Plowed through 80lbs, Rebel reporting for another 40

[notauser]

Hey guys! I just signed up late yesterday for the 6 week challenge, and today I want to formally introduce myself.

 

A year ago this month, I weighed 320lbs. My doctor (a very open family doctor) shook his head sadly each time I was coming in, always trying to push me into doing something, anything. This was also around the time where I was getting chest pains sleeping on my side, and some pretty bad apnea on my back. I was tired, depressed, eating almost nothing but fried foods and soda.

 

Then at work I was transferred to work with a woman who told me about Power 90. She brought me a bootleg DVD, and that night I had a moment of honesty with myself. I realized all of my fantasizing of being thin, fit, attractive, and so on can be realized. I started it that moment the whole way, and the next day I felt sore and it was amazing. It dawned on me that ignoring my desires and only aiming for the easy stuff was fueling my depression, and I did two months of Power 90.

 

I didn't lose much weight, but moving around was a breeze. I started calorie counting, and that's when the real weight loss started. At first, I ate healthy. It was a joy to find food to get me as close to the daily caloric goal, and I lost loads of weight, down to around 260. Then I started to slip - not in quantity of calories but quality. I started starving myself in the morning so I could have a Big Mac for dinner and so on. I plateau'd, and stayed that weight for a good two months, with my depression coming back with my lack of progress.

 

My friend and I then signed up for Tough Mudder (March 2nd in Miami) in November, and started some light training. It wasn't until January we began Couch to 5k, bringing me down to 250. And Tough Mudder happened. It was great, but neither of us could do hardly any events owing to our total lack of upper body strength and weight. I resolved to sign up again for next year, and not fall once.

 

It was around this time I subscribed to the Nerd Fitness feed on my Pulse app, and read every article probably the hour they were released, eating them up. With the Paleo diet suggestions and bodyweight training, I'm down below 240. I signed up here anticipating joining the next challenge, and barely made it on time. Here I am

[Gilfren]

I'm so envious of your bravery to sign up for tough mudder. I want to do it so bad but can't find the confidence to do it. Your story is awesome so far. I can't wait to see the progress you make. Check in often.

[ceethegreat]

Wow 80 lbs is awesome, great job making smart choices and working out! Welcome to NF... you'll find so much encouragement and support here!

[Wayne_Kent_Seago]

Wow! You have an awesome story. Congratulations on your success so far and best of luck as you keep it up. 

 

What was Tough Mudder like? That is something I would like to do, but looking for the courage to actually sign up. I currently cannot do a pull up (something for the next challenge) so I have a lot of work to do. 

 

I look forward to hearing about your continued achievements!

[notauser]

Tough Mudder was great, even if I couldn't climb a single wall without help. Almost everyone there had intense team spirit and I only walked by two walls out of them all. I even made it up Everest at the end (a half pipe they sprayed with water every few minutes); I was told afterward that every single person who tried to climb Everest, no matter how many times they fell, made it up eventually with the help of people who stayed back to pull them up. I was certainly one of those who needed help, and paid it forward helping three more people up after me. This made me to decide that next time, when I can climb the walls, there's no reason not to help others with the same effort with which I was pushing myself.

Monkey bars, rings, wall climbing and shimmying were pretty predictable: I dropped into the water about five seconds into it. I wasn't discouraged, this was a trial run. At the end, I knew I had a lot of work to do but more importantly *what* work to do (and to bring sunblock next time - clouds don't block UV! Holy peeling, Batman).

 

I encourage anyone who feels like they want to go for it, to go for it. Even if it's to check out the guy running in the Borat bikini and the other one costumed as Big Bird.

 

I'm around 235 and promised myself new clothes at 225. The challenge has certainly showed me that there's a different between "say" and "do", 

 

Thanks for the kind words, guys