Victory

Hi. Here's someone I'd like you to meet.



That was me. Not because I let myself go. Not because I got older and stopped being active. I have always been fat. I was never an athlete of any sort. Never exercised. Just ate. Watched tv, read and played video games. That was my life. So that's how I looked. Swollen. Bloated. Painful.

But sometimes in life you want something. Something more than what you're used to. I decided I wanted to be a hero. I'd read comics my whole life. I was tired of being fat and reading about brave men and women. I wanted a change.

So I signed up to take the City of Pittsburgh Fire Fighter exam. Figured there's no closer job to being what I was after. A hero.

I joined MFP and started watching my calories. Then I joined the forums and learned how important exercise was. I joined a gym and started swimming, figuring that would be a great way to shed the pounds. It worked. I kept my calories low and did plenty of cardio.

I went from being that guy to being this guy

Think that's a success story? No no dear readers. That's skinny fat is what that is. We call that guy Elliptical Boy. Not what anyone really wants. I'd lost a lot of weight yes, but a lot of muscle as well. Had I continued with cardio alone.. well I don't even want to think about that.

So I took some good advice and started lifting. Nothing could have been better for me. Lifting got me the results I really wanted. Which you'll see.. in a minute. (I know you *kitten* are all scrolling anyway)

My first day at the gym I saw a flyer about a Warrior Dash. I thought it looked amazing. I thought how cool it would be to run one in a Captain America t-shirt. That was such a fantasy goal of mine.

See this guy?


Work for your goals. Because nothing feels better than accomplishing them.

So with a Warrior Dash out of the way I just had one more boss battle to complete. The Fire Fighter physical exam. A grueling 4 minutes where you'll carry a 25lb tank on your back, drag a 150lb dummy, hammer a steel beam across a length of track, pick up a 50lb bag and run up and down 5 flights of stairs, hoisting a 45lb rope up a building... serious business.

My test was yesterday. I scored a perfect 100%. Thanks to a year of hard work, determination and the watchful eye of a dear friend wh htd vwls.

So now? Now I'm this guy


No secrets. No tricks. No magic shakes. Moderation. Eating my cals. Exercise. It really does work for everyone. You just actually have to do it.

And being on MFP has changed my life. I could never have done this without the support of my friends. Seriously you don't understand I LOVE these people! They are remarkable and I share in their victories and cheer their successes. They are wonderful to me and I owe them more than I could ever possibly express. My friends are the best people here. Hands down.

Some have even become more than just friends. Some I've crawled through mud with, scaled walls with and jumped over fire with. These are my bravest warriors. My Warbound. And as such they do get a bit of a special thank you.

Maab...who always inspires and watches out for me. Shan..who's always believed in me, even when I didn't. And Joy...who swears I'm gay.

That's basically it. MFP works! Use it, follow the good advice. Stop getting upset if someone's being snarky and just get good information on weight loss! Stop reporting people for every little thing! The best advice I've received on this site all came from people who are either now banned or have 2 strikes, like I myself do (hope you ladies appreciated Magic Mike Monday). So you may want to get good advice from successful people while you can. They don't stay here for long. Too many people who think they're burning calories hitting the report button all day. Stop it! Go for a run would ya?

I did it. I set an insane goal for myself and I accomplished it. Now I'm going to do more of that. I suggest all of you do the same. We can all do this. You just have to be brave. Be a hero. It's the best feeling on the planet.