Losing weight for charity

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I am a very big (no pun intended) proponent of charitable giving. I have been raised to always look for ways in which I can benefit my community, and in my personal life I have always wanted to be a "philanthropist." When I was younger, I had this idea that only wealthy people could be considered philanthropists. But now, as someone who regularly gives service and is an emerging scholar of the third sector (working on a PhD has, no doubt, contributed to my sedentary lifestyle), I know that personal wealth is not a factor in whether or not I can be engaged in the very widely-defined field of philanthropy.

However, this mission of mine is also a personal one. For most of my life I have been overweight...well, actually clinically obese. I hate that term. I can't fathom anyone who would want such a term attached to them, and I know that many people are unfairly judged because of it.

So, now, I'm doing something about it (well, actually, this isn't the first time, but that's another story). Because I want to improve my health and because I want to help those in need, I figure that I can combine those two efforts into one. Because after all, thinking of a designated charity--one that focuses on youth, or homelessness, or hunger--should be reason enough, along with my wife and son, to be motivated to get healthy and to give back.

I have created a blog/website called The Fitlanthropist, my mechanism for losing weight all while raising money for a designated charity. For every pound I lose in a specific time frame (e.g. 2-3 months) I will donate one dollar and solicit matching donors to increase the donation. The concept isn't entirely new, but one that seems to be slowly working. In addition to others matching my donation, some are also starting to look for ways to lose weight themselves...and I am touched and inspired that they've taken it upon themselves to join in. I am hoping that this concept of "fitlanthropy" catches on somehow. It's a great combination of health and fitness and charitable giving that surely enables individuals to work toward worthy goals, and when achieved, enables a feeling I can only imagine to be a great one.

Check out my site at http://fitlanthropist.com and check back for more stories here...I'll be hanging around Well, Then for some time to come...I weigh 360 pounds...that's a lot of work (and potential donations to charity). It's going to take time, effort, and patience!