Trying something a little different

[steps1341]

Hello all!

 

My name is Stephen. My friends call me steps and I am 28 years old. I've been bigger my entire life. My entire family is over weight so I have never known anything different. This has caused me a lot of trouble over the years. Everything from being teased and picked on, to now feeling like I am some how failing as a husband and father. 

 

I make sure that my kids eat healthy and play outside much more than i ever did. This is mainly to make sure that they never has to under go what I went through and to make sure that they do not have any health problems later in life. This is something that is very important to me but the longer everything goes on it is taking a toll on me. I feel as though I am letting down my family in multiple ways by not taking care of this issue in myself. 

 

I am 5'6 and weight around 280 lbs. This is obviously a problem and know there are some serious problems that will come to effect me much more as i get older. I want to take care of this issue once and for all. I have tried many times before and failed each time. Every time I quit, it takes a part of me with it and it is growing harder and harder to try, 

 

I know that you do not know me, but if you did, you would know that this is not like me. I keep to myself a lot but honestly I am at a loss. I know i need friends in this and the support would be amazing. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I am not a shy person and honestly I am just looking for some friends on this and hard journey. Thanks for taking the time to read this and hope to get to know some of you soon!

[TankGrrl]

Hi Steps!

Welcome to the rebellion. You will find so much support here that you won't know what to do with it all.

 

What are your goals? What are you going to do about it?

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Welcome to the rebellion. You didn't fail all those other times. You just put your fitness on pause. You have only failed if you quit starting again.  You are winning because you are seeking the help you need. You can do this and you will rock out, just be smart and focused.

[steps1341]

Thanks for the responses and the kind words. My goal is to lose around 100 lbs (which would put me around 180 or so) but would also like to gain more muscle. For my size I am already strong and have plenty of muscle buried somewhere in there. My main goal is to just be in better shape, to be proud when I look in the mirror, and prolong my life as long as possible for my family.

 

As far as how i plan on doing this... i'm not certain. I know that I will have to rebuild everything I was taught as a child. I will have to get in the gym and give my all. That is honestly the easiest part for me...once i get to the gym. I plan on quitting drinking of any kind, getting better sleep, and watching what I eat. I am open to any ideas or suggestion. Thanks again guys!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

About 80% of your success depends on cleaning up what you eat. While you certainly need to work out you can only get so far if you eat too much. That's where I would focus some early goals if I were you.

[Aluado]

I know the hardest part is controlling what you eat. It's tough not to eat what you want to eat or how much you want to eat. However, there are many things that you can eat as much as you want to fill your stomach that won't make you get fatter (like green leaves, eggplant, cucumber, some kinds of diet gelatins, etc.). So, it's a good idea to eat lots of those things. I can tell you this because of my personal experience: when I'm lunching here, at my job, I fill a big plate with salad and put just a little rice and beans in another, with as much meat as I'm allowed too. It's working really fine for me.

 

Also, you can "cheat" once or twice a week, so you won't get "crazy" and give up, hehe. And if you fail and eat what you shouldn't... don't be discouraged! Failing is a part of everyone's journey. If you fall, just stand up and keep going.