I wish there were more pictures of me with my kids, but somehow I always made sure to be the one taking the pictures. Behind these little cuties was a 270-pound body that, if I?m being honest, I hated. At the time this photo was taken, my boys had just turned one. There should have been lots of photos of the celebration, but I was in the worst shape of my life. I was ashamed of my body and felt like I couldn?t do anything about it, so I always hid when the cameras came out.
Every day, I?d make a deal with myself that I?d start exercising tomorrow, or Monday morning, or the beginning of next month. After eating that third McDouble burger, I?d tell myself that I?d go for a run that night to work it off. Spoiler alert: Monday morning never came, and neither did that night run. My workouts always got pushed back. Before having kids, it wouldn’t have even been a question: Exercising every day used to be my way of life. I wasn?t feeling like an all-star parent?in fact, I was feeling like a failure. This wasn?t the way I?d envisioned fatherhood. When we found out that we were going to be the parents of twins in my wife?s second month of pregnancy, I couldn?t have been more excited. At our first ultrasound, I laughed out loud when the OB-GYN said with a smile, ?I know you guys aren?t experts or anything, but there are two in there!? I had always wanted to be a father and, secretly, I?d always wanted twins. We decided that I?d take a seven-month parental leave and stay home wi...