Slowly unleashing the Nordic god inside

[McSmack]

My friend Librarian of Doom turned me on to this site. Great stuff. I've been lurking on here for a bit and now I'm ready to initiate a plan.

I'm not just your typical self-deprecating fat-guy-of-the-group. I'm the archetype for that group. I'm like the Dali Lama of fat friends - other fat guys come to me to learn of my ways, and to study at my feet. But now that I'm older and I have two kids, I'd like to be around for them. I don't want to spend the rest of my life being the fay guy. There's a sexy Nordic god-like body under this flab and I'm determined to find it.

But I know me. I'm devious. I'm witty. I'm smart. And so somehow the fat part of my brain always manages to get the better of the skinny minded portion. Fat McSmack is in there just waiting to tempt me with sweets and video games. But Skinny has wisened up over the years. And with the help of my peeps here at the Rebellion I know I can succeed.

About me:

I'm extra grande, and always have been. I'm 6'6" and probably weigh about 500lbs (not easy to find scales in my size).One of my biggest issues is portion control. I eat a lot. A LOT. Two of my favorite hobbies are sitting and sleeping, which have obviously contributed to the weight. I just turned 31. I'm married and I have two children age 4 and 5. Having two kids and being superbusy means less time to prepare healthy meals, so we tend to eat a lot of box dinners and instant potatoes. I don't want my kids to end up as unhealthy as I am, so I'm motivated to change my lifestyle so that they don't learn the same bad habits I did growing up.

So here's my battleplan for unleashing the sexy Nordic god that's lurking just these layers of flab.

A) You can't slay a dragon at level 1, so I'll start with slaying some goblins first. I've began with small but significant changes that will become habits without pushing my willpower to the breaking point.

So I'm halfing my portion sizes for each meal. This makes them normal sized meals for a male. I immediately put the excess food away so that I'm less tempted to get seconds. I'm racheting up the ratio of vegetables to meat and starches as I go so I can drop those excess carbs.

I've started with the beginner's body weight workout 2-3 times a week. I plan to increase this to a solid 3 times a week with some other routine on the off days. Obviously, having not exercised in the past, it's gonna take me a few weeks to gear up to doing three cycles per workout, but I'll get there. I think the trick is taking it slow and letting my body adjust to the changes.

My short term goals-

1) Cut my consumption of proccessed foods down to less than 15% of my diet.

2) Significant exercise of some sort daily.

3) Lose enough weight that I can wear the clothes from 4 years ago that are still in my closet. So that's dropping 1-2 pant sizes and 1 shirt size.

Mid term goals-

1) Be able to buy clothes from regular stores and not through special big/tall stores or through magazines.

2) Be able to sit comfortably in my wife's Ford Focus.

3) Reach 375lbs. My wife and I have a long standing agreement that if I manage to lose 100lbs she'll get her nose pierced (I got a thing for nose rings - they're HOT! Don't judge me!)

4) See my toes.

Long term goals-

1) Compete in a marathon.

2) See my kids grow up to be healthy and active.

3) Manage to avoid a heart attack/stroke/diabetes and make it to retirement.

Fat McSmack is evil. He's my Vadar - he's of the dark side and he has cookies. I will not try to defeat it. I will succeed. Do or do not. There is no try.

[Dio]

All of the above sounds amazing! A recommendation from personal experience. Take pictures. Lots of pictures. Don't show them to anyone, but have them so that even when you feel like nothing is happening, or that you're relapsing, you can look at it and say "Damn. I AM doing something."

Portion control can be rough as well. I'm a food addict myself, so I know how hard it can be. For me, primal worked because I could eat until I wasn't hungry anymore as long as it was foods on menu (especially veggies). Normally, the more bread, potatoes, corn, rice I ate, the hungrier I became. This isn't true with things like steak and broccoli for me. I ate until I was done, and then when I got hungry, I ate more. I also always put half of what I'm willing to eat on my plate to force myself to take a break in between and let it settle.

Good luck, welcome to the rebellion, and let us know if we can help! Smack that fat McSmack!

[McSmack]

Thanks! Great name btw!

[Librarian of Doom]

(((hugs))) I wish you lived closer so we could be workout buddies! I definitely second the progress pictures suggestion. So proud of you for being ready to make this change!

[WizardTrip]

What Dio said. Pictures every 1-2 or 2-3 weeks.....just for you, no need to share. Front, back, side...lots of them. Being able to see them in before and now states can be one of the biggest motivators out there. That will get you to one of the 2nd biggest, seeing that your clothes and belts are too big.

Welcome, and being a lurker, as you know....you've got tons of support here!

Now, off to train to slay that dragon!

[WizardTrip]

Oh, and speaking of Nordic Gods....I'm crossing off one of my Epic Quest items this weekend, running the Warrior Dash dressed as Thor along with other friends dressed as other superheroes!

And trust me....that's something I never would have thought I'd be doing......well, running the Warrior Dash, not dressing as Thor....