One of the things I have learned since I'd graduated High School several years ago is that the youthful physique and near limitless energy that I maintained when I was younger does not stay with you if you do not use it. From my lean high school weight of 160 lbs, with the ability to knock out 90 pushups in 3 minutes and beat everyone I raced hands down when it came to short distance sprinting - I went to a slobbish 225 lbs at my peak in 2005, due to my poor eating choices and sloth-like physical exertions.
Maybe I just had bad genes? Maybe the fast food companies had this big conspiracy to load up their food with fattening things that would cause me to gain all the weight? Maybe it was stress? Maybe it was because my bosses didn't pay me enough? Maybe it was because my ex-wife had this plan to use her magical powers granted upon her by the Abyss to suck the life energy from me until I could be discarded as a lifeless husk? I am positive it had nothing to do with the fact that my activity level was limited to my fingers mashing the hell out of buttons on video games and my diet of chips, cookies, whip cream, potatoes, and tons of other foods from the food pyramid.
I did seem to be ballooning up fairly well... and it seemed to happen so quickly. Beginning in 2003 - I began the super diet that was sure to cure me of this disease. I was ready to order bacon with a side of bacon - topped off with a steak and some chicken breast - and add in a bag of pork skins while you are at it. You know it as the Atkin's Diet. Boy did I lose weight! I went from 210 lbs in early 2003 to about 185 lbs a few months later. Starving my body of carbs was working almost as well as vomiting after every meal does for models. I had lost all that weight! Now it was time to go back to normal and continue my normal lifestyle of video gaming and cookies. As it should be.
In mid-2004 I was back up to 210 lbs... by January of 2005 this was 225 lbs. I wanted to give Dr. Atkins a call and complain that I was no longer skinny - but alas he had slipped and died the prior year... at a weight of 265 lbs himself. I made a vow in early 2005 to lose weight. I slightly changed my eating patterns and lost about 10 lbs over the course of the year, ending 2005 at 215 lbs. I was beginning to notice problems with having a heavy chest when I breathed... my eyesight was bothering me - and I was feeling tired and drained consistently. I was sleeping 4 - 6 hours per night and performing poorly in the one physical activity that as a man I love to do.
I decided in December of 2005 that I would do whatever it takes, however hard in order to lose the weight and regain a healthy lifestyle. The first - and most crucial step towards losing weight was to decide for real that I was ready to do whatever it takes. The second step was making a real plan that included all the different factors that affected my metabolism; sleep, diet, exercise. The third step was keeping a log of my progress. The final step was sticking with it, keeping my eye on the prize.
- Decide to lose weight - realize that you must be willing to do whatever it takes, however hard it is.
- Make a real plan that includes all the different factors of a healthy lifestyle - 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night, eat healthy and often - learn about serving sizes, calories, and vitamins, get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day.
- Keep a log of your progress - I used a website, Spark People to track my progress. Use a notebook, an excel spreadsheet, whatever you are comfortable with.
- Stick with it - keep your eye on the prize. - Reward yourself also. Small victories. I pointed at June 2006 as the month I would like to weigh in around 175 lbs (from a starting weight of 215 lbs in January) I looked at the scale every week - sometimes I had lost a pound, sometimes two or three, sometimes none. I averaged around 5 lbs per month, but there was one month in which I had not lost any weight at all - but I still felt great.
I made my goal in early June. As I write this in September I am still between 170 and 175 lbs. The biggest tip I can give anyone is to cut out all non-diet sodas. Believe me - after going 9 - 10 months without them the diet ones taste just as good. Regular Coke tastes like drinking syrup after going without for so long. A regular soda does not add to your nutrition - and it packs on as many calories as you should take in during an entire meal. They simply cannot be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle in my opinion.
For exercise do whatever you like as long as you keep moving constantly for 30 minutes. I would recommend not just walking - but if that is all you can do it is better than nothing. I began running and could barely go for a consistent 30 seconds in February and had to walk for 5 minutes afterwards. Now I run at least twice per week for a distance of 3 - 4 miles in about 20 minutes. Small victories add up. If you want to get into running, I recommend the "Couch to 5k" plan that is listed online on several websites. If you want to primarily do weight training, I recommend circuit training.
This is a general overview of course, and while I do not think that one single 'plan' or 'diet' works for everyone - I do believe that you cannot go wrong with a healthy lifestyle. Do it for your health first. Vanity last.
Link of the Day:
Active.com
Active.com "offers an online database of more than 100,000 events and activities in over 50 sports in 5,000 cities nationwide, from 5K runs and marathons to cycling races and triathlons. Finding events is easy and online registration makes participation fast and convenient."
I recommend taking a look if you are wanting to find exercise partners with similar interests as yourself in your area. For instance, by searching in Birmingham, AL for Mountain Biking I have several results of clubs in my area with their websites and contact information listed.
I had purchased two DVD movies from Target over the weekend, on sale for $10.00 apiece. Team America: World Police, and the Special Edition of Patton with George C. Scott. I should have suspected that something nefarious was at hand by having such a good deal on the movies. As I found out later, I may in fact been funding 
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