I am your average early 30 something that was out of shape. I found myself focusing on my career and always making excuses as to why I couldn’t work-out. I did not get a lot of sleep.. i was very stressed.. then to make it even worse I rewarded myself with bad food. In my 20′s I did make some attempts to get back into shape, diet, etc… You name the diet my wife and I have tried it. Atkin’s, South Beach, 40/40/30, 1800 calories a day, nutrisystem… etc. It didn’t work..
This vicious cycle all crescendo’ed up to me weighing about 314 lb.. ok no about .. it was 314 at the age of 29. RIDICULOUS!!@!!!@#$!$ I said enough is enough. I could give you 100 excuses for why I got up to that weight but lets not sugar coat it.. it was my fault. I hired a personal trainer to get me back into basic workout shape. I started eating healthier but didnt really have a plan. I ended up getting back to under 300 (About 295). This is when I decided to take the next step…
Join Crossfit.. Best decision thus far in my battle with weight. I look forward to working out.. I can just show-up and do it.. No planning, No thinking… No hurdles… Great folks to workout with that inspire/push you. In about 6 months I have gone from 295- 285 but that is a deceiving stat… I have lost 6 inches of my waist.. My clothes are loose.. I feel great.. My stamina is the highest its been since college. Genetically I am just a bigger guy. I am an ex-football guy and always focused on strength.. bench press, squats, leg press, etc. In college I got down to 205lbs, I had an 8 pack, 35 inch waist, and could bench 385lbs. (/cue Bruce now) I refer to this as GLORY days… So basically I have been swapping fat for muscle at crossift and it explains my minimal 10lb weightloss. In about 2 months my crossfit total increased from 865 to 1010 (Max Squat + Max Shoulder Press + Max Deadlift).
As there are no quick fixes to weight loss.. I view Paleo as the next step in this adventure into healthy living. My steps to recovery thus far..
- Admitting I have a problem and committing to doing something about it
- Getting back into basic workout shape (For me it was hiring a trainer)
- Getting involved into a regular workout regiment (Crossfit Pittsburgh)
- Changing my eating habit to a healthy life style (Paleo.. key thin here is I did not use the word diet.. this is a lifestyle change for me)
- Who knows???
In my opening sentence is used the term “ average early 30 something that was out of shape”.. you may be asking yourself do you consider yourself in shape? My answer is I am getting there.. To me this isnt a boolean statement of True vs. False.. How can someone weighing 285 say they are in shape? I have been consistently working out for over a year.. intensely for the past 6 months.. I am feeling the best I have felt since college. So I am in a much better place.
I am not a fitness expert.. I am not an elite athlete.. I am just your average joe desk jockey that let things get of hand. This 30 day paleo challenge is the next step in my turnaround. I hope people find this useful and learn from my mistakes.
