Getting Back on the Wagon (looking for others to do the same

cannersport55

So here's my story,

I've always been bigger. I played football all through middle and high school and ended up playing in college. As anyone know's who follows football, linemen are supposed to be big and that's what I was. I went to a military academy for college and by the winter of my senior year I wasn't where I needed to be health wise.

I had to do mandatory PT (physical training) in the early morning to get back in shape or face expulsion. This lit a fire under my boat to stop loafing around feeling sorry for myself and do something about my fitness. I started eating a protein rich diet, and used meal supplement shakes at times instead of unhealthy alternatives. As far as working out went, I mostly did cardio which wasn't easy when I started.

As time went on, i was able to run faster, and longer on the treadmill. I would usually do 20 minutes on the treadmill and then do 30 minutes on the elliptical, challenging myself to burn 100 calories every 5 minutes so I would get off having burned 600 calories.

This may not work for everyone but it did for me. By March I was down to 220, I started around 235. Once the weather got warm I started running off campus and started running distances I had never gone before. One day I went on a 10k run with some of my friends, all of whom were much lighter and more fit than me, but I managed to finish the 6.2 miles in just over 50 minutes, a good pace for a big guy I'd say.

The real crowning achievement was when we took our final fitness test in May so we were in compliance to graduate. My kryptonite had always been the dreaded 1.5 mile run, which a male 20-24 years old had to do in 12 minutes or less to pass. I finished ahead of a lot of people I didn't expect to, and ended with a time of 10:30, a 7 minute mile pace.

After graduation I got a girlfriend and was eating home cooked food again, which at my house is not a good thing. The increase was steady and I did little to prevent it. My sustained weight is now around 250, matching my highest weight ever, which I was my senior year of high school.

My goal is to get back down to at least my graduation weight of 215. I know I can do it, but discipline foremost with food is my main focus. I'm doing a similar cardio routine as before, but I'm also doing a 5 day weight lifting routine with it as well.

I know the results will come soon. I would love to have some friends on here to challenge and be challenged by to get back in shape. Happy exercising.

Ben