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Holy crap it's been a while since I was on here much - this year so far has been...interesting.
I've been working my balls off - started doing Uber and Lyft again to get our own finances built up while also trying to help out my mom, who has been imploding but I'll spare ya'll that story.
I set new goals for 2019 at the start of the year, not New Years Resolution nonsense that no one ever sticks with. Actual written down goals, printed and posted above my desk. I'm working on them - the income goals are coming slower, but my physical goals are on a roll.
At the start of the year I was close to 300 lbs - I don't know exactly how close, but damn close if not over. At my heaviest I've scaled I was 315lbs. I typically maintained at 295-305 for the better part of the last decade.
I was getting tired of feeling sick and tired. Back in December my kiddo begged enough that I enrolled us into my old TKD school - he wanted to learn taekwondo just like his school buddies, and after 45 mins of trying to get him to follow my instructions proved...frustrating, I gave up and sought my old instructor's help. Best move I could've made.
I declared 2019 to be the year I got healthier, and it's working. I jumped on the low carb lifestyle train - I'm not calling it a diet because diets don't work, because diets are temporary solutions. A lifetstyle indicates a permanent change.
I cut out processed crap - no soda, no pasta, no bread, no boxed meals, no rice, and no starchy vegetables. I'm eating lots of green veg, some colorful stuff like carrots and peppers and onions, and the occasional piece of fruit as a dessert or mid day snack. Only things I drink are water, tea (unsweetened) and black coffee.
Next to no eating out anymore as a general rule - meals are all done at home. Lots of protein (steak, roast, chicken, chops etc) and veg. I'm discovering new recipes daily to broaden the horizons to make things more appealing to my wife and kiddo.
The last time I hopped on a scale (which has been a couple weeks) I was at 268 lbs. I've not jumped on a scale in that time, because we went to Idaho last weekend for a competition, and it's hard adhering to the meat & veg lifestyle eating at restaurants, so I pushed the pause button for 2.5 days until we got home. I'll weigh in this week to see if I'm back on track - but I've lost probably close to 30 pounds this year, with another 50 to go being my goal. I'm down from a 46 inch waist to a 42 currently, and they're comfortable and not tight. In just over 40 days I lost 10 lbs and a couple inches between early Feb and late March. My wife and friends have noticed a huge difference, and I'm feeling better than I have in years.
I used to suffer from mid-day hunger pangs, and low energy levels. I thought I was borderline diabetic at times, and could not go more than 4-6 hours without eating or I'd get the shakes. I was huffing and puffing through some moderately strenuous things (I'd still do it, but it was a killer) like hiking the terrain while hunting or fishing, and I hated stairs.
I don't get those same mid day pangs now, and my energy levels are more...level. I don't get shaky anymore, and have actually by accident hopped onto the intermittent fasting thing - as I typically only eat now during an 8 hour window most days, and thus have 16 hours with no food intake. That was not how things used to be, as I'd graze or snack or have sometimes 4 meals (of pretty crap food, comparatively) a day.
I'm exercising 3-4x a week, at least an hour at a time, sometimes I wind up getting 2 hours of workout in. I'm back to teaching as an assistant instructor at my TKD school - working with the beginner and intermediate classes, and running an informal 2 hour black belt adult class on Friday nights. I'm also doing private BJJ sessions with a friend of mine who has setup his garage with mats, and it's been a great addition to my martial arts so far too, and it's fun being a beginner again.
I still want to add weight training into my weekly routine, as I want to start building up more muscle strength. I still have joint issues in my knees and hips, but they're getting better. I think the weights will help with that, too.
Here's a good comparison photo to show my progress this year:
I've been working my balls off - started doing Uber and Lyft again to get our own finances built up while also trying to help out my mom, who has been imploding but I'll spare ya'll that story.
I set new goals for 2019 at the start of the year, not New Years Resolution nonsense that no one ever sticks with. Actual written down goals, printed and posted above my desk. I'm working on them - the income goals are coming slower, but my physical goals are on a roll.
At the start of the year I was close to 300 lbs - I don't know exactly how close, but damn close if not over. At my heaviest I've scaled I was 315lbs. I typically maintained at 295-305 for the better part of the last decade.
I was getting tired of feeling sick and tired. Back in December my kiddo begged enough that I enrolled us into my old TKD school - he wanted to learn taekwondo just like his school buddies, and after 45 mins of trying to get him to follow my instructions proved...frustrating, I gave up and sought my old instructor's help. Best move I could've made.
I declared 2019 to be the year I got healthier, and it's working. I jumped on the low carb lifestyle train - I'm not calling it a diet because diets don't work, because diets are temporary solutions. A lifetstyle indicates a permanent change.
I cut out processed crap - no soda, no pasta, no bread, no boxed meals, no rice, and no starchy vegetables. I'm eating lots of green veg, some colorful stuff like carrots and peppers and onions, and the occasional piece of fruit as a dessert or mid day snack. Only things I drink are water, tea (unsweetened) and black coffee.
Next to no eating out anymore as a general rule - meals are all done at home. Lots of protein (steak, roast, chicken, chops etc) and veg. I'm discovering new recipes daily to broaden the horizons to make things more appealing to my wife and kiddo.
The last time I hopped on a scale (which has been a couple weeks) I was at 268 lbs. I've not jumped on a scale in that time, because we went to Idaho last weekend for a competition, and it's hard adhering to the meat & veg lifestyle eating at restaurants, so I pushed the pause button for 2.5 days until we got home. I'll weigh in this week to see if I'm back on track - but I've lost probably close to 30 pounds this year, with another 50 to go being my goal. I'm down from a 46 inch waist to a 42 currently, and they're comfortable and not tight. In just over 40 days I lost 10 lbs and a couple inches between early Feb and late March. My wife and friends have noticed a huge difference, and I'm feeling better than I have in years.
I used to suffer from mid-day hunger pangs, and low energy levels. I thought I was borderline diabetic at times, and could not go more than 4-6 hours without eating or I'd get the shakes. I was huffing and puffing through some moderately strenuous things (I'd still do it, but it was a killer) like hiking the terrain while hunting or fishing, and I hated stairs.
I don't get those same mid day pangs now, and my energy levels are more...level. I don't get shaky anymore, and have actually by accident hopped onto the intermittent fasting thing - as I typically only eat now during an 8 hour window most days, and thus have 16 hours with no food intake. That was not how things used to be, as I'd graze or snack or have sometimes 4 meals (of pretty crap food, comparatively) a day.
I'm exercising 3-4x a week, at least an hour at a time, sometimes I wind up getting 2 hours of workout in. I'm back to teaching as an assistant instructor at my TKD school - working with the beginner and intermediate classes, and running an informal 2 hour black belt adult class on Friday nights. I'm also doing private BJJ sessions with a friend of mine who has setup his garage with mats, and it's been a great addition to my martial arts so far too, and it's fun being a beginner again.
I still want to add weight training into my weekly routine, as I want to start building up more muscle strength. I still have joint issues in my knees and hips, but they're getting better. I think the weights will help with that, too.
Here's a good comparison photo to show my progress this year:
(Are you the tall one or the short one?)
