Getting back in the Game: A visual guide to my body through the years

[Scream]

Long post incoming!

 

IN THE BEGINNING

 

I started working out in middle school after some girls on a field trip were going gaga over some muscly dude in a COSMO magazine. They made some sort of comment about how they would go gaga over me if I was that ripped. Challenge accepted.

 

Pubertly happened to hit me at the same time, and this was when Total Gym and the Torso Track were the big infomercials of the day. My parents bought them and never used them, but I ended up working out every night for at least an hour, for several years. My memories of JR high/high school evenings at home included doing situps with a milk-jug of water on my chest catching glimpses of the X-files as I sat up. Weight: 128 pounds, <5% body fat. 28 inch waist.

 

Fast forward to graduation. I won dozens of sports awards, was joining the military, had an awesome six-pack, and tons of lower back problems from all of the weighted situps I did. Even my extremely athletic, extremely young body couldn't handle something that inherently bad for you. 6 months of doctors visits convinced me to finally stop doing them. I quit the military (and vowed never to jog again...), started eating way too much because I was used to boot-camp levels of activity, took a weight-lifting class at the community college where I went for a year, start hitting the gym regularly for about a year and started getting some real muscle gain. That's when my avatar picture was taken.

 

Then I served a church mission for 2 years in south america. While studying the language and such, I got up to about 150. By the end of two years, I ended up skinny as a rail with no upper body strength, but legs like tree trunks from walking 10-16 miles a day. Weight: 135 pounds. 29 inch waist.

 

On comes college. I start slowly putting on weight. I get married to a skinny hottie, but she loves to feed me. Everyone in her family is pretty skinny, and everyone in mine bloated up after they hit adulthood. I finally graduate college relatively fit. I win a couple of Jiu-jitsu competitions in the 140 weight divisions. Body fat: 12% 30 inch waist

 

 

At this point, I'm in okay condition, but not great. Then comes the first year on the job, which I'm currently finishing up. The amount of time spent at work/studying to pass the CPA exam. I try to go to the gym (less than .5 miles away) but always find excuses, or go for a week or two and quit. I do manage to start biking to work and on the weekends to keep the fat monster at bay. I bounce around between 145 and 150 for a while. Then came Halloween...

 

We had planned on going as Aladdin and Jasmine, and while my wife makes a GREAT princess, I don't quite have the physique of a street rat. For the first time in my life, I have a GUT that hangs over my pants. Weight: 155, body fat: 15+% 34 inch waist.

 

I finally decided to start doing something. And that's what I've been doing. I started small. Gym once a week, then twice a week. I'm up to three times a week, plus working in some HIIT on off days. I still haven't had very visible results (3 lbs, but that's within a standard daily weight fluctuation) but I feel much better. Instead of trying to get a full-body weekly routine, I'm building up the foundation that I've lost, aiming for 15-20 reps per set until my muscles tone up again.

 

Now the holidays and some vacation time are coming, I hope to keep up my momentum. Wish me luck!

 

 

TLDR: Used to be really skinny, then muscled, then skinny again, now I'm a bit fat. Trying to get muscled and fit again.

 

 

Since everyone here seems to be in love Paleo, I should also probably add that I think the Paleo Diet, while much better than the typical american diet, is quite terrible. And yes, I've done plenty of research on it. I really REALLY wanted to believe in something that would let me eat as much bacon as I want, but I think that WebMD says it best:

 

""This diet has some great aspects, but the limitations make it another diet that people go on but can’t sustain for a number of reasons, including a lack of variety, [cost], and potential nutrient inadequacies" due to the elimination of certain food groups...“People who eat diets high in whole grains, beans, and low-fat dairy tend to be healthier because these foods are nutrient-rich and there are mountains of research about the health benefits of diets that include, not exclude, these foods. A diet that includes whole, unprocessed foods is the basis of most all healthy diet recommendations. But so are whole grains, low-fat dairy, and legumes."

[Guest]

Hello and welcome!

That is quite a journey you've had At lest you're no stranger to the lifestyle.

I wish you the best of luck in your goals! And look forward to hearing your additions to the forums (as you've already done )

[Scream]

Hello and welcome!

That is quite a journey you've had At lest you're no stranger to the lifestyle.

I wish you the best of luck in your goals! And look forward to hearing your additions to the forums (as you've already done )

Thanks, I appreciate it. Good luck to you too!