Operation: Couch to Cougar [Progress Report with photo!]

A bit about me:

When I was in high school, I was very careful about what I ate. I got tons of exercise and was probably the healthiest I've ever been. Going to college posed the risk of gaining the infamous "freshman 15," but I was determined not to add to the statistic. All was going great until I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma. I remember having lunch with my mother between doctor's appointments: I, eating my salad (dressing on the side) and drinking a glass of water; she, with a bacon cheeseburger, long island ice tea and a cigarette making me wonder why the hell *I* had cancer. Long story short, I survived (obviously), but my healthy attitude didn't. I was (and to some extent still am) bitter about the whole experience. Getting sick really screwed up a great time in my life and though, rationally, I can see that being healthy is part and parcel to how I survived, a petulant voice in my head keeps sulking that it didn't stop me from nearly dying in the first place.

Fast forward 10 years and here I am; alive, but FAR less healthy and no happier. My wife has been on this site for quite a while now and is looking fabulous! She's lost 6 dress sizes and even began working on some muscle tone. After a few months of gentle prodding and good-natured nagging, she finally got me on board as well. I'd had a nasty stomach bug for a couple of weeks and through lack of sufficient food and...well, I'm sure you can imagine, I'd dropped a good amount of weight. Not wanting that to go to waste, I finally decided to make a conscious effort to get back into shape.

I'll be 30 this October and I don't want to be a slug anymore. My wife has been worried about me developing health problems and I love her too much to keep making her worry. Besides, I miss being able to buy the cute clothes. By this time next year I want us both to look and feel even better.

I've been a member for 10 weeks and lost about as many pounds in that time. Since getting married last summer, I've lost a total of 35 lbs, and since I've started here I've lost 1 bra cup and inches all over. :-D I was even able to squeeze into a size 14 dress this week! Any you know what? I feel great! I didn't realize how depressed I was until I started feeling better.

So here it is, my before and after. It may only be one step on the road, but it's one step closer. Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive. I wish you all the best!



PS: Other than my somewhat less fatness, these pictures also apparently showcase my dislike of bright sunlight, bane of my existence. Yes, I'm sad to say, I DO NOT get any tanner than pic 2. :-p