–who made me realize that I was headed down an unhealthy path, one filled with health complications that I would have rather not dealt with. It was his recommendation of Weight Watchers that got the proverbial ball rolling and made me realize that this was something that I needed to do.

Thanks a million, doc. After hearing about your surgery, it was you to whom I dedicated losing my last pounds. I wish for your speedy recovery and I’m glad I didn’t let you down. I hope you recognize me next time I visit you.

Finally, thanks to all of you who subscribed to this blog or my personal blog and kept yourself updated on my progress. I’ve read and responded to all of your comments so I think you know that they definitely meant something to me and weren’t just a bunch of words strung together. In particular, I’d like to thank:

• Kimberly at LadyGypsy.net who often dropped in to see what condition my condition was in and always left amusing and flattering comments. I’ve been a fan of her blog for years so having her stop by sprinkle her colorful bits wit and wisdom here and on my personal blog is always a treat. Thanks, Kim(berly)!
• Preston at Me and the Blue Skies who claims to be a fatty but weighs less than I do. His blog is nine kinds of funny and definitely worth a gander. Thanks, Preston, and keep your eyes on the prize. You’ll do it!
• Twisted Cinderella who, like me, writes a personal and is also writing about her trials and tribulations in the world of losing weight. That takes a lot of work and dedication, people, especially with a family. And all I can tell her is this: stick with it and you’ll be fine!
• Lisa Winternitz who came across this blog and sent me some free South Beach Living products for my consumption and review. Thanks, Lisa, for finding me and giving me the opportunity to try and review these products.
• All of you who have linked to me on your own blog. There are quite a few and while I can’t name them all here, thanks for reading 200by40 and adding a link to your blog. It’s really appreciated.

And believe it or not, there are a few people I’d like to NOT thank, including:

• Mr. Mancillas, my high school art teacher, who was the most arrogant bastard I have ever known. He once told me I’d never accomplish anything while I was working on a project in class. Over 97 lbs. later, I beg to differ. Suck it, you jackass.
• To a reader calling themselves Web Lover, who left an insightful comment in this post about my weight / pants size. I’d love to see what they look like when they are not behind the guise of the Internet.
• All of those so-called blogs that stole my content and posted it on theirs in the hopes that my success would push sales of their diet pills/snake oil. I hope you got NOTHING in return.

Yes, on one hand it can be a bit of an ego this writing about your weight loss on a blog and damn near bragging to the world that you’ve reached goal, but I prefer to see it as being an inspiration to anybody who’s been turned off at the thought of losing weight or, dare I say it, go on a “diet.”

A diet won’t get you where you want to be in the long run; they are only temporary solutions. Only a change in lifestyle will yield the results you wish for, and will maintain for good.

I’m glad all of you went along on this journey with me, but there is still much left to do. No, there is! The next few milestones on the slate are:

• Reach the 100 lbs. lost mark. With only a few pounds to go, that shouldn’t be too difficult. I will not be setting a time frame for this; it will happen when it happens.
• Reach my new weight of 190 lbs. No, I’m not changing the name of the blog; being 200 lbs. by my 40th birthday was the original goal. I changed my goal to 190 as a way to get past those last few pounds that didn’t seem to want to go away and it worked like a charm.

With those two goals in mind, it means that the blog will obviously continue as will the Weekly Weigh-Ins until I deem they are no longer necessary to post. By then, maintenance will be the big challenge but if I’ve made it this far, it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

So again, thanks (or no thanks) again to all! Next up on the Thank You list: products.

See you soon

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