83 lbs down....

Raiderxx · February 2013

This is originally a blog post for my Team In Training blog site, but I haven't posted a real success post here before so I figured it would be cool to do so.....

Hi, for those of you that know me already, thanks for taking the time to read this. For those of you that don't know me, thanks for taking the time to read this! I'll just start from the beginning..........A long time ago in a Galaxy far.........okay, for real this time.

As a kid growing up, I was always the chunky one. I wasn't always really big, but I was always overweight. I played sports and did lots of activities with my friends, but fitness was never anything I truly focused on. As I got older, my activity level fell and I picked up playing video games with my friends. I continued playing sports up until highschool when I broke my wrist at my first off season football practice (that's a story for another day). That is when I really ballooned up and gained a lot of weight. I was lethargic, depressed, angry, and a whole lot of fat. I tried tons of different things to get the weight off. I couldn't stick with anything that I tried. I didn't want to stick with anything I tried. My heaviest weigh in was 285 lbs, although I am sure I weighed more than that at one point, and when I saw that number I knew something had to change.

The first thing I did was change my diet. I discovered a website called MyFitnessPal and started using it to track my calorie intake. I started losing weight and after a month of solely tracking calories, I decided it was time to start working out too. I knew I was going to start working out, but didn't know what I was going to do. This is where my Uncle Lance comes into my story. On Thanksgiving day of 2011, Lance suggested I try an run a 5K. I laughed at him and said "Yea, doubt it". This is where my running began.

When I first started up with running I had very little knowledge on what I was doing and if I was doing it right but I knew I was taking steps, no pun intended, in the right direction. I started doing what I could on a tredmill. Jogging as long as I could, and then walking for longer dreading to start the cycle over, but alas, I did. The first few weeks were grueling. GRUELING. Every morning was a battle with myself to get up and get it done. I did stick with it though.

After a month or so of running I was able to run an entire mile without stopping. It felt great. Knowing for sure now that as long as I stuck with it, nothing could stop me. I knew now that IT IS ALL ABOUT THE MINDSET and that anything is possible. This is when I fell in love with running. With this new love, came new goals and aspirations. So I signed up for the 5K I thought I wouldn't be able to do, and low and behold I was able to run the whole thing without stopping. I have since then run a few more 5Ks, I have run a 10K without stopping, and completed an obstacle course 5K. All of which were goals that I set for myself to complete. Now onto my current goal....

All of this has brought me to this point. I have never felt better about myself and my future, and have many things I want to mark off my bucket list that would have never been on the list before. One of those things being........complete a marathon.

That is the end of the original post, which is obviously more about running than the weight loss stuff, so I shall wrap it up with extra info for my MFPeeps!

Along with all my running I also started lifting heavy weights, which was the best decision I have made so far. I also started eating cleaner. I don't eat as clean as some of my friends on here, but I am working on it. As of last Monday I weighed in at 193 lbs and have a clear mind. I still haven't gotten to my goal weight, but I know I will get there and now don't care how long it will take. I would have to say that the biggest thing that has helped me get past all of the ups and downs was getting in the mindset that I was doing this for myself and no one else. Once I did that, everything else fell into place. Here are a few older pictures, and a few newer ones. The last two are my band's first set of promo pictures, and the most recent promo pictures. Thanks for reading if you made it all the way through!

Bigger me....

Smaller me....

Band promo comparisons....

toomuchbootyindapants · February 2013

You clean up well.

You've done a phenomenal job man! You look like an entirely different person. I'd do ya! hahahha *muah*

jknoell · February 2013

Fantastic job!! You look amazing!

DrBentonQuest · February 2013

Good job on losing a small person and switching from alternative-grunge to American folk.

pastryari · February 2013

You do look like a different person! Fantastic job, you look great!

momslastdiet · February 2013

Awesome!! You look great and are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work

TheDarlingOne · February 2013

great job!

Raiderxx · February 2013

Good job on losing a small person and switching from alternative-grunge to American folk.

LMFAO.

We actually play death metal!

jakeVScalories · February 2013

and 17 more to go. dont quit man, doing amazing things

SuzieQ724 · February 2013

You do clean up well, as someone else said and I'd even let you meet my daughter

Seriously, though, you've helped to inspired me to return to running -- I was a 30 mile a week runner a number of years ago and have the desire to get back to that -- maybe not back to that same distance, but at least back to running again. Thank you for sharing your story and I wish you much success in your continued journey.