Hi there. I'm Rick. I'm a 31 yr old college administrator from Johnstown, PA. I've been a lurker around this site and it's forums looking for workout tips and last Friday I bit the bullet and joined up. I've recently restared dieting and working out for the Nth time and I'm praying that this time I'm able to make it a reality.
I've been heavy for almost as long as I can remember. I've had always been a bit on the chubby side. I've never been sporty or athletic. I'm a lifelong nerd and have always preferred reading, roleplaying games, video games and movies to physical activity. Boy Scouts, hiking, camping and other outdoor activities helped but never really got me healthy. This was the case all through high school and college. Once I finished grad school, I got heavier than I had ever been before, ballooning to 255lbs.
The grind of working a 9-5 desk job with little to no exercise took it's toll on me. After I got married my wife and I decided to get healthy and we joined Weight Watchers. I lost 60lbs over the course of 7 months and my wife was not far behind me. We both we very proud of our accomplishments and then life changed.
I was offered a position in her family's hometown (which put me four hours closer to mine too). We jumped at the opportunity and the worm turned. All of the old bad habits came back. Unhealthy eating increased drastically and exercise trickled down to nothing, and our weight returned. Now that we've been here for 3 years I've gained nearly everything back and feeling depressed, disappointedm, and very unhealthy.
My current weight is a concern because heart disease and hypertension run in my family. Additionally, I recently learned I'm conisdered a good candidate for colon cancer. In not so many words, I needed to get off my sorry butt and do somthing about it!
I've been exercising off and on since last September, but nothing I had seriously dedicated myself to. I had joined a kickboxing class and found that weight and endurance put me at a serious disadvantage. I had trouble getting through the whole class and was very winded afterword. My attendance started to drop off and finally I quit. I really enjoyed it the martial arts, but I felt that I could not keep up.
Which brings me to the present. My wife and I joined a gym and for the past 2 months I have been going three times a week in the AM. I ran on the elliptical machine and did a "beginners workout." I trained mostly on the machines and the elliptical with a little walking mixed in. It was tough but the results have been good.
I did not lose any weight, but I did gain some noticeable muscle mass. I've been happy with the results I've seen and I'm ready to bring my training to the next level. My wife and I have started the Sonoma Diet last week and with help pf my father-in-law (who is an ex-powerlifter) I've started my new workout plan which puts me in the gym 6 times a week. My goal is now to lose 60 pounds by December and hopefully in one year be in fighting condition and be able to return to kickboxing.
So far it's been tough trying to dig the healthy me out of my overweight form, but it's been worth it. I've begun finding myself looking forward to my workouts and my willpower improving greatly. I've enjoyed reading many of your accomplishments and they are encouraging. Thanks for all the tips and recommendation you've offered. I look forward to getting involved here and getting healthy.
Cheers!
