::Wipes sand from hands:: There, I drew my line in the sand.

[Clout]

Good evening,

 

Around my milestone birthdays of say 21 and 25, I never would have imagined where I'd be when I turned 30.  Fast forward 5-9 years, here I am.  Married to my beautiful high school sweetheart, have an amazingly intelligent 14 month old mini-me (my son), successfully run my own company for 4 years now (commercial real estate appraisal), I can make fart noises from 4 atypical locations on my body and I'm able to recite Dr. Suess's  ABC from memory (in English and Francais).   These are all things I'm very proud of and have worked very hard for.

 

But as we all know, it's not all Gobstoppers and unicorns.  I recently went to the doctor for a gnarly cold I was battling.  Weight - 227 (I'm 6'3"), BP - 140/90.  I think I felt my eyes cross when I saw those numbers.  Not just the change, but the rapid downhill progression is what made me stagger.  I knew that since starting my current career, and flying desks for a living, that my prior eating habits (while working construction to pay for college) were going to have to change.  They didn't.  Pizza, fast food, candy, Ramen, nom nom nom.  Then, when my wife became pregnant, I wanted to be super husband/daddy and be with her every step of the way and of course eating with her every craving (this was my excuse to comfort eat while coping with the stress of bringing another life into this world).  I still to this day believe that I gained more weight than she did during those 9 +/- months.  Oh yeah, then there's the beer too.  Let's just say Paleo and Budweiser are going to have some epic weekend battles around here.

 

I guess a little more motivation is the amount of illness going on around me (father is very medically involved, cousin has cancer at 36, friend's daughter has leukemia at 10 months, another friend's wife almost dies while carrying their child who was ultimately born at 25 weeks).  I don't want to be another one of those people who is talked about when friends/family get together.  "Hey, did you hear about Clout?  He ate so much his arm turned brown. Yeah, I heard they're growing him another one on his dog's back but he has to lose 25 pounds before they'll attach it."

 

I plan on starting another thread to track progress and how those marry up to measurable goals.  I will be sure to post that link here once created.  You all have helped more than you can imagine before I even registered for this board.  I look forward to surprising myself and return the inspirational favor to others.

 

Cheers,

Clout

[CactusWren]

Welcome!!!!

 

I will never be 100% paleo because I will not give up my Jameson and/or Jack Daniels. It's better than not doing anything to change your diet though!

 

I guess a little more motivation is the amount of illness going on around me (father is very medically involved, cousin has cancer at 36, friend's daughter has leukemia at 10 months, another friend's wife almost dies while carrying their child who was ultimately born at 25 weeks).  I don't want to be another one of those people who is talked about when friends/family get together.  "Hey, did you hear about Clout?  He ate so much his arm turned brown. Yeah, I heard they're growing him another one on his dog's back but he has to lose 25 pounds before they'll attach it."

 

I know exactly what you mean! Both my and my husband's parents have all had/are having terrible health issues, and they are barely into their fifties. It's very sobering to the real effects the choices we make every day have on our bodies.

 

Looking forward to your battle log!

[Jay87]

Hey Clout - welcome as a newly registered member! 

 

I think this must be one of the most heartfelt intro's I've read yet. Sounds like you're definitely getting on the fitness bandwagon for the right reasons, and it also sounds like you've had quite a few challenges to hurdle over the past few years. I bet at the same time, though, some of these have been immensely enjoyable experiences that have brought memories that you'll cherish. I expect it's also made you much stronger in other ways besides fitness.

 

But onto the physical fitness now - good on you and hope we can all support you along the way!

 

Very best.

[Clout]

Thanks so much for the kind words.  My work project is wrapping up over the weekend, as is the junk food in the house.  I have some processed stuff in the basement, but that's our "storm food".

 

I'm really looking forward to the new routine.  Today I ordered a scale (does body fat % and a few other things) as well as a tape measure and intend on setting the day it arrives in the mail as "Day -1" on which I set my benchmark against what all victories/setbacks will be paired up to.

 

Monday will be my first day of hunting this season (geese) so that will be a refreshing break to my last 3 months worth of constant computer work with little-to-no fresh air.  I will spend the remainder of Monday with my wife and son, who have been very patient while I've been working.  It'd be a great day for the scale to arrive.  Sort of like a rebirth day all around...a Ctrl+Alt+Del on my life.

 

Thanks again and I'll be sure to link to my battle log as previously mentioned.

[Jay87]

Hey again - sounds like you've got all the preparations in hand  And you hunt? Wow - it doesn't really get any more Paleo than that! Enjoy the start of your journey, and the time with your family after your project and we look forward to hearing how you get on via the battle log. 

 

Very best of luck with it!

[ShadowSilk]

Clout,

 

Maybe instead of doing 100% Paleo, you could do a modified Primal.  I've been reading the diet and nutrition board here and learned a lot in that thread.  It's a thought, anyway.  Glad to see ya, come on, let's go kick some ass.

 

~ShadowSilk