The Scar

Some people have mentioned my loss of weight as inspiration for their efforts, and of course I feel very happy that I could help in their efforts in some small way.

However, if you just looked at me without knowing the history, one would probably assume that I was skinny all of my life. This is what happened to me with the pool on Friday, when a gentleman of Japanese ancestry struck up a conversation with me and assumed that about me.

I told him my story, but it was only really in part because he had a much more visible story to tell, in the form of a one-foot-long scar on his chest.

He had undergone triple bypass surgery roughly half-a-year ago, and had taken up swimming as a way to not only get more active but also to get the weight, cholesterol and all those other factors which caused the surgery under control.

So far so good on his part - he has changed his diet and has lost some weight. He mentioned he would like to lose about 20 pounds or so more.

I said keep up the good work. And I told him my story paled in comparison with his - if anyone needed that final kick in the butt to get off the couch and get their fitness in order, all they needed to do was to look at his chest.