When we were given the assignment to document our eating habits, I was not thrilled. I’m already aware of how bad my eating habits are and the last thing I wanted to do was document it.

I didn’t need to do that to tell myself I am unhealthy. But as I thought and contemplated the assignment, I told myself that maybe it was time to be more serious about my health, especially since I’ve been less active physically, recently than I have before.

My eating habits are erratic. Sometimes I’ll eat once, or three times a day. And it’s almost always fast food or eating out. My days of playing basketball regularly waned to semi-regularly and gradually became less and less in 2015. I look at myself and I don’t like what I see.

I’m not ashamed of being a big guy. I’ve always been one. I just didn’t like that I was getting bigger and it’s all my doing. I’ve always been careless because I’ve never had repercussions over it and I need to change that before it’s too late.

Since receiving the assignment, I’ve made a conscious effort to try and eat less and be more active. I can’t change that I eat fast food a lot, because sometimes fast food is all that is affordable, but I do try to cut down on the soda and how many times or how much I eat a day.

I started to do some core exercises after eating, and I even played some basketball for the first time in months. It felt great.

I told my brother of my desire to get in better shape. My brother works out all the time, because that’s all he can really do in his spare time while in the army anyway, and he enjoys it. He gave me pointers on what kind of workouts I should do and he’s going to help me get a gym membership.

Getting a gym membership after New Year’s makes me feel cliché, but I know in my head, that I am finally ready to be serious about working out and doing it daily.

I know it will take some time to adjust, but my brother assures me that once I get into the thick of things, I will enjoy working and loathe what he calls “rest days,” days that I won’t be working out. I’ve been searching for the motivation, and I’ve found it.

I don’t want to get older and deteriorate. I want to live a long prosperous life watching my nephew grow. My brother and father like to remind me that I should get in shape not just for me, but for my nephew, too. If I’m huge and out of shape, I won’t be able to keep up with him. That’s what I do not want.

I am looking forward to getting in shape and I will try to eat healthier. It will be baby steps for me, but any steps will be huge progress. I hope along the way I can get friends to join me, because I know trying to do it by myself will be tough.

It’s time for me to stop running from my weight problems and finally do something about it. I don’t plan on getting skinny, I just want to be in shape. I’ll always be a bigger guy. Just a healthier bigger guy.