I'm really normal!

Seems funny to me to join an exercise class and push and sweat like most the others in attendance.  Yet comments to me seem to be the same.
"This is easy for you." or "You should be able to pull that off, you're in shape."
Well, allow me to give you a little back ground on myself.
I was born in 1959 (but if you ask my dad he says that they found me under a rock.  Dad is always good for a story.) and if you were to see the family movies taken of me you would see first that it was an effort to even try to stay sitting up.  Picture the "Weebles wobble" but I fell down.   As time went on I found my love for food was more powerful than the want to be active.  I did love hide and go seek.  That's one game I could go hide and just sit and wait.  I jokingly blame my moms bloodline for my love of food being that she's from Hawaii.
"What's the difference between an Oriental and a Hawaiian?  Orientals eat till they are full, Hawaiians eat till they are tired!"
Boy did I live up to that.
Coming up through school I always carried enough fat on my body to hate having my shirt off.  Of course it seemed that during P.E. I found myself on the teams that were "skins" or among the "Fat Man's Race." Ugh!
Through a short stint in High School Football (which I sustained a couple of compression fractures in my back) and years of Polynesian Dance my legs became the strongest part of me.  Eating still over rode my desires.
  I was thin for a short time of my life when I was sent to Hawaii, Guam and Yap (an island in Micronesia) on church assignment.  I left at 5'10", 235 pounds and came home 2 years later at 6'1", 178 pounds.  I found that I had also lost a tremendous amount of strength.  Noted when my sisters were able to drag me around, literally, while I struggled to free myself.  That just wasn't right!
Now to make a long story a bit shorter.
Happily married, over time, I let myself get to over 300 pounds.  My belly was hanging over a 50" waist pants.  I felt horrible and would drown my frustrations with a bag of chocolate kisses or find myself at the shopping mall following the smell of cinnamon and sugar just to purchase not one but two of those lovely rolls and eating it myself.  Just to feel my pants get tighter.  Emotional eater? Yup.
Fast forward.
Due to an accident my son had when he was about 7, I was introduced to the Physical Therapy world.  We had some older friends that had a son that just opened up his own office and after time I went to work for him.  This was the point that I really started to learn about the body. That was 1989.
So here we are.  Why do I share this with you?  I want you to know that I have had and still have struggles with my health just like you.  I may have different weaknesses and challenges, being physical or emotional, than you but they are just that, challenges.
Here I post and extend to you this challenge.
No matter where you're at in your life right now, do you feel that you could be healthier and in better shape than you are?  Are you ready to do something about it starting now?  If you are, then join me as I go for the best shape in my life.  I'd love to have you along for the ride and to hear your story as we make this journey together.
This is what you need to do.
 First, record your weight and body fat percentage.  The best way to get body fat measured is to find some place that does the BodPod, the water tank or the easiest and cheapest way to measure is to get someone that is adept with the pinch calipers.
Second, measure the following areas:  Mid calf, mid thigh, hips, waist (do not just use pants size), chest (measure under the arms and around chest), shoulders (around arms and chest) and mid upper arm.
Third, record your clothes size.
Now what is your desired goal?  Not sure?  Talk to me!  
Ready to start?
Here is my current body fat percentage.  I won't bore you with the other details.
March 31, 2011
Body Fat: 19 percent (My highest was about 38%)
I've set up a 6 month goal that by the middle of September I will be at 10 percent body fat.  From time to time I will let you know where I'm at.
Who's with me?
You are who I am accountable to.
I am really normal, just like you.