If you have known me from long ago, but have not seen me in the last few years then you are likely very surprised by what you are seeing. You might even be amazed, shocked, and quite possibly a little disbelieving. What you are seeing is not a web trick and there has been no photo manipulation.
You see, I was once a morbidly obese man of 600 pounds. I did not get that way overnight. It took a quarter century from childhood to adolescence to adulthood to reach such a weight. This was accomplished with an unhealthy lifestyle consisting of poor eating combined with sedentary living maintained over many years.
By August of 2003, I could not continue as I had been living. I could no longer adequately take care of myself. Daily tasks that are typically taken for granted were very difficult if not impossible. I could not leave the house for long periods of time without rest as my back and legs would give out under the strain of my body weight.
I had always been conscious that I was overweight, but would not comprehend just how large I was until I saw myself in pictures. Until my mid-20s, I carried the weight very well. The difficulties began once I went beyond 450 pounds shortly after college. I began telecommuting and the poor eating habits combined with the near-complete cessation of physical activity added another 150 pounds in three years.
I developed a "Big Jim" persona to compliment my appearance. If I was big, I was also going to be a boor. It was impossible to escape attention, so I sought it out. When I entered a room, say at a restaurant, every fork and jaw would drop and eyes would stare. Nobody would say anything, but I'd have to make a loud comment or do something to justify their staring. I'd have to do this throughout the meal because I knew eyes would be watching every bite I took.
Beyond the physical effects of morbid obesity, the emotional stresses were tremendous. The persona merely masks what happens on the inside. As it became harder to physically get out of the house — not to mention finding clothes to wear — it became easier to withdraw from life. Over the last few years of my morbid obesity, I gradually isolated myself from practically everyone in my life. I would only interact with people under situations that I could control.
On August 4th, 2003 my life changed. I began learning how to eat properly and learning how to exercise. It was no easy task to exercise in a condition of morbid obesity, but I managed to get on the floor, put my feet on the couch, and do 20 crunches. It was all I could do that day. However, the next day I did 25. The next day I did 30. It continued that way and in four months, I was doing four sets of 500 crunches as part of two or three-a-day workouts.
I have progressed from those humble beginnings and have become an elite trained athlete. I became a Cooper Institute certified Physical Fitness Specialist and went from doing calisthenics and riding a stationary bike in the garage to running, cross-training, and powerlifting. I learned that it is possible to get control of your life without surgery, drugs, or popular diet program. The body is merely a product of how we live over time. If you eat sensibly most of the time and get as much physical activity as you can, your body will respond.
I met my wife Robin in 1997. She endured the entire period of most rapid weight gain. She always believed that I could reverse the process somehow, but she took the brunt of my emotional changes and withdrawal from life; I even isolated myself from her. Those years were as difficult for her as they were for me, but she believed in me and her faith was proven. I might not have made it through that period of my life without her love. We were engaged on Thanksgiving Day, 2004 and were married on New Year's Eve, 2005. We now have two amazing children, Brooke and Sam.
Born in Dallas, I grew up in Garland, Texas and attended Garland public schools. I graduated from South Garland High School and attended Eastfield College for a year before taking a break to play bass guitar in a couple of very loud bands. I wised up and returned to school, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History with an English minor from the University of Texas at Arlington.
After college, I spent seven years working for Internet America as an internet security and policy enforcement administrator. That experience formed the foundation for my love of information security. I earned my MBA in Information Assurance at the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management. I currently work for CVS Caremark Corporation where I'm responsible for security governance initiatives such as information asset stewardship, segregation of duties and security awareness.
In addition to physical training, I enjoy making music immensely. I sing, play the bass, and guitar. I sing tenor in the Sanctuary Choir and the Tradition Quartet at First Baptist Church of Plano. The music ministry is very important in my life because it allows me to use the gifts given to me by God to obey the Great Commandment (Loving God), to live the Great Commitment (Serving Others), and to fulfill the Great Commission (Sharing Jesus). 