From Fat to Fit...a Fitness Do-Over

Fitness do-over, from left: 380 lbs at 21 years of age to 160 lbs at 24 years of age

I started gaining weight as a teenager, like many children of the 21^st century television, gaming and eating took over my life.

As an adolescent I was “allergic” to sporting games of any kind. At the age of 21, I ballooned to 380 lbs. The photo on the left was the image that changed my life. I thought to myself, “WOW, I’m bigger than the tree trunk!”

It was then I decided to start exercising, the first time I entered a gym, I lasted all off five minutes on the cardio machine. The second day, 6 minutes; but something inside me wanted to continue, I wanted to see what my face would look like without a double chin. It took me 2 years to lose the majority of the weight. What did I do? I never gave up, never worried about the stares or the snickering. I stuck to a plan:

Step one: Gave myself an initial timeline of 3 months

Step two: Removed snacks from my kitchen

Step three: Stuck to a meal plan

Step four: Pretended water was soda

Step five: Developed friendships with die hard gym fanatics

It’s still those steps I follow since the weight has been a constant challenge to keep off! I've been lucky, I have been able to use the benefits of this gym life and transitioned to teaching a cardio work out on a stationary bike known as "spin". A routine I'd explain in one of my future post.

The do-over continues, but remember don’t allow anyone to determine your destiny when it comes to yourself… it’s never too late in life for a fitness do-over.