Hello all! I'm Freebyte

[Freebyte]

Hi everyone! I'm Freebyte, aka Joshua in real life. I just want to start by saying how awesome this site is and how much fun I've had reading articles and the great comments that follow each one. I never would have figured that nerds who wanna get healthy and strong would be something that actually existed, much less in a mass community! It's just downright INCREDIBLE!

 

So here's my story:

 

I'm currently 27, 5'8", and 235lbs. (I was 240 a week ago so w00t to that!)

 

I've been overweight my entire life, and I probably became obese before I was even in Kindergarten. I was the only child, and only grandchild, for the first 8 years of my life, and I think that lead to being over-spoiled and definitely over-fed... I started using my dad's old Packard Bell desktop (Intel 386 processor, 2MB RAM, 120MB hard drive, it was awesome!) when I was only 4 years old, and quickly got addicted to the original Prince of Persia. Needless to say, there went my outdoor play time, and no one batted an eye because I was impressing them with my use of DOS Shell. I became obsessed with computers and video games, and very little else for a long time. 

 

Fast forward 10 years...

 

When I entered high school, I was 210lbs, would do anything to get out of PE class, and lived for the moment when I could go home and try a new Linux distribution, chat on AIM for hours on end, work on my personal webpage, etc. And I continued this lifestyle for a long time... As the years went on, I became very depressed, my social anxiety was completely out of control, and at the end of 2013, I made a terrible decision that I barely recovered from, and was forced to face the facts that I was not mentally healthy. Two months later, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, and this only added to the hopelessness I was feeling in my life. Now a few times before, I've tried dieting and exercising, but usually only for less than a week before I gave up. I did manage to go vegan for a while, and that lasted a few months before I gave up. I kinda got in this place where I just took my various meds, felt like a victim of my mind and body, and just coasted through without any real progress or goals.

 

Then, a week and a half ago, I was laying in bed, doing my usual apathetic Netflix binge and eating way too much, when something inside me just sparked. I decided to dust off the old treadmill I had in my garage, and just go for a 2 mile brisk walk. I have no idea where this came from (perhaps all the therapy I've been in was finally having an effect, or I was experiencing anxiety about being almost 30 with nothing to show for it). I worked up a sweat and got my muscles burning, and for whatever reason I decided I liked this feeling. I just decided at that point that I wanted to start doing this, that it felt good, and gave me an almost "buzz" like feeling! And for that golden moment it felt that the self-doubt was miles away. I quickly realized that I wanted to keep my motivation up, and after a few good walks and scouring the internet for motivational articles about the benefits of exercise, I stumbled upon this very site!

 

And I'm so glad I did!

 

I turned what was originally a commitment to go for a walk everyday, to wanting to really take the reins of my life back. Last Friday, I started working in 30 seconds of jogging sporadically throughout my walk, and got really excited that I could do it! Even though I had already started inching in the right direction, Steve's emails everyday spoke to me in a way that made me feel inspired instead of intimidated at reading some information posted by some meathead I couldn't relate to. I stuck with his email recommendations, kept walking and jogging, and did my first Beginner's Bodyweight Workout yesterday! I felt proud and accomplished, and felt more capable than I had in years! Of course, I'm sore as heck today, but I still managed to get some walking and slow jogging clocked in. For the first time in my life, I feel like I can and WANT to do this! And so I'm here now, ready to get involved in the community and Level Up IRL! (the comparison of getting healthy to leveling up an RPG character is super appealing, and I knew this was my ticket to sticking with it while I develop good habits!)

 

The incredible thing is, my blood glucose is in range for the first time in who knows how long, I catch myself being more active in my daily activities, my depression seems to have evaporated, and my anxiety was replaced with self-confidence! And all this just from spending a minimal amount of time focused on my health. It makes me so excited to find out where this journey will take me and what amazing things I may accomplish, and I know I'm ready to commit! I'm ready to look at myself and appreciate where I'm starting while knowing this is only the start...

 

Thanks for reading this and providing such a great community! I'm looking forward to bettering myself, getting to know many of you, and kicking ass at life alongside you all!

[sumdawgtwigg]

Your sir are catching the running bug! This is how it started for me, just out of nowhere and then before I knew it I was out running my first 5k...then 8k. I started about where you are at now weight wise and mentally. You are going to be floored just how much depression will lift by exercising on a normal basis. Welcome! 

[Freebyte]

That's awesome! I'd imagine stories like ours are not too uncommon among the group. I really want to do a 5K, it just sounds exhilarating and like a really great milestone to reach! It's kinda weird how I've gotten to enjoy the feeling of being sore, it's like every step is telling me "You KILLED it yesterday!" I really think I'm hooked!

[sumdawgtwigg]

If you do enter a race you'll be amazed how much faster your time will be due to just being around others. It's really awesome. 

[Jett]

Heya Freebyte. Welcome.

I know what you mean about just suddenly deciding to change your life. It happened to me, too. It was like a switch suddenly turning on. It's night and day from previous times I tried to get in shape. Instead of forcing myself to do it, and hating it, now I'm motivated and eager to do my workouts.

 

It's a great feeling, isn't it?

[Freebyte]

It really is! I can't help but think that a great deal of what always kept me from being active was based on conditioning. I still think about the anxiety of being in PE class and being asked to do something that was outside of my ability or comfort level. Now that I made my own decision, drew some of my own conclusions, and accepted that any improvement can be a big improvement, I just feel a lot more empowered! It's just obvious to me now that a lot of incredible things are possible if I'm realistic and think long-term.