Bodfather: Tales from the Bod Squad

This is how it began:  due to the fact that there wasn’t a whole lot of weight losing going on for a site that calls itself a weight-loss blog, I decided to chronicle some other folk’s stories as they did their best to change their ways and their bodies.

I dubbed myself “The Bodfather,” and sent out a call for people willing to do what I told ‘em and share their stories with my blog. Overwhelmed with hundreds of responses, I wound up taking on five individuals. Some had some to lose and some had a lot to lose (and some had a lot more than that. The common denominator:  they all were really gung-ho to make a big change in their lives and they all came in with great attitudes and great motives.

There was Kerensa, a bride-to-be who wanted to walk the aisle in a good-bit-smaller gown. There was Tom, who wanted to be a good example to his young daughter. There was Laurie, a workaholic legal eagle who has had trouble making good health a high priority. There’s Jodi, a young woman with big dreams and too-big everything else. And there’s Billie, a fun, fit mom trapped in a 400+ lb. frame.

This wasn’t a contest, wasn’t a competition. What I was hoping for... what I expected… was that the spotlight of a lot of people watching what they were doing and showing their support would push them forward into uncharted waters. I know for a fact what six months can do… it can change everything!

And for the first couple of months, that seemed to be the case. I heard from each of them fairly regularly, and they all seemed excited about the results they were seeing and the way they were feeling.

But then the holidays hit, as they almost always seem to do in late November. I expected a little stall-out, but I didn’t foresee the going to be as tough for the “Bodfather” participants as it’s been lately. That was probably my bad.

I think it’s rare in our lives that we’re really ready to embrace a big life change. I mean, really and truly ready to take on a life-altering challenge. And that’s what this, after all. A life-altering challenge.

“Life-altering” because you can’t keep doing the same things that got you in the shape that you are. “Challenge” because… well, this sh*t’s hard. Exercising takes effort, time and determination and eating less takes sacrifice and a commitment to not taking the easy way out.

And there’s so much of the world that’s set up to keep us from succeeding. There are traps and temptations around every corner, and some days it just doesn’t seem worth the effort. Besides, instant gratification is so instant and so, so gratifying.

Some of my Bod Squad are faltering and some are flying high and some are somewhere in that mushy, mushy middle where so many of us spend so much time.

If there’s a good story to tell with one (or all) of them, I’ll tell it here.

If not… well, we’ve all been there before, huh?