Hopefully the 1st day of the rest of my life

sekfireman603

I started with my "lifestyle change" (the word diet has never worked for me) yesterday. Im 28, will be 29 next month and have been overweight my entire life. I have always been active in sports, but never able to shed the pounds. When I was 21, I started preparing for life after college, and finding a job as a career firefighter. Finding a job motivated me enough to where I joined two gyms (one had the equipment I liked more, but was only open until the evening, and the other was 24 hours so I could do cardio late at night) I cut out most of the carbs out of my diet, because that was what was popular at the time, and in a year managed to go from 289 to 212. I landed a job as a fireman and moved away from the comforts of my gyms, and in the last 6 years have gone from being fit and healthy at 212 to being at my heaviest at 316. I work in a small town where the closest gym is 10 miles away, which doesn't seem like a problem, but on my 24 hour shifts and 24 hour call days, I can't leave town which made it very easy for me to become complacent in my workouts to a point where I haven't been to the gym in years. Coupled with this, it is nothing for us to get off a call at 2 am and make a McDonalds run on the way back to the station, or to eat what is leftover in the fridge when we get back. In this time, I've become a paramedic and as I approach my 30's the reality of my job scares me in my own life. I see people all the time that are in their 30's, 40's and 50's suffering from diseases that they could have easily avoided had they chosen a different lifestyle. My wife and I don't have any kids yet, but I don't want to be that 35 year old dad that can't play outside because I'm so winded. The laundry list of medications I see these younger-middle aged people taking scares me more than I can explain. Like I said, I've been overweight my entire life, but as an overweight kid, you don't think of the consequences of being an overweight adult. So here I am, trying to take back my own life. Be an example to myself and those around me who could use the motivation and encouragement that it takes to do this. The bad part is, I myself need motivation too. I'm a very impatient person and the history goes that if I don't see results quick enough, then "its not working" I want to break all the thought processes that I have developed over the years about exercising and eating healthy, and literally take this journey and run with it. I found myfitnesspal.com from a friend, and put the app on my phone so I have no excuse to not log my meals and exercise. Hopefully in posting here I can find people who have or are struggling, like I have so many times before and we can come out on the other side of this triumphantly. I wish you the best of luck on all your journeys and hope to make a few friends here.

wackedoutpet13

Welcome and good luck!

sekfireman603

Thank you!