Lifestyle Change

Training Training Logs
1

T-Nation,

I am unhappy with my life and my lack of effort to change it. I am 25 with no job and I play video games like it is my career (computer and console). I live at home with my mother. I am now on my 3rd attempt at college, 8 years after graduating high school. I have commitment issues in every aspect of my life. I have what can often be described as a negative, self defeating attitude, coupled with an addictive personality. I have a terrible case of insomnia lately, I believe it is caused by an addiction to gaming, I would prefer that it was cocaine.

I have goals for myself and activities that I want to get involved in, but find a reason to let myself down every time. I never thought that my life would reach this point, but something has to drastically change, fast. I used to be active athletically, friendly, outgoing, and most importantly, happy. I am now overweight, bitter, have no very low self esteem, and I am fed up with it. My diet is terrible and I have fallen into a trap of being complacent being pathetic. The last time I was laid, well, that was a long time ago.

I am not here to seek outside motivation, but to journal my own thoughts somewhere tangible, and stop running from my problems. I was told that expressing my feelings on paper would help with self deprecating behavior, but I don’t like writing and I’ve been lurking on this site for about 2 years now, so this is where I will throw them down.

First thing is first. I purchased Starting Strength last year and have read the book. While it was very informative and got me pumped to start training, I have yet to do so with any consistency. I usually quit after 2 weeks.

I have put together a general beginner’s lifting program (in Excel) that I think should work if I stick to it for some time. I am less concerned about my dieting (counting calories) than I am about finding a consistent routine with cardiovascular and weight training. That is not to say that I’m disregarding basic nutrition for weight loss, I will eat meat & vegetables and forget about any liquid that is not water, but I am not going to go nuts over it until my goals change.

I guess this is going to be like a personal blog. I am going to follow up later today with some posts regarding my workout plan, as well as specific short & long term goals (not just physical ones), and pictures of what I used to look like, and what I look like now (motivation).

2

I’m going to start off this with some pictures.

What I used to look like:

  1. http://i34.tinypic.com/21kedua.jpg
  2. http://i38.tinypic.com/syt9x3.jpg
  3. http://i33.tinypic.com/316x2lt.jpg

What I look like now (these are not pretty):

  1. http://i36.tinypic.com/2ynjur4.jpg
  2. http://i38.tinypic.com/2lvlhqa.jpg
  3. http://i35.tinypic.com/30hop43.jpg
  4. http://i35.tinypic.com/2iabbpg.jpg

I never realized how bad I looked in the mirror, but when I saw myself in these pictures, I realized that I have drastically changed in a bad way.

Next up on the agenda is the workout plan.

  • Cardio training 6 days a week
      • Biking to the beach and swimming
      • Jumping rope
      • Playing hockey
      • Run (occassional to check for self progress)
  • Weight training 3 days a week
      • 5x5 Squat (3x)
      • Bench Press & Shoulder Press (alternate days)
      • Bent over barbell rows (2x) & dead lifts (1x)
      • Barbell curls & dips (alternate days)

I absolutely despise running, my ankles aren’t in the best shape and it definitely is not pleasant on the knees. Beyond that, I figure a consistent balance of these activities with a moderate diet plan should help me cut my body fat % down significantly over the next 3 months.

I don’t see any reason to incorporate more than those few lifts, as I need to build my strength and work on proper form.

Short Term Goals (immediately - 6 months) for lifting:

  • Increase strength (be able to do a chin up)
  • Lose 20-40 lbs
  • Run 2 miles without stopping (check once or twice a week)

Long Term Goals (6+ months) for lifting:

  • Increase strength (be able to do a muscle up)
  • Cut body fat down to 12%
  • Run 5 miles without stopping

There are some defined goals, they are written down now and I have a target to aim for in regards to my appearance.

Now, to address myself and what I am doing with my life, there are some things that need to happen soon. Unless I write them down, I will just put them off and never get them done.

  1. Get a job
  2. Finish fall semester at school (already struggling in most of my classes, top of the class in one)
  3. Apply for financial aid
  4. Move out of my mother’s house
  5. Ask a girl out (nobody in particular, just need to get back into the game and stop being a pussy)

I would like to accomplish most of those goals soon, saving up & moving out will take longer. Now that there is a somewhat defined course of action, I’m going to go ahead and start putting effort into accomplishing my goals.

I will update this thread in a few weeks with my progress.