Annual Physical

When the doctors diagnosed me with MS and I was a bit over 350 pounds, I told them I was going to lose the weight and get back into shape. They told me I was building myself up for a huge let down and that in five to eight years I would, very likely, be in a wheel chair. It's now 5 years later and I am in the best shape I have been in since I was playing college football! New Year's Day was my clubs Commitment Day 5K and I ran it in my own record time, one tick under 29 minutes. This weekend I am running the Houston Aramco Half-Marathon. Wheelchair Huh?!!! Mwah, ha, ha!!!

NEVER tell a Texan that something CANNOT be done. The word "CANNOT" is not in our vocabulary! I had my annual physical yesterday and my personal doctor, also my sports physician and one of my best personal friends, told me I had blown him away. He said "we've been friends for over 30 years and I know better than anyone how obstinate you can be but you, my old friend, have completely blown me away!" That made my day!

Oh...for the record. I had my monthly biometrics done last week and here are the progress stats. Keep in mind that when I began my "journey" I was 347 pounds, had a 62" waist and hardly an ounce of muscle on me. I'm not sure what my Body Fat Percentage was at that time but a year or so earlier my doc friend had measured it to try and talk me off my road of self-destruction and it was 62%. OUCH! So, I decided it was time to wake up. I had once been a starting athlete and knew how to eat and exercise. Dammit, I would do this! So I did. Boy did I! I stopped the cutting when I found that I had been so successful in my weight loss that I had become severely catabolic and was actually having trouble stopping. I suppose Bones was right. I guess I am pretty obstinate! SO here are the numbers which tell the whole story. The first number is at the point where I had hired a professional dietary coach and personal trainer to get the weight loss stabilized, and began my formal strength training some 18 months ago. Pay attention to the Body Fat Percentage. This is very interesting. I still had nearly twice the body fat I have today when I was 20 pounds lighter. This absolutely proves tow things. Muscle is much heavier than fat and the whole "BMI" theory that only takes into account your height and weight is bunk!

Weight 167 lb / 186.6 lb
Body Fat 18.3% / 10.9%
Neck 15.5" / 16.5"
Shoulders 45.75" / 49.5"
Chest 41" / 42"
Waist 38" / 35.5"
Upper Arms 12" / 14.5"
Forearms 10.5" / 12.75"
Hips 40" / 38"
Quads 20" / 22"
Calves 14.5" / 16"

So. I still have a Very long way to go but, as my personal trainer told me, I have an excellent foundation and, as anyone knows, when you have a good foundation, you can build anything! The only problem I have now is that my old competitive nature is back with a vengeance and, with it, a little bit of ego. As anyone who seriously works out knows, you HAVE TO put your ego at bay when working out. It's alright to allow yourself to be motivated by those with perfect builds at the gym but you cannot allow this envious attitude eat at you to the point where you will either say there is no hope for me or overwork yourself. I have learned the whole process is much more than just going to the gym and lifting weights. Diet, Nutrition and Rest are all imperative! Remember, your strength and muscle size does not happen during the actual exercise (hypertrophy), albeit a good heavy workout program is an integral part. You actually experience growth during the rest and feed phase so proper nutrition and plenty of rest is absolutely necessary. It's a lot of work but nothing of any real value comes easy. The beautiful view we experience at the summit is only possible after a hard climb up the mountain! All good things in time and a time for all good things! It doesn't matter if you've built a massive set of biceps in no time or if you've gained 1" in 1 year, and sometimes you will even have periods of setbacks. That's OK folks! As long as you show up and put forth the effort, you are WAY ahead of the national average and A WINNER!

Thanks for your time and I wish you all continued success. Stay 'Healthy' My Friends!!!