Three weeks from my first knee replacement, I’ve been looking back on what brought me here—months of preparation and a lifetime of limiting beliefs.
I’ve often seen the glass half empty. Maybe it started in sixth grade, when a group of boys dubbed themselves the “Fabulous Five”…and me “the Enormous Extra.” That label stuck in my mind, shaping how I saw my weight and myself.
Years ago, my orthopedic doctor handed me a binder on knee surgery prep. But I let the scale hold me hostage. Instead of making changes, I let my world shrink. Winters were the worst: every day I muttered, I hate my knees.
This past winter I also cared for my dad through hospice. Talking with him—and with friends and family—made me realize how I’d used my bad knees as an excuse to stay small, to back away from challenges.
By May I was blaming my knees for everything, even poor diabetes management. Finally, in July, I told my orthopedic surgeon I was ready. He gave me a hard deadline: reach a BMI under 40 or weigh 260 pounds or less by September 30, or no surgery.
That was the spark. I returned to the food plan that once helped me manage diabetes—no sugar, no flour, wheat-free, dairy limited. My son Christopher joined me. We sweated through sugar detox, and the weight began to fall. Prehab with a physical therapist strengthened my legs; I can even squat again.
Now, with the deadline here, I’m 245 pounds—just shy of my goal but worlds ahead of where I began. My A1C is down to 5.9%, I’m riding a recumbent bike most days, and I feel stronger and more hopeful than I have in years.
I’m nervous, sure. But the dream of hiking, of long adventures with Theresa—even tackling the Appalachian Trail—has come alive again.
I’m still working to shed the image of that “Enormous Extra.” Limiting beliefs can feel safe, but they fence us in. I’m stepping past mine.
What beliefs are holding you back from living your best life?
Two knees rebuilt. One dream revived. A life rebuilt, one step at a time.
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