I used to could

     Those are the words you will here when old guys sit and talk about the good old days.
     "Bob, can you run a mile?"
     "Well, I used to could."
     I've never been one to relive the glory days.  In most cases, they weren't that glorious to begin with.  Besides, looking back takes our focus away from where it should be, where we are today and where we hope to be tomorrow.
     Before I lost the weight there were many things I could not do that I once could.  Wear smaller clothes is one thing, but physically I was very limited on how far I could walk, how long I could stand, how well I could breathe.
     I've studied the martial arts for the last 27 years, but in the last few years my skills were showing the effects of the excess weight.  I could still do some pretty incredible things, especially for a man as large as I was, but I was limited on the techniques I could do because of the stress they put on my joints.  I have lost the equivalent of two large bags of dog food and one small bag.  I can barely even pick up a dumbbell that weighs 85 lbs, yet I used to carry the same amount of weight around with me all the time.
     The good old days are now.  I'm in the best shape I have ever been in, and I don't have any plans or desire to go back.  I no longer glory in the things I used to be able to do, I now revel in the things that I've never been able to do before.  I'm the lightest I have been since Junior High School, and my technique never looked as good as it does now.
     There is one thing I have found that I used to be able to do that I just can't do any more.

    I used to be able to finish a basket of onion rings this size by myself.  My wife and I both ate all we wanted from this and it still looks full!
     If you are carrying extra weight and letting it limit you and your mobility, don't!  Do something about it today.  Every choice you make is a step in the right direction.  Free the thinner you inside and see what you are capable of.  I know you can do it!