This is my very first post on reddit. This group is full of such inspiration I figured I'd share my story in hopes of maybe inspiring just one other person to start down their road to a healthier version of themself.
I still remember the day. I was working in a retail store. I was somewhere between 19 and 20 years old. It was one of those stores that kinda carried everything (think bed bath and beyond...but it wasn't bed bath and beyond). Anyway, we just got a shipment in. Lots of new little things that no one needs but everything was pretty cheap so I always took a look through new inventory. A fancy looking glass scale caught my eye. I bought it, and unpacked it as soon as I got home. I fired it up and stepped on. After a few seconds, there it was. 233.3lbs. I was in shock. I stood silent, not even breathing, for what felt like an eternity. It would be years before I ever dared step on a scale again.
Don't get me wrong, I've always been big as far back as I can remember. But I somehow went from being a cute 5 year old with "baby fat" and chubby cheeks to a man, well into the obese range of BMI. I don't think I ever used that scale again. I shoved it under the bed and never looked back. I spent the next decade (I can't believe it's been so long) trying (and failing) to lose weight. I'd not care for 6 months to a year and say "fuck it! My entire family is fat, what's one more??" then I'd go to being concerned about every ache and pain I'd feel in my body. Heavy breathing, random headaches, etc. And physically, my fat loved to hang around my mid section and my chest. Nothing kills your confidence at this age quite like a pot belly and man boobs. I remember all the years I spent walking around in super baggy shirts and hunched over because I was so sure it would make my boobs less noticeable. Looking back on photos...it didn't.
Fast forward to roughly 5 years ago, I ended up getting a job at a local gym. I wasn't doing anything physical for my job but I did get a free gym membership there (I like free!). One day when I was leaving the gym, I was walking by the cardio area (I had been there for months at that point and hadn't done a single bit of exercise at all) and I thought to myself "hell, I'm here several days a week...why not just hop on an elliptical one day and see what happens.
That following week on my day off, I decided to go try an elliptical. Y'all, I was TERRIFIED. Looking back, I'm surprised I even went through with it. There I was in my too big shorts and my too big shirt trying to figure out how an elliptical works while hoping no one was looking at me while also trying not to sweat so that my shirt wouldn't start sticking to my body because HELLO, MAN BOOBS!
That day changed my life.
For the next several months, all I did was 15-20 minutes on an elliptical 3-4 times a week. And back then, that was me pushing myself to the freaking limit! I remember the first day I was able to stay on the elliptical for 30 minutes, I was so excited I went home and had an entire box of pop-tarts (I never said my story was a perfect one ^_^). It was probably close to a year before I dared to go to the weight room (in my head I referred to this area as the "bro section").
As I sit here typing this, I'm roughly around 145lbs and training for a marathon. The other day in the gym, a guy stopped me that I don't ever recall seeing before. He said "I've seen you doing so much work here over the last few years and your progress is amazing. I just wanted to let you know, you're looking awesome." I've been complimented on my weight loss before, but this little exchange had me on cloud 9. If this guy noticed me (someone who seemed to be much fitter than I am now, btw) I'm hoping that maybe one other person there noticed me and used me as their motivation to stay on the elliptical for just one more minute or do just one more squat.
TL;DR: 233.3lbs -> 145lbs natural weight loss over ~ 4-5 years.
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