A New Partner in Crime!!

I'm excited to say that I have a new comrade with me in this journey...my dad!! Well, he's not blogging--it took an act of congress just to get him to open a facebook account recently--but he has joined me in this journey of weight-loss and leading a healthy and fit lifestyle. My mom mentioned to me on Friday that he has buddied up with his brother-in-law, and they are working out together at the local YMCA.

This is significant, because my dad has never been one to work out. He hates working out. Don't get me wrong, he is a hard worker, but he's just never been athletic. Let's put it this way...in high school he was Danny Zuko from "Grease"...he loved taking an old car and souping it up into a hot rod. He didn't care for the jocks or school athletics and years of being an army brat left him confused and fed up with the inconsistency of instruction. He joined up with the Navy at the time of Vietnam, and stayed in the National Guard until I was about 7 years old. At that point he was in moderate shape, because he was obligated. However, age and stress became a downfall later in life.

He has had his share of diet failures and successes...and like many of us, after success comes a weight rebound (and then some, of course). We both hit our heaviest weights ever at the end of 2009. When I decided to take back my life, he responded, "I need to do something." My prayer was that he would get the motivation to lead a healthier life-style...his own dad passed away of a stroke at just 68...my dad is six years shy of that. Ten years ago, my dad suffered from a moderate heart attack, and while he quit smoking, the weight just piled on. I've always feared that I would have children one day that would never get to know how wonderful their grandfather was. That was the most significant reason that I was overjoyed to hear that my dad was eating right and working out!

Another reason I'm excited that my dad has joined in my journey is because we are so much alike and completely relate to each other. Of course I'm his little girl, but our personalities are identical. We are both bubbly, outgoing, talkative, and well...loud. We love the same music, share the same politics, we both love to boogie on the dance floor (disco may have been a short-lived fad, but disco is the reason I'm alive...it brought my parents together, haha)! We have both been stomped on in the past, which makes us a bit distrusting, but we still like to believe the best in people. We may seem like pushovers, but can display a redneck side if the wrong button is pushed, and when that button is pushed, watch out!! We have a lot of friends, and an active social life, but welcome an opportunity to be a couch potato on a Friday night. We both love cars, although he's much more knowledgeable on the subject. We have a weak spot for animals, especially dogs. We've both worked in white collar jobs and have found that the most satisfaction comes with rolling your sleeves up and working hard...even if it's less glamorous and the pay is reduced.

We also have shared many of the same struggles. We've both battled with addiction to cigarettes, and have fallen off the wagon, and climbed back on. Eating is a very social thing for us...the diet can be going just fine until there's that party, cookout, or an outing to that favorite restaurant. Some of our weaknesses are ice cream, hot wings and Coor's Light, medium-rare steak, Greek food, movie theatre popcorn, and basically anything fried. We are both vertically challenged and carry our weight in the same places...our face and our gut (we call the double chin the "Moye curse"). Neither one of us are exercisers by nature, only by habit.

So you can only imagine my excitement when I found out he's been working hard for a month, and has already lost 12 pounds! (I'm going to overlook the fact that it took me about 2 and 1/2 months to lose 12 pounds, but he does have further to go than I do). He's told me that his back and knees have stopped hurting, and that he has more energy. He had many reasons for wanting to lose the weight (the obvious ones), but he told me today that seeing my progress, struggles and determination has motivated him to do the same. He said, "Well, we're made of the same stuff, and if you can do it, I can too." I tell ya'll what...that was far more rewarding than the 19 pounds I have lost so far! We have both committed to keeping each other posted and accountable, and this journey has taken on a whole new meaning...it's not just about myself anymore, but for one of the most important people in my life...my dad.

PS. One day, I'll post about my mom, who has been on this journey even longer than I have, and who has been an encouragement to me.