New to this site - my introduction

decentyouth

Hi everyone.

I got fat!

Really fat!

And I looked ill.

I probably was.

Then I went on a diet and lost over 4 st. A calorie deficient diet with no exercise at all that dropped my mass from 16st to 11st 10lbs. A very good friend of mine reckoned I looked like a "skinny cripple", and looking back on the photographs of me then, his description of me was pretty accurate - albeit a tad scathing.

Yes, I had lost weight. But a lot of the mass that had perished was clearly muscle.

I got addicted to dieting and I ignored my friend's affectionate taunts. I reached 10st 2lbs; a look my wife did not like at all despite my BMI being where it should be.

That was in 2010. And it's at this point where I discovered the benefits of exercise. Cardio exercise appealed to me first because I was obsessed with calories and how much I could burn by rowing, cycling and cross training. Rowing was my favourite activity.

Not long after starting my fitness regime I noticed muscles poking through my skin in places I had never seen them before. And I liked the look. I started weight training.

Weight training / strength training has become my favourite activity with running taking a secondary role. I've put on good weight over the years by paying special attention to my diet and how I exercise.

I'm a lean figure nowadays and extremely strong, yet I look very slim. My BMI is in the fat range but everyone I know thinks I'm under-weight! I feel confident wearing tight clothes and for the first time in my life, clothes actually fit me properly.

I am passionate about nutrition, diet and exercise. Almost obsessed! They're important factors in my life that I would not want to give up having got this far.

I've joined this site to keep track of my weight and hopefully reduce my percentage body fat through appropriate exercise and nutrition. I'm looking for friends to encourage me and offer advice. And I intend to share what I have learned about dieting and exercise in my blog; the good, the bad and what was most effective for me.

Good luck to everyone.