Alright, here goes nothing. Or everything. I’m almost 30 years old (end of November), and I just went through a four-month layoff that left me in a financial state of Zero. Actually, that’s not true. Zero-minus. My debt didn’t go anywhere but up. A month ago, I started a new job, in a new state, where I sit at a desk in front of a computer all day. Nothing new about that, I’ve been a desk jockey for six and a half years now (Civil Engineer/Construction Estimator). This new job, however, leaves me a 12 hour drive from family, friends, my girlfriend, and my life. Pretty much my entire would-be support system. A cell phone and the internet helps, but it’s not the same. I feel like I’m almost starting from scratch. Almost. I used to belong to a VERY nice gym/fitness center (although I didn’t use it nearly as often as I should have), but since I’m still paying on my old mortgage and living off of a single-income, I can’t afford much more than the weights I already have and the spare bedroom that my apartment complex calls a “fitness center.†This led to a Google search for “body weight workouts,†which led to your site, which led to me obsessively reading posts and articles for a few days. Here’s what I found: A common sense approach to diet (I’ve always thought vegetarian/vegan was too strict and Atkins was on to something, but not quite right). Paleo is very appealing. A common sense approach to workouts (always been a machine-lifter, as my sprain/strain history will attest to, and the intimidating meatheads in the free weight section of the gym didn’t help). Free weights, heavy weight, small sets, combination movements: logical. But drawing life lessons from Star Wars, The Matrix (definitely ONLY the first one), and LOTR? Fracking brilliant. I’m in. Now, the back-story. (Warning: this gets wordy. Sorry, but I needed to vent a little.) I used to be the 8 year old kid who could eat anything he wanted, whenever he wanted, and would burn it all off playing football, baseball, basketball, riding his bike, or just running up and down the beach jumping over the neighbors’ docks because he could. Life was simple. I used to be confident. I used to be happy. That kid’s been long-gone for a while now. I started putting on weight back in elementary school as my parents were going through a messy divorce. I picked up a shitty attitude and even shittier eating habits. Lots of processed foods, fast food, and pasta dishes, as both single-parents tried to make ends meet. I don’t blame them for this, they’re both happier now than I ever remember them being when they were together, but I look back at my school photos from 4th to 8th grade and cringe. The other day I was going through some more recent photos, in albums and on Facebook, and what I saw brought back that same sense of shame and embarrassment. I started playing football in high school and by the end of my sophomore year had dropped some of the “baby fat,†had a little growth spurt and was generally getting more fit. I was 6’ 1†or so, and about 265, playing on the defensive line (hardly “fit and healthy,†but a FAR cry from where I had been in middle school). But nagging injuries, a varsity coach who was a complete asshole, and an acceptance that I had a far better chance of going to college on academic scholarships instead of the athletic variety, led me to quit playing and concentrate on work and school. I still played pickup basketball every day at lunch and stayed relatively active, so even my photos going into my freshman year at college weren’t too embarrassing. Those were the last set of photos that didn’t make me feel ashamed. College life probably should have killed me. I never ate breakfast. Mainly because I would sleep until 10 minutes before I had to be class. I made up for breakfast by gorging on extra helpings of whatever slop was being served in the cafeteria for lunch, usually smothered in nacho cheese. Most dinners consisted of a $5 large pizza and a 2-liter of Coke. Just for me. And rarely was there any left over. I smoked almost a pack a day. I drank like a fish. Beer. Vodka. Whiskey. I experimented with other stuff as well. My bathroom scale pegged out at 320, and I didn’t even have my other foot on it yet. I can’t tell you how much I weighed in college, because I honestly don’t know, but 360-370 wouldn’t shock me in the least. When I landed my first job, they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and was quite excited about, actually. They paid my registration (a ridiculous amount of money, IMO) and my first month’s fee at the gym (the one I mentioned above), and I would be responsible for the monthly fees thereafter. I always enjoyed my time in the weight-room when I played football, but never continued lifting after I quit playing. I started back up with much enthusiasm and slowly started shedding the weight. When my cousin got engaged and asked me to stand in his wedding party, I had a goal: to make it back to my high-school football weight before the big day. I cleaned up my diet. I quit smoking. I went to the gym religiously. I got into group training with a personal trainer. And I came really close. At the wedding I was down to 275. It was the best I had looked and felt in years. And it all went to hell from there. After reaching the finish line, I didn’t have a new goal. I relaxed. I fell back into old habits. My diet suffered. I started going to the gym less often. I started drinking more often. Other weddings came around to stand in, but my efforts to look good in other peoples’ photos were half-assed at best. As I sit here now, I’m 6’ 5†and almost back to 340. I need to do something. My plan is this: I’m joining your forum. As I understand it, there should be a new 6-week challenge starting this week. I’m in. My goals are simple: Life goal: Rearrange my finances and budget. Begin to put money toward fixing up my old house in an effort to sell it or rent it out. Fitness/Diet Goal #1: Ignore the scale! Concentrate on strength! Establish body measurement baselines as well as baselines for the following strength tests: Squats, Deadlifts, Inverted Body-weight Rows (because there’s no way in hell I’m completing a pull-up at 340 lbs), and Plank. Over 6 weeks, improve upon all strength baselines by 15%. Fitness/Diet Goal #2: Clean out cupboards, fridge, and freezer. Over 6 weeks, convert my diet to >80% Paleo. Fitness/Diet Goal #3: Quit drinking alcohol during the week (Sunday – Thursday), and limit my drinking on weekends (Friday – Saturday) to 3 beers/day (this will be BY FAR the hardest part of this challenge for me. Especially with the baseball playoffs and football and hockey seasons starting up. I’m a HUGE Detroit Tigers/Red Wings/Lions fan). There it is. I want to lose a lot of weight, but I’m not going to worry about stepping on a scale during these 6 weeks. I need to concentrate on getting back into a routine that includes a better diet and working out. I can worry about more specific measurables during the next challenge. And there will be others. Conveniently, I have another wedding to stand in at the end of October. While I definitely will not be my high school football weight by then, I’m hoping to be on my way to a healthier lifestyle. I want to be on my way to being confident again. On my way to being happy again. Thank you, Steve for making sense. For appealing to, and insisting upon logic, education, and discussion. For incorporating a little nerdiness (something I can really relate to) and humor into what can sometimes seem like a lonely and insurmountable task. Keep doing what you’re doing. I'm really looking forward to establishing a new support system here, so any thoughts, tips, questions, answers, remarks, comments, or accusations are welcome. I’m ready for this. I want this. And I want it now. So, here goes nothing. Or everything. Kelsch
