The countdown begins–NOW!

My name is Jeff Stein and at age 38 it was clear I wasn’t happy with my life. I was over 500 pounds–closer to 600, at a job I hated, and waiting for something to change.

That something was me.

I could lay blame and point fingers but in the end, I allowed myself to get to a point where I couldn’t take an airline flight because I didn’t know if I’d fit bathroom let alone an airplane seat. There wasn’t a fast food drive thru I didn’t like. Hell, some fast food workers knew me on a first name basis!

That was my life.

In spring of 2011, I had a cellulitis attack which was compounded by weight. I spent 2 weeks in a hospital and 4 in a rehab facility. I knew then things had gone too far. That I needed to make a change. In November of 2011, I went to Structure House in Durham, NC. I stayed for 3 months and dropped 80 pounds.

And then I came home and proceeded to hit every bump in the road along the way. By November 2012, I’d gained back 60 of the 80 that I’d lost. The week of Thanksgiving 2012, I weighed 543 pounds.

What a difference a year makes.

Today (12/23/13), I weighed in at 337lbs. For those math challenged like me, that’s 206lbs. There wasn’t a surgery–just hard work, a ton of sweat, and a need for willpower.

This blog will be what documents the good, bad, and ugly of the next leg of this journey: 220 pounds. As of today that’s 117 pounds away. It’ll also look back other aspects of where I am today. And it will probably once in a while be a place I can talk about others things as well.

I have no idea if anyone will read or see this post let alone those to come. But I’ll try to keep it entertaining. But for now, welcome to the countdown because it begins…

NOW.