January 18, 2014
It’s hard to believe, especially for me, that three years ago this weekend I decided to make a significant change in my life. I’ve written about it before, but many of those entries were lost when my previous site crashed.
Essentially, I decided to get healthy. I’d been overweight since my early adolescence and while I’d actually lost weight in college, I was at my heaviest my senior year of high school and frankly, I was tired of being borderline “obese.” That’s where things changed.
I was at the gym this morning remember what it’s taken me to get where I’m at today. It hasn’t been easy and certainly has been a personal challenge. In my previous posts, I’d written about how I started with diet THEN exercise.
It was three years ago this weekend I drastically changed how and what I ate. I reduced my caloric intake, shifted my meals to multigrains, fruits and vegetables and lean protein. For the first two months, I focused on every calorie I took in and started talking walks at lunch around Lake Eola to get some exercise in. I’d shed about 10 pounds those first few months.
Then, I took the next step, adding exercise into my plan. It was the first time I’d entered a gym in more than a decade; crazy, right? But I made it work, figured out the equipment, and managed to make it to the gym up to five times a week. It was slow going, but after about six months, I needed to purchase a new wardrobe as all my dress clothes, shirts, shorts and jeans were too big.
At my lowest weight in that first year, I’d lost 52 lbs. I’ve gain about 10 of that back over the past year, largely driven by an increase in travel and stress factors. I’ve recommitted myself this year (before the New Years day) to lose the rest of my gut, assuming I can avoid beer (unlikely).
I guess what surprises and pleases me most, is that my biggest fear at least hasn’t become a reality. I wasn’t sure I had the willpower to keep the weight off once it was lost. However, because the lifestyle I’ve chose to follow to lose the weight has stayed with me, even though I’ve rebounded slightly, I’m still very happy and can’t wait to post an update in the next three years.
Diet, Exercise, Gym, Health,