“I can’t believe I let it happen.” Those were the words that started my day off today. Flash back 8 months…my weight was down to 225, I looked GOOD, I had muscle, I got looks at the gym, I was HEALTHY. It had taken me over a year of hard work, but I had lost 60 pounds! I was not close to being done, I think I could get under 200 healthy pounds and maintain it, but I was well on my way! So what happened? No excuses. I got lazy, complacent, let work and home stresses come out in negative ways again…emotional eating, skipping the gym, which in turn led to poorer performance on the tennis court and on skates, so tennis and hockey grew less and less attractive…and so did I. The pants that I was SO excited to buy and wear are now tight, uncomfortable reminders of what I used to be…where I wanted to go. The food that gave me solace the past few months now mocks me. I hit bottom this morning. I got off track. I am ready to get back on track.
I have been a member of T-Mag for many years. I live in Denver, and WAY back in the 2000 I got T-Mag to send me 12 Testosterone t-shirts for my softball team to play a tourney down in Colorado Springs. I have sent tons of people to the website for great advice and even better supplements…but I was the fat guy who knew a lot about nutrition and training, but did not utilize that knowledge for myself. It took having a kid to realize I wanted…I needed to be in better shape…to see him grow up. About that time, in March of 2006 I saw a post from Joel Marion about his new Cheat diet program. I asked for more info, and the science sounded good, the diet sounded good, sign me up! I was one of his test cases for the Cheat to Lose book, there is my testimonial on the first page of Chapter 1! On April 3, 2006 I weighed in at 285 pounds. By October I was 235. 50 pounds in 6 months? And it was surprisingly easy…but I had his advice and help, and my mind was in the right place. I hit a plateau and on Joel’s advice I took some time off, just eating healthy, but not following any diet. In April of 2007 I tweaked the diet a bit and got down to 230. After some more time to think, I hit the gym hard and got down to my lowest, 225 on November 9, 2007. That is what I weighed in college. I was ON MY WAY. Or so I thought.
This morning I weighed 260 pounds. Even. 35 pounds heavier than 8 months ago. I have given away over HALF of what I worked SO hard to get. Again…what happened then? No excuses. New baby on the way, marriage issues, mid-life crisis, work stress, new love. BLAH BLAH BLAH. Nothing should be more important that my health. Being in better shape helps me handle those life stresses. I want to be the guy people come to for advice. I want to be the example of what anyone can achieve. I want to be a better person…better father…better partner…better son…a better MAN. If I can do this and help others, awesome. If I can do this and help 1 person, awesome. If I can do this and be around longer for my kids and teach them how to eat and exercise right when they are young…well that is probably the best thing that could happen. Thanks T-Nation. I will be back. Better than ever.
I will post a pic when I take one this week that shows my current state. I already feel better putting these words down. I look forward to my journey…