8th Grade
Growing up I was a very skinny kid. I never had any weight issues. Was able to eat and drink anything I wanted without thinking.(More about that later) My mother and father both were overweight but only after entering their 20's. Looking back now I know that the only reason I was as skinny as I was is because I loved to play sports and be outside. I was never one to care about sitting in front of the TV and play video games. My idea of fun was to pickup sticks in the pasture.(I was in my early teens and this was how I convinced my Granddad to let me drive his truck)
Looking back I can see that I began putting on weight my senior year of high school. This was because I went from playing sports to taking up Business Co-Op and sitting at a desk all day. Even though I loved being out side picking up sticks, playing and mowing yards, I always wanted to have an office position.
Eye Opening Picture
This picture is what opened my eyes. I believe that this was taken in 2007 on a fishing trip with my company. I still keep this in my wallet so I can see where I NEVER want to be again. At this point I was at my heaviest weight of 285 lbs and wearing a tight 42" pants.
At that point and time I just got my butt in gear and BEGAN. I began going to the gym and using weight machines and spending time on the eliptical. I started eating less. Not necessarily better, but less. I was able to drop 30 lbs over a period of time which put me at 250 lbs. Over the next couple of years I fluctuated up and down and was able to get down another 10 lbs which put me at 240 lbs. Last year myself and several friends were challenged to run a 1/2 marathon. Because my wife decided to, I was then drug into it. I hated long distance running. It was never an event that I even thought about wanting to do in school. Come to find out, I like it. Though I have not continued to run on a regular basis, I really enjoy the fact that I CAN go out and cover 10-13 miles and I WILL NOT DIE. During the course of training for the 1/2 as well as doing BOOTCAMP workouts at the local YMCA, I was able to get down to 230 lbs. This 230 lbs was a wall. Most likely a self brought on wall but still I have not been able to break it.
I know I am jumping, but stick with me as I talk this out.
Over the past couple of weeks I have done a lot of thinking about WHY? I have come to realize that I may be classified as an emotional eater.
Over the past couple of months there have been several events that have added to my stress level.
Over the past couple of months I have began eating like CRAP again. Though not as bad as what you will see below, but not good. Couple this with not making it to the gym as I was, I have now put on 10 lbs which now puts me back at 240 lbs. ENOUGH'S ENOUGH!!!!!!
I look back over my journey and I see the following:
1998-2007
- Senior year of high school I find out that my mother is Bi-Polar. Her medicine that has kept her stable for so many years, has quit working and now she has to be put into a hospital to get things straightened out.
- Senior year of high school I ask my sweetheart to marry me. (YES we were crazy in love and still are 13.5 years later)
- Graduated High School and had to get things together since I was about to be a married man.
- Got married
- Had a couple different jobs
- Dad diagnosed with Kidney Cancer
- Wife had miscarriage
- Mother in & out of Deep Depressions & Manics which meant alot of time in the hospital
- Dad dies of cancer 8 months after he was told he had only 1 month to live. (HOME Hospice - Enough said)
- Baby #1
- Pregnant with Baby #2
- Get laid off from Job
- Baby #2
***285 lbs***
Above you can see that there was a lot of stress over the years. A lot was even left off as to spare you my chaos. Now I need to point out that I am HAPPILY Married and love my wife and life very much. The above bullet points are just a listing of what I can account my eating habits to. During the above period I know for a fact that I was not eating good. I cannot tell you what all I was eating though I can remember the following trip to Jack in the Box that I made prior to receiving the above picture and being awakened.(and I know this was a frequent trip)
Jack in the Box
6 Tacos @ 193 calories/ea = 1,158 calories
Big TX Cheeseburger = 557 calories
Large Coke = 499 calories
Calorie Total = 2,214 calories for LUNCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To this day this still make me sick. And the fact that I still ate breakfast, dinner, snacks and late night snacks is appalling. Couple the above with the fact that the distance from the Jack in the Box to my office is less than 5 miles with an estimated driving time of 10 minutes, I would FINISH ALL FOOD BEFORE GETTING TO THE OFFICE.
Like I said earlier, I never got on a DIET or Training Schedule, I just BEGAN. I just began looking for and finding that kid that loved to be active and found that he is still there.
As I began this post, I am doing this as a way to be held accountable. To my friends that are reading this, please do just that and ask me how I am keeping up. As of right now I have no plans on doing any dramatic diet changes as in becoming a vegetarian, or starting a supplement program. I am determined, as I have always been, to just eat HEALTHY & BETTER. So here we go. LETS DO THIS!!!
The above post was written a couple of weeks ago and I got a little hesitant in completing and posting as this puts me in a vulnerable place but I know that loosing this weight isn't going to be comfortable physically or mentally so here we go.
AS OF 9/5/13 These are my stats:
Shoulders: 54-1/2"
Chest: 48"
Waist (Navel): 43-3/4"
Calf: 16-1/4"
Thigh: 20-1/2"
Arm: 14-1/2"
Weight: 236.2 lbs
Lean Mass: 167.94 lbs
Fat Mass: 68.26 lbs
Scale Body Fat %: 32.9%
Caliper Body Fat %: 24.9%
Average Body Fat %: 28.92%
Heaviest Weight: 285 lbs
Current Weight: 236.2 lbs
Overall lbs Lost: 48.8 lbs
Overall % Lost: 17.12%
***Click HERE to see my Facebook page***
I will follow you to your goal!!!! I wish I had the courage to do this :-)
ReplyDeleteLove this. Good blessings to you Rusty. I know you can do it.
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