My Introduction!

My name is Mario, I live and work in the Bay Area, CA. I am starting this blog because I embarked a life changing journey of health and weight loss a short time ago. My entire life has been spent being “the big guy” to be honest it never bothered me until the last few years. After college my weight spiraled out of control, before I knew it I was looking at a scale that wouldn’t even speak back. My weight was “error”! Life has always been busy, I never thought much about the consequences of eating anything that I wanted, and because of that I weighed in on 5/22/2012 at 452 pounds. People that know me are shocked to hear that number, most would have never guessed that I weighed that much! At my highest weight I began to notice that I was much less active than years past, all I had energy for was work, dinner and sleep! It began to take a toll on my relationship with my wife. She had to take on a lot around the house with little help from me, we have two small boys so that was not  and still is not an easy task and I am forever grateful that she is such a wonderful wife, mother and best friend! 

Just a few short weeks before 5/22/2012 my surgery date, I found out that I was going to have Vertical Gastric Sleeve Surgery. I made the decision to go through with the surgery and very much regretted it for the first month after it happened but that can be a whole separate blog in it self. I will just say I had some complications that landed me in the ICU for a week and scared me straight! I decided to have the surgery because I felt like I needed help with my eating control issues. To some this might sound ridicules, but I considered food and bad food at that my drug of choice.  It’s difficult to explain but food was something that made me happy and fast food & soda WAS the core part of my drug! 

So here I am now 10, almost 11 weeks post surgery. My life has changed dramatically for the better! My current weight on 8/7/2012 was 363 pound for a total weight loss of 89 pounds in 10 weeks. Some might think that the surgery is a easy way out, get it done and watch the weight fall off… that might be true in the beginning but I know deep down inside that I had to make a change in the way I live for myself and my family. So at week 4 I started hitting the gym and eating real foods. I started counting calories and only eating food that provided essential proteins and vitamins that I needed to live. I began to eat to live rather than live to eat. I know that I could not be where I am now without the miracle of surgery but it was a tool that I needed to keep myself in check and its working. I have replaced that time that was spent on worrying about what I was going to eat for that next meal with my new drug of choice, EXERCISE. Now that I have nothing to think about when it comes to food its a big burden that no longer exist! 

The point of this blog is to share my story along the way. I have spent the last few years not telling a soul how much I weighed and now its here for everyone to see! I will not go back to where I was and I can’t wait to step on that scale and see my goal weight of 225 pounds. 

As an additional tool to keep me motivated some friends and family have chosen to run a 5K mud run called warrior dash with me in late October, hence the name of the blog Warrior in Training (Thanks Cuz)! It has given me a reason outside of shedding ounces to train and work hard. I have never done anything like this EVER and can’t wait! 

Lastly, I would like to thank a few people that have always supported me with my weight loss challenges and adventures over the years. First Is my grandmother, she was always so concerned it seemed to be the only thing we talked about for years! Grama,  for all the sleepless night that you spent I am so deeply sorry and know that from this point on I will be ok!  My Papa, he has always taught  me to me to pray and let my actions speak for me not my words, so Papa I am just going to show you not tell you!  My wife, you have alway been my rock, you have been there for me for as long as I can remember. I thank you and am so deeply sorry that I got to were I did!