WHY CAN’T I KEEP MY BIG MOUTH SHUT????

“YOU KNOW YOU ARE KILLING YOURSELF, RIGHT?” I screamed.  And with those words, my next 6 months were sealed.  Which is weird because I had  just finished training for my first half Ironman triathlon during the LAST six months.  But that’s just one of my many downfalls.  I jump from one project to the next like a bunny in heat.  Which brings me back to those fateful words I yelled 3 inches away from my friend’s huge head back in June.  Let me explain.  He weighs 327 pounds.  And during this conversation over home stomp red wine, he admitted he was recently diagnosed with diabetes.  “You know you are killing yourself, right?  You know you gave yourself this disease, right?”  And with that, I told him I would give him 6 months of my life to help get his blood sugar under control.  Was that me talking or the red wine??  Damn it, either way I was committed.  But I told him he had to be serious and READY to lose the weight.  I didn’t want to waste my time.  Three days later I got a call from him asking for my help.  He’s ready for a new start in life and I’m his new coach.   I’m not a registered dietician.  I’ve just interviewed those people and read their studies for the past 12 years of my life as a health reporter.  I’m educated without being certified.   And I feel like someone HAS to do something. Sometimes we just need a friend to take control for a little while and reset some buttons. We all get in ruts and getting out alone is difficult, impossible sometimes.  So for the next 6 months, I won’t be the athlete.  I’ll be the cheerleader, helping someone else achieve his goals.  And this time, the prize is a healthy life.