Here I stand, a new man...

I just want to share the story of the journey I have been through these last 10 months. I started out at the beginning of the year at almost 285 lbs, mind you I am 6'5. I had all kinds of back problems, nothing major; no diabetes or high blood pressure but I am only 23!

I told myself at the beginning of the year that I had to start making changes to my eating habits and exercise routine or I was going to be a sick person before I was even 30. I ran a 5k in January in 32:15. I started to exercise daily, follow this app (thank you so much for something so wonderful, it's been a godsend with keeping me in check with my below-average eating habits!) and run all the time. I ran my first even 5k race in June, where I finished sixth and won my age group in 24:19. I kept training and staying focused and ran another one on September 30th in 22:42. I was 23rd out of 338 runners and fourth in my age group. I have discovered that I am a runner who just thrives on running, I can't get enough of it. It's addicting. I remember last November (2011) I could even jog a half a block without getting tired and dizzy. I just got in a from a 6 mile run at 1AM. It keeps me sane and I love every minute of it. I had a new year's resolution to lose 60 lbs and run and finish a half marathon (I never set a goal but as I progressed further and further, I opted for sub 2 hours.)

I ran my first half marathon on October 7, 2012 and finished 16th out of 167 runners while finishing runner-up in my age group in a time of 1:43:22, or 7:55/mile. Never in a MILLION years did I think I could go from not running a few hundred feet without stopping to running 13.1+ miles in just 10 months. Also shaving almost 10 minutes off my 5k PR. Something that just boggles my mind.

Now on to the fun part:

January 2012
Weight: 284 lbs
Body Fat: 40.4%

October 2012
Weight: 209 lbs
Body Fat: 10.1%!!!! (This completely shocked me...)

I cut my body fat by 75%. Wowsers.

Anyways, thanks for allowing me to share my story, It's been the most amazing year of my life and I feel honored that I can share it with you guys. I wish I knew how to attach pictures. Feel free to add me as a friend on here, I love to inspire and motivate as well as be inspired and motivated by all of your successes!