Being almost 100 lbs lighter and back into the “Average” size and weight category has opened up a lot of new opportunities for adventure for both Sherry and I, and this week on my birthday, we partook in one of those: indoor skydiving. It was something that Sherry has been wanting to do for a long time, and I’ve been intrigued by it as well. I didn’t expect it to be so fun.

I had a silly grin on my face the entire time I was in the tube. What was actually really cool was after I made my first trip in the tube, when I got out, the instructor got out with me, took off his goggles and asked me if I was joking with them when I said I’d never done it before. He said that I did amazingly well, and that he’d never seen anyone do so well on their first trip in. He was introducing me to a bunch of other people who worked there, telling them how well I did. I think being a pilot helped since I understand how control surfaces work; I used my arms and legs as such.

My second and third trips in the tube were equally as fun, and I used that time to try to learn to control myself better and more accurately. I scheduled some more time for both Sherry and I next week to get some more practice. Since it’s so hot in Houston in the summertime, this is a great indoor activity for us to do. It’s physical, but not overly so. It’s a rush, and really a lot of fun. It’s also something I wouldn’t have been able to do a year ago.

Not just fitting into the flight suit, but I was physically too heavy before to go in the tube. There are weight limits, and I exceeded them mightily. Now, I’m well under, and the experience was memorable.

These are the types of experiences and opportunities that drive me. When I woke up this morning and saw that the scale was not my friend (and reading heavier than I had been in a while due to all the eating this past weekend), I reminded myself that it was a holiday weekend, and that this always happens after a holiday, and then I also reminded myself that there are more adventures ahead. That helps me steel my resolve with eating right and not getting depressed about it. It’s a mission, and one that I will not fail. I’ve done this before, and I’m still on the journey to 165 lbs, so it’s just a sidetrack I must navigate.

If you’re wishing you could do stuff like indoor skydiving but can’t because you’re physically unable to due to weight, there’s good news. There is a solution, and it’s not impossible for you to do. I know first-hand, because I did it myself, and I am on that journey as I write this. I have two words for you: Whole30 and Paleo.