Round 2.....FIGHT!!

[GreatWhiteAfro]

Let's try this again.  I guess two years ago when I wrote my first introduction I wasn't ready to commit.  After losing some weight through a very physical job, I'm feeling better and more confident in myself and getting fit again.  Here's my back story that hasn't changed since I typed it 2 years ago, well a few minor details but hey....

 

Now some background info.....I'm no stranger to fitness.  In high school I was on the swim team (I was a sprinter, freestyle and butterfly) kept me in great shape.  After highschool I joined the United States Marine Corps where I spent the next 6 years, running, rolling, hanging, and in general doing Marine things, I was probably at the peak of my fitness at that time in my life.  I was able to do 20 dead hang pull ups, 100 crunches in 2 minutes, and had a 19 minute 3 mile run time.  Well I guess the years of doing that took it's toll on my knees, I developed arthritis in my left knee at a young age (25) my surgeon (former Phoenix Cardinals team surgeon) very strongly urged me to no longer run, an activity I used to love.  After that surgery I started putting on more weight, I had a sedentry job and not being able to run really took it's toll on me mentally and physically.  So in around 2008 I decided to take my life back, I came across a book that I owned and actually used sucessfully to lose weight ( back in 2000 when I got out of the USMC),  Body for Life by Bill Phillips.  Over the next few years I participated in a group online and did back to back BFL challenges, after losing probably 30 or more pounds I started slacking off and trying different lifting programs like Chris Waterbury's Summer Program, I started putting on some mass and went from about 180ish to 190ish but with visible muscle mass added.  Now somewhere in there I somehow hurt my lower back.......this was a game killer....I've never expereinced so much pain in my  life.  I found out that I have severly herniated discs, L4,L5,S1.......I've been told the surgery is 50/50 on pain relief and that my best bet is to lose weight.  I have been dealing with this for about 3 years now, I just found out about 6 months ago that I have really bad venous reflux (vericose veins) in my legs with my right leg being the worst of the two. Needless to say I now have to wear the super cool medical style compression stockings, or have surgery, which even after I would have to wear the compression stockings.  With these health problems I'm limited in what exercises I can do, which is part of the reason I'm here. I need some accountability and some advice, because I am going to give 110% of my dedication to losing weight.  I absolutely need to start losing weight, it's impacting my life in more ways than one.  I have six kids, I can't do squat with them, because I'm either in pain or too tired because I'm in pain....make sense?  I don't feel like I'm guiding my kids into healthy decisions because I don't eat the best and I don't exercise.  Right now I'm the heaviest I've ever been in my life at 235 lbs, I carry it around my middle like a tractor tire.  My goals for right now are to change my eating habbits to become more Paleo like (sorry gotta have my coffee and kombucha).  I already drink a ton of water, at least 96 oz daily, if not more.  And just be more active, I am going to start doing the body weight exercises I saw in an article here, I'm pretty sure I can do most of them.  I want to start walking with my wife, but I don't know how far I can go without my legs killing me.  So that's another goal to get out and walk with my wife. 

 

**Sorry for the run-ons and wierdness, I was just trying to get the bulk of it down.**

[Steaky]

Hey Great, welcome aboard. 

 

I hear ear you on the walking thing. I can't walk as far or for as long as I used to, neither can my wife. We've set ourselves a goal to be able to comfortably do a three hour hike at a reasonable pace by her birthday in September. It might not sound like much to most, but will be a huge step for us. 

 

Swimming is is a great excercise if you have issues with your knees. I'd suggest you try to get back into that, if it's possible for you!