Athletes gone wrong....

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TheFabTam
TheFabTam Posts: 88 Member
in Chit-Chat
Anyone else out there used to be a champ? Anyone else out there discouraged with their current state after knowing what your body can already do? Anyone else let past victories be excuses to let yourself go?

I was the undefeated female fighter of the year three years running in the Pacific Northwest from ages 15-18, I was the head of my tournament team and next in line to be Head Black Belt of my father's school, I was the starting prop on my high school's Rugby team for two years, and I was constantly trying to physically out do every man, woman , and child who walked through our school's doors. Then I turned 18....

Got a little too big for my britches. Thought I knew everything and rebelled against my father and decided Martial Arts wasn't for me at the moment, then school ended, so did Rugby, and eventually working out all together became less and less prominent in my day. I ballooned up to 300lbs. (I'm 5'9). I managed at two years ago to get back down to 200lbs, but over the last two years I've gained 50lbs back.

I'm 24years old now and I'm discouraged. I want to be the formed fit self I used to be. I want to be that girl all the little girls wanted to be and looked up to again. I just don't know how to go back in this state. I'm almost too afraid to go back in the ring and take my title back, because I feel like I'm not a great as I once was. How do other former athletes cope and deal with this as they are trying to turn it all around? Discuss?
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Replies

  • ericmessier
    ericmessier Posts: 235 Member
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    Used to play hockey. Shattered ankle. Pins. Told me I could never skate/run long distances. I now run 5ks. Holler.
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
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    Used to play hockey. Shattered ankle. Pins. Told me I could never skate/run long distances. I now run 5ks. Holler.

    5k's?
    Run farther.
  • ericmessier
    ericmessier Posts: 235 Member
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    Used to play hockey. Shattered ankle. Pins. Told me I could never skate/run long distances. I now run 5ks. Holler.

    5k's?
    Run farther.
    No thanks. I get bored after running for 30+ minutes.
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
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    Used to play hockey. Shattered ankle. Pins. Told me I could never skate/run long distances. I now run 5ks. Holler.

    5k's?
    Run farther.
    No thanks. I get bored after running for 30+ minutes.

    YOU JUST SCARED
  • ericmessier
    ericmessier Posts: 235 Member
    Options
    Used to play hockey. Shattered ankle. Pins. Told me I could never skate/run long distances. I now run 5ks. Holler.

    5k's?
    Run farther.
    No thanks. I get bored after running for 30+ minutes.

    YOU JUST SCARED
    NO, JUST FAT.
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
    Options
    Used to play hockey. Shattered ankle. Pins. Told me I could never skate/run long distances. I now run 5ks. Holler.

    5k's?
    Run farther.
    No thanks. I get bored after running for 30+ minutes.

    YOU JUST SCARED
    NO, JUST FAT.

    TRU DAT

    *FIST BUMP*
  • ericmessier
    ericmessier Posts: 235 Member
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    CAN WE BUMP STOMACHS INSTEAD?
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
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    CAN WE BUMP STOMACHS INSTEAD?

    DUH!
  • TheFabTam
    TheFabTam Posts: 88 Member
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    How do you change from athlete, to fattie, back to athlete again? Its more of a mental question instead of a physical one I suppose.
  • ericmessier
    ericmessier Posts: 235 Member
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    How do you change from athlete, to fattie, back to athlete again? Its more of a mental question instead of a physical one I suppose.
    Impossible.
  • TheFabTam
    TheFabTam Posts: 88 Member
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    It can't be impossible....
  • devilwhiterose
    devilwhiterose Posts: 1,157 Member
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    Not quite sure...

    I used to swim 3 miles and bike 8-10 miles every Saturday until I broke my wrist and had muscle blown out of my thigh in a car accident.

    I miss the days before the accident...

    I guess I don't think of the "how did I get this way" as much as I think of..."I want to do those things again. Lets do ittttttttt." Finding Nemo and Nike had it right... Just keep swimming and Just do it.
  • TheFabTam
    TheFabTam Posts: 88 Member
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    Not quite sure...

    I used to swim 3 miles and bike 8-10 miles every Saturday until I broke my wrist and had muscle blown out of my thigh in a car accident.

    I miss the days before the accident...

    I guess I don't think of the "how did I get this way" as much as I think of..."I want to do those things again. Lets do ittttttttt." Finding Nemo and Nike had it right... Just keep swimming and Just do it.

    Just keep swimming. lol Yeah I suppose that could work. I know what you mean tho. I miss how it felt to be me before all then. I ended up straining my ACL in Rugby as well that gives me a few problems every now and then, but I really just want to roll into a ring and knock it outta the park again. Even if its just one more time.
  • devilwhiterose
    devilwhiterose Posts: 1,157 Member
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    I miss how awesome I looked. I could swim like a fish and now I'd probably die after a mile.

    Kids kind of killed it for me too... There's only so many hours in the day and I have 3 kids and a fulltime job. It's a bummer how sometimes life gets in the way.

    Off to the gym tonight!
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
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    The good news is you have a lot of positives on your side:

    - Time. You're still young.

    - Experience. You've been a top athlete before so you are familiar with the hard work and sacrifice necessary to get there.

    - Learned from mistakes. You've recognized that some youthful ideas maybe weren't the best ones for you.

    - Motivated. Hit rock bottom and now you want to change things.

    So now is the time to get going. There are lots of people on this site who have undertaken a similar journey on this site and made it happen. Now it's your turn. You need a plan of attack so if you can afford it get a professional trainer/health care professional to create a program for you. Then it's just a matter of executing and being patient.

    Life is a journey, it's about getting back your health and developing a sustainable life style that allows you to do the things you want to accomplish in life...
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    You have a big advantage as you were at one time fit and strong. Get into a routine and you will return to fitness quite quickly. Some of us were never in shape until relatively late in life. I only started when I was around 34 or so. I feel it's been a big handicap for strength gains, but certainly doable.

    The sooner you start the better. But it's never too late.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Went from a very fit Marine to a very fat couch potato. Now I'm back to being a weapon. It's a day at a time. Set some high goals and push yourself beyond it. You still have what it takes because you proved it in the past. That never dies, it's buried under doubt. It's you against you.
  • osualex
    osualex Posts: 409 Member
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    I was a competitive swimmer and lacrosse player in high school. Got up to 200 lbs in college, I've lost 50 and I only have maybe 10-20 more to go. Good thing I banked all that muscle mass while I was still growing!
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    You know what's awesome is that you probably have a butt-load of lean body mass... you probably burn calories like crazy. Don't screw it up by crash dieting to try and get them off quickly.

    You are primed to be in even better shape than you ever were in your teens if you go about this the right way.

    You want to eat as much as you can eat while still losing in a healthy way. You can do this. BTW, can you go back to martial arts?! Killer workout... I did 10 years of kickboxing training. Soooo gooood...
  • doc800
    doc800 Posts: 148
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    Nationally ranked in both Track and wrestling. Then life and more life and here I am

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