Becoming a Better Man

[Lionheart]

Salut!

I'm a soldier of fortune, marching through this crazy world on a quest to become a better man. 

Where I came from: I've always been a big guy. My Dad is 6'5" tall and my mom is 5'9". My Dad was really skinny in the Air Force, but still had to go on a starvation diet just to squeak in under the 230 lb. weight limit for his height. I also had hereditary asthma, which discouraged me from getting enough exercise. Suffice it to say, I was also on the pudgy side. 

18 months ago (February 2012), I weighed 316 lbs. I could bench 240 lbs, but was really unhappy with the way I looked. I solidly wore 42 or 44 blue jeans, and my XL shirts were getting tight. I'd had a couple great seasons playing Left Tackle (supposedly, I was the best in our league), but I had a dream of playing Tight End (I've actually got pretty good hands), and with Senior year coming up, I knew that wasn't going to happen where I was. I ate a really unhealthy amount of junk food, and drank far too much Mountain Dew for my own good. I decided that I'd had enough, and that it was time for me to make a serious change in my life. I ended up writing a sort of manifesto, discussing what sort of person I was, and what sort of person I wanted to be. I tried my best to break it down into goals, and to set about not only losing weight, but becoming a better student, brother, friend, and man. 

I started by cutting out pretty much all liquid calories. No more frappuccinos or Mountain Dew. I started transitioning my diet over to Atkins, but had trouble staying on program. I began the C25K program, and started running on a regular schedule. It was good, but I only lost about 15 or 20 lbs over the next few months. In June, I began reading Nerd Fitness. I switched my diet over to a Paleo-centric diet (not strictly so, but adhering as much as possible), and began seeing great results. I quit the long-distance running, and began doing body weight workouts and sprints instead. The turning point for me was realizing that being fit wasn't the goal. The goal was to be happy, and being fit helps facilitate that. I found out that it's okay to have a bad day, or even a bad week, as long as you come back and hit the line hard! I found out that eating a healthy diet didn't mean I couldn't ever go out to eat with friends, drink a Mountain Dew, or have pizza. It's about getting it 95% perfect, not shutting everything out. I realized that exercise didn't have to involve running on a treadmill -- it could be a long hard game of ultimate frisbee, lifting really heavy weights, running 25 sprints in my front yard, cranking out a hundred pushups, or even going on a long walk late at night.

Here are some milestones in my journey. 
October 2012: Down 35 lbs or so, to 271. Wearing L shirts, 40 blue jeans, and body fat of around 24% (down from 30% or so). More than .6 seconds shaved off my 40 yard dash. 
November 2012: Down ten more lbs., to 261. Didn't get to play Tight End (because our team needed a center, and I volunteered to play the new position), but had a great football season to cap off my senior year of high school. 
December 2012: Only down about another 6 lbs., to 255. Wearing 38 blue jeans. Suffered a really touch shoulder injury that destroyed my ability to do pushups. Seriously, I couldn't do a set of ten after my injury. :-/
March 2013: Down to 241. DID MY FIRST PULL-UP!!! Being recruited to play tight end at the college level! :-D Wearing 36's now, and feeling pretty good. Also, I got picked first in a game of ultimate frisbee I was playing with a bunch of volunteer firefighters, a military guy, etc. That was awesome! About 21% body fat
May 2013: My body is changing much more slowly now, as I have far less extra weight and I'm building more muscle. I made it down to 230 by my graduation (end of May) -- so I was 85 lbs. down. Numerous compliments.
August 2013: I'm now at 225, 17% body fat, and 6'3" tall. My 36's are getting a little loose, and I wear a Medium or a large shirt (depending on how much definition I want. ) Seriously, I couldn't be happier. I've spent the summer doing 25 pushups every time I've gotten out of the car (a lot, since I've been roadtripping), and I max out at about 65, now. I'd like to lose a little more, and I'd really like for things to tighten up a little faster, but I'm a much different man than I was a year ago. 

Attached: me 18 months ago, me now. See a difference? And don't laugh at my farmer's tan.

Thanks for your time, and I'm glad to be joining all of you. I'm in this for the long haul. 
-Lionheart