It's true. There is no hiding the truth anymore. Sometimes it is hard for us to look in the mirror and see what we really are. We sometimes wear mental blinders that keeps our physical eyes from seeing reality. I believe our mind plays these games on us not only because the truth hurts, but because we want to believe that it isn't our fault.

Since my youth I've witnessed all the men and women in my immediate family go from overweight to heavy to morbidly obese. I've sat back and enjoyed the excessive meals completely oblivious to the road I was traveling. Secretly I hated the fact that my family allowed themselves become so overweight and do seemingly nothing about it. I was always slightly overweight as a adolescent and continued with that trend even through 5 years of football and high school sports. In my naivety I assumed that I would maintain my "slightly overweight" condition through my adult years.

Boy was I wrong.

Here is a picture of me late last year. I hate to even say this but I was almost 290lbs. I was forced to buy my first pair of size 44 pants and was completely disgusted with myself. As I stood in the store buying my first truly obese pair of pants I was in a state of shock. I couldn't control my eating habits and neither cared nor had the desire to stop my careless eating habits. I had somehow found my way to a place I thought I would or could never go. I was ashamed, but what was more shocking was I didn't seem to care because I did nothing about it.

Working in the real estate business I was constantly finding myself in positions where I was giving advice to people. Not only in the realm of their transaction, but also with respect to the totality of their lives. I had spent so many years giving advice and yet I couldn't seem to grasp that my health was in serious jeopardy.

In January I woke up around 2am having the worst asthma attack I had ever experienced in my entire life. It was so severe that my wife was forced to call the ambulance to bring me to the hospital. The doctors plainly and clearly explained that my asthma was degenerative and it would eventually kill me unless I started taking it more seriously. My grandmother died at 44 from her asthma, you would think that would be enough to scare me straight right?

It wasn't.

February 7th, 2008 I got on the scale...291lbs. I walked depressed into my living room at sat down with my girls. My youngest daughter who had just turned 3 looked up and me and said "Daddy, I love you. Don't ever ever die ok?" In that short moment my 3 year old had said one of the most profound things to me that I had been avoiding for so long. I finally made up my mind. I wasn't going to sit back and allow this to go on anymore. I was going to do something about my situation and take the control back.

I was tired of the excuses, I was fed up with the reasons why "I couldn't". I got mad and allowed it to fuel my inner fire. I started counting calories, I worked out 6 days a week and started slowly. I was deteremined to reach my goal.

This morning I got on the scale and it read 225lbs. In just over 10 weeks I've lost 65lbs.

I am still planning on losing another 20lbs to get to my target body fat %. Just yesterday I went to Buckle and tried on and bought my first pair of size 34 pants in over 12 years.

I finally came to a point in my life where I realized that I cannot afford to keep talking about change, I need to be the change. I have spent so many years giving advice and direction to people and had not headed my own words. There is nothing quite like seeing your entire body change right before your eyes when you stop making excuses and start making it happen.

The application this has for you is to never make an excuse as to why you can't do it. Whatever your hurdle might be, don't allow yourself to think you cannot achieve ANYTHING. And most of all the best way to get to your goal is to just do one thing. Take the first step. Then once you do, never look back.

This last week I returned to Arizona and now as a proud loan officer with US Bank in North Scottsdale. I'm starting with a renewed vigor that all things are possible, even breaking the cycle of 10 years of poor eating habits. I have a new outlook on life because I am proud to say that I am a BIG LOSER.