This is a long-term progress report for me. I can't win the money in this challenge because I'm refusing to submit a photo because the fat camp coaches on this stupid site and holding me down.
I assume these bastards tear others down to lift themselves up.
Anyway, my life has been quite the journey - both mentally and physically over the past eight years. Both mental and physical elements have contributed to my successes and failures in fatness fitness.
2006: I was in really good cardiovascular shape. I weighed about 190 pounds. I ran daily - about 2.5 miles to and from work. I was working at 1390 "The FAN" in St. Cloud at the time. But I did that at night... so during the day I was working an 8a-5p job in a warehouse. During the summer months, it was 90 degrees in that tin building. We did pullups on the pallet racking for fun. Bottom line... I had an active job and was exercising. I felt good.
2007: I moved to the Twin Cities in November of 2007. New girlfriend, new job at KFAN... the entire deal was pretty sweet. Life was good. But I lost my active job and was now working part-time at a radio station - sitting on my ass - and working other part-time jobs at a house for handicapped adults and as a TCF Bank teller. Very little moving was required. I also eventually stopped working out. I got comfortable and I got lazy. I felt fine because the laziness hadn't resulted in physical failure - yet.
2008-2013: My laziness got the best of me and I ballooned all the way up to something like 235 pounds. It was pathetic. I wasn't working out aside from a short few months before I got married. Motivation to look good in wedding photos... what a horrible reason to get in shape. But I quickly put that weight back on. Eventually, my weight rocketed up to 253 pounds. I think that was the peak... I'm not sure, but it wasn't a fun time. Don't get me wrong... food is fun... but I got super lazy and had too much fun with my food. It was a loser time period.
2014: With my weight maintaining around 250 pounds, I lost that comfortable part of my life. My job changed. The majority of the people in my life changed, with the exception of a handful of names. Taking the stairs was a heavy-breathing session. It sucked. It really, really sucked. So in June, I decided to start working out.
I worked out 19 days in a row. I was feeling good, but I was still eating poorly. So I gained muscle and felt stronger than I had in a very long time. But I was only slightly improving my physique. I kept that trend going for a couple of months, and then I started drinking beer. We're talking about way too much beer on way too many nights. I was bored. Really bored.
Until this diet challenge came around, I was still doing the same things: Working out really hard by lifting weights and drinking beer at night. Oxymoronic, eh?
Now that I've cut the beer (a lot more anyway - still super bored) and improved my eating habits - and mixed in cardio a lot more at the gym... I'm down a solid 5-6 pounds. It's minor, but it's a really great start. Fat is sort of melting off my body because I've built the muscle... the diet change is necessary if I want to be a cut up freak someday.
The picture in this blog represents my low point. That's the photo of Fat Joe on the left. The middle photo is me today. I'm still nowhere near where I want to be. That's what the photo on the right is for. It's me in 2007 or early 2008. I was skinny and weak, but my face didn't look so damn fat.
I'm going to get that back and I'm going to get that back - with muscle and maturity - in the very near future.
Again... I believe the number on the scale isn't important as long as a person feels healthy and is confident with their physique. It's a long, hard battle to reach that point... but I will get there.
I'm confident all of us in this group will get there. We all have reasons for taking this challenge. I wish all of you great luck... but you don't need luck. We all need determination. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Fat Joe Must Go.