by

healthy_blogging

Pete closes the front door and makes his way to the sidewalk to begin his morning walk. He plans to walk all the way to the corner and back; remembering his wife's concerns the man walks slowly so as to not tire himself out.

Pete lives on a typical suburban street, well kept lawns and flower beds adorned most yards. Any passersby would think the residents of this neighborhood devote a lot of time and devotion to their yards. But Pete no longer cut his own grass, his weight problem made it a nearly impossible task. Nowadays Pete relies on a lawn care service to do it for him, but he knows this has to change. But he realizes this won't happen overnight,"One thing at a time." he reminds himself.

Eventually Pete reaches the street corner and takes a moment to rest. He's pleased with making it this far, he can't remember the last time he was able to do this. His thoughts soon turn to getting his weight under control. He's always had a problem with weight, yo yo dieting only makes things worse. He needs something permanent.

His doctor advised him that to get his diabetes under control he needs to exercise and eat sensibly. Pete knows that walking is a good start, if he can keep it up for thirty minutes a day - taking breaks whenever he needs to - he'll be in good shape.

But Pete knows there's more to it than this, his habits and attitude have got to change, too. Not too long ago he was leaving a movie theatre with his wife and daughter when some older high school and college kids began taunting him. "Hey, fat boy! Fat boy - yo!!!" People have been calling names or giving him strange looks for years, they just don't care about fat people or their problems. He was used to it. But that time at the movies was different because his family was with him. Angry, Pete turned around to say something to the hecklers but his wife laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and they continued walking toward the car.

"Yeah, that's right, fat boy!!" one of them called out after them, "Keep on walking. You're lucky you don't break that car with your lard butt!" this brought a round of snickering and taunting laughs from the rest of them.

Pete remembered how sad his daughter looked, her eyes filled with tears, and he felt guilty and ashamed because of it. A guilt that let up (if only for a little while) when he loaded up on four triple cheeseburgers, extra large fries and jumbo sized milk shake.

That's the way Pete always handled his pain and guilt. As he thinks about that night outside the movie theatre, he suddenly realizes that he was eating to make his own pain go away, so that he wouldn't have to deal with his family's pain. He now understands that this only makes his problems worse and in the end it's going to kill him.  

"That was then, this is now." Pete says to himself. Rested, he begins the walk back to his house, the first of several walks he will take today.

To be continued...

**All characters depicted in this story are fictional and do not represent living or deceased persons.

Disclaimer: **"Don't Let It Weigh On You, Pete" is not affiliated with the E! Television series "What's Eating You?"

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"Don't Let It Weigh On You, Pete Part IV" copyright 2011 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.

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