Hi my name is Kent, and I like to eat food :D

[Taorn]

Hi guys, 

 

I have been reading the nerd fitness blog for some time now, probably about two years, and this is my first time to reach out to the online community. 

 

My wake up call as far as fitness goes started when I started my career as a correctional officer for the state of Arkansas. Between having to sprint six flight of stairs to assist another officer who needed me (can anyone say hero complex?) and watching offenders complete body weight routines that numbered in over 1500 pushups and squats a day... every day, I finally looked in the mirror and Saw what was really there. A nice cheerful kid who was woefully out of shape.

 

Out of High School I was big... but big intimidating. A 6'6" 260 pound man who regularly jogged 4-6 miles, martial artist. I could complete 75 sit ups in under two minutes, and about 40 push ups. I sustained a back injury my first semester of college ending my dreams, and that lost of vision slowly sent me into a tail dive. I moved back in with my parents, and took a night job to pay bills and continued to attempt school full time. I coped with mountains of ice cream and pizza, and by the time the first year was up I weighed 370 pounds. Through the creative use of cognitive dissidence I managed to never really see the changes and no one slapped me hard enough to wake me up. When I started working at the prison I weighed about 423.

 

When I saw myself in the mirror I realized that I had slipped farther than I had ever dreamed possible. I disgusted myself. So I started making changes. Packing lunches instead of eating out, more fruit less candy. No ice cream or diet sodas. I started to come back to my old self inside at first and slowly on the outside. I found nerd fitness, which rang a chord with me, a long time RPG, FPS gamer and fantasy reader. I then started martial arts again, had to buy new clothes twice got my weight back down to 306. I was going all the way. 

 

Seven months ago I switched jobs again and my routine switched, I was traveling for work eating out again. Working seventy hours a week. And the old routines came back the old food came back. As we speak I have just once again completed the basic body weight workout, back in martial arts, have a new job and am looking to reverse the damage again. Up to 350 again I am just happy I am starting again now and not waiting until I hit a new high say 450 this time! But the new pants are tight instead of loose again and that is unacceptable. 

 

This slip has convinced me of needing a community and a place to talk about my successes and failures. To maybe find encouragement and give it. So I tell my story to strangers and whether or not it is read, it has been cathartic. 

 

This is me when I started

 

 

 

This is me now, with my niece

 

 

 

 

O and Star Wars over Star Trek 

[ßean]

Hi Kent,

 

I think you will find yourself right at home here. It helps to have people surrounding you who are working towards the same thing and can really help when you start to falter.  Whenever you feel ready, I recommend you join the current 6 week challenge and get yourself working towards your goals.  I also would suggest creating a daily battle log, as they can be very helpful in keeping some accountability during that week between challenges.  I have seen personally what kind of damage can be done in such a short period of time.

 

Congrats on deciding to make a change before your weight got too far away from you and welcome to the forums.