From Then till Now

My story starts a number of years back.

Growing up in I rode a 20" BMX, and a 24" Mountain Bike everywhere. Along with Playing High School Baseball, and Varsity High School football, I was the Starting Nose Tackle from my Sophomore through my senior year. In the off time I was working out in out weight room, or riding around. I was a lean, mean, 190 pounds as a Senior in High School.

When I graduated school and stopped playing sports the bikes got parked, the weights went in the corner and I began a downward spiral to where I was. From 2001 to 2014 I went from 190 pounds up to 326 pounds. But I was a happy 326 pounds. I didn't see my weight as a problem.

Well in June of 2014 my wife and I went to a local amusement park, Cedar Fairs Kings Island, for one of her work picnics. Later in the day I worked up enough nerve to ride The Diamondback. It had been a decade or more since I rode a coaster. Well low and behold I was too big to ride the coaster. I had to make the walk of shame. At no point in my life was I so motivated, so upset, so moved. I was mad. But not at Kings Island. I was mad at myself. All I could see was where I was.. to where I am.

That was a on Saturday. The following Sunday morning, everything was it always was. But one thing was different, the will to make a change.... Come Monday everything was going to change. Cold Turkey. I stopped eating out so much. I started making food at home more often. I was eating fruits and veggies, something that was limited in previous diet. I started walking. I started small. I would walk 1/4 mile. Then when I was comfortable with 1/4 mile I would stretch it out to a 1/2 mile. I worked out to 3 miles by the 1/4 mile increments. Up to 3 miles. At that point I decided it was time to start jogging. So I downloaded C25K and started training for a 5K. And I bought a Bike about the same time. It was time fall in love with those 2 weeks that I knew my entire child hood. I downloaded apps to track my mileage, my speed, my distance.... I was tracking every calorie taken in, and every calorie spent...

And for a solid summer it was cycling, jogging, and eating right. And the pounds dropped off me. One by one....

Once winter started coming around I didn't want to lose the endurance or all the hard work that I had trained for. So I joined a gym, Planet Fitness. And I started going there just to Run. I would get on the Tread Mill and fulfill my C25K obligations. Then I started weight training. Started building some muscles back that I had let go to waste.

Once spring rolled around I broke down and got a real bike from a Local Bike Shop and started logging miles again. My pace picked up, my speed picked up. I was going longer with fewer calories spent.

June rolled around again, with a different number following it 2015. I stepped on the scale one year following my first small step. 217 pounds. I went form 326 pounds to 217 pounds in one calendar year.

Here it is June of 2016 and I can say that I'm sitting happily at 223 pounds, still riding. Still running. Still lifting weights.

Since that first little step I've ran several 5K's, 1 10K, A half Marathon. I've rode in several Cycling Sportives. And I've maintained at least one endurance based sporting event every month so far this summer. In fact my first Cycling Race is tomorrow night... 2 years of hard work and dedication is coming to a head, and I'll finally see where I stand ....

I don't say this to bring glory to myself. But to encourage those who are just starting out, might be on their 2nd month, or those who just need encouragement maintaining where they are at

The picture below was taken every other month for a year. .
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