An Introduction

I am fat and unhealthy.

This is a completely true statement. Just as recently as last November I was so heavy that I struggled to roll myself over in bed at night; I could not be on my feet for more than an hour without requiring a day for my knees to recover; and, most scarily, I would get winded going up the 10 or so steps into my condo. I weighed in at a whopping 267 pounds (for reference, I am 5'10" tall) and my blood pressure was 160/115. Needless to say, something needed to be done immediately, before my 29 year old body shut down.

Roots of motivation are curious things. On November 16, 2007, I was laid off from my job as IT Project Manager. I had worked my way up the ranks from a nobody in a Purchasing Training Program into my second promotion onto the National stage. This is exactly where I wanted to be. My fiance and I were due to close on a beautiful house in Denver. I was influential at an enterprise level. My career was set. And then my company let go of 1/3 of the IT department. Just two days after this mass layoff, my position was eliminated because the resources didn't exist to complete projects.

As much of a shot to the gut this was (and continues to be as I search for employment four months later), it forced me to take a look at the parts of my life outside of work. For obvious reasons, I took a very granular look at my expenditures. To my horror, I was spending $800-1000 per month on food, and from July through November 2007, 89.96% of my food expenses were on meals not cooked in my own kitchen! This trend certainly existed before last July, but this is as far back as the data existed.

Although the motive behind grossly limiting my carry out food intake was originally financial, only eating out once per week (and making healthier choices when eating out) paid nearly instant weight loss dividends. By the middle of January 2008, I was around 240 pounds. This was still clearly unhealthy, and it was obvious that I needed to do more than cook 20 of my 21 meals per week. My fiance and I joined the Fairfax County Rec Center.

It did take nearly a month to use the membership (we signed up on February 12 and worked out for the first time on March 4), but results are already being realized. I am quantify kind of guy, so here are the numbers:

November 2007
Weight - 267 pounds
Blood Pressure - 160/115
Resting Heart Rate - Unknown, but probably way too high
Mile Time - Ridiculously long with a one day recovery

March 10, 2008
Weight - 233 pounds
Blood Pressure - 153/95
Resting Heart Rate - 103 bpm
Mile Time - 20 minutes on an elliptical

March 17, 2008
Weight - 230 pounds
Blood Pressure - 134/86
Resting Heart Rate - 88 bpm
Mile Time - 2 consecutive 11 minute miles on an elliptical

As much as I agree with Lester Burnham in American Beauty ("I just want to look good naked."), the numbers that I am most interested in involve my heart. Heart disease runs in my family (I could write an entire Blog entry regarding the number of family members who have suffered heart attacks), and seeing a week-to-week drop from 153/95 to 134/86 in blood pressure is extremely motivating. In just one week, I have moved from Stage 1 High Blood Pressure to Pre-hypertensive.

Working backwards to the original purpose of my weight loss, I want to be healthy. This means that I will do whatever it takes to lower my blood pressure, increase my stamina, lose weight, and drop inches. To ensure that the big picture is not forgotten, I am also taking monthly size measurements. Here are my March 10 numbers:

Waist - 46 7/8"
Hips - 43 3/4"
Chest - 46 3/4"
Neck - 18 1/4"
Biceps - 14 7/8"
Thighs - 28 3/4"
Calves - 16 5/8"

To wrap things up, I will answer this simple question: Why am I writing this Blog? The answer is twofold. First, it is therapeutic to document my difficulties and accomplishments regarding something I have struggled with for most of my adult life. I managed to quit smoking and put myself through college, but I have not been able to get healthy. By writing down the choices I have been (and will be) making, I will not only have a place to vent but also concretely view the positive impact of my choices.

The second motivator is to help inspire those who share my struggles. I fully understand how frustrating it is to step into the gym that first time. When I graduated high school, I weighed 170 pounds, would start my bench press regiment at 150 pounds (and end at 225), curl three 15 rep sets of 95 pounds, and leg press 250 pounds as part of my strength conditioning. During my first workout, I could barely complete two 12 rep sets of 40 pounds curls, lift 120 pounds in the leg press, and I am afraid to see what I can bench press.

I have already experienced significant improvements on these numbers, and I will share my progress in future posts. For now, understand that I am struggling with you. Even though lifting the weights and running on the elliptical are extremely difficult, understanding that there are other people out there with the exact same struggles makes it easier to pull up the boot straps and make something happen.

For those who are in the same health condition that I am, I wish you the best of luck. This is likely going to be the most difficult thing I have ever done, but I look forward to the challenge.

Let's do this together!