"I never believed I’d be dealing with a weight issue."

My name is Greg Lunsford and through my blog I hope to share with you some of the thoughts, tips, tricks and ideas I’ve used over the past two years to drop fifty pounds and keep it off. It hasn’t been easy and I’m still working hard to maintain my weight loss and even pushing myself to drop more weight. I never believed I’d be dealing with a weight issue. I was a three sport All-State athlete at Milton High School in the late 80’s, played professional baseball and college football and yet, just ten years later I was fat! But even then, I was pretty active when I wanted to be. It took almost another ten years for me to finally get the message that my weight was killing me and I had to do something to get it under control. And it wasn’t easy.

On January 2, 2007, I stepped onto the scales and laughed. There was no way the number that rolled around and settled beneath the thin black line referred to me. I'm 5'9", 37 years old and in relatively good shape, or so I thought. Two hundred-fifty one pounds! This has to be a joke.

It had crept up on me over a period of 18 years. I mean, who really pays attention to a few pounds here and there? I certainly didn't.

But it wasn't until my mother pulled out some photographs of me from that January that really made me sit down and examine my health and the road I was on. My dad was a big man, well over three hundred pounds for much of the last years of his life, and looking at those pictures I saw my dad. Scared hardly begins to express what I felt.

I immediately did the one thing that has had the biggest impact on my weight: I cut out all regular soda. I also cut out almost all caffeine. And then I took the next step, which was even harder. I started working out and attempting to condition with the Cabell Midland girls softball team where I assist my wife, Jeanne Lunsford, and coordinate our off-season Power Program for the Lady Knights.

What a difference two years have made. I am down to my current weight of 199lbs., which is up from my low of 193lbs., in October. I look like a new person and I feel so much better.

Over the course of this blog, I will attempt to update you on my progress and give you ideas to get started on your way to wellness.

I’ve had many factors to motivate me on those days when I didn’t feel like keeping up with the workouts or runs or when I felt like eating two dozen chicken wings and hopefully I’ll be able to help you begin to take control of your life one day at a time.

Thanks and good luck!

Greg Lunsford