It's time for a change

It's time for a change!

I have never been known for being twiggy. I have always been on the heavier side for as long as I can remember. I have certainly had my better years where I did not weight very much but that was brought about by a steady diet of cigarettes and Mountain Dew with an occasional sandwich every few days, not exactly a recommended lifestyle. I was 6' 2" and weighed about 180. I have a large build so 180 fit me quite well at that time.

I swam competitively for 3 years in high school and did moderately well. After a heavy childhood, the swimming helped me gain a lot of self-esteem as I lost inches. Drugs and booze after high school trimmed me down even further until I reached my low of 180 lbs. I have long since quit the drugs and the booze and even the cigarettes when my now-wife said she would never date a smoker. She was worth it :)

Now I am looking at the scale and wondering how I got here. 20 years after thinking I left my addictions behind I realize I have merely changed addictions. I can't seem to move beyond the sugars and carbs and caffeine. I have slowly increased my weight over all this time until now I see the number 300 in front of me. I simply cannot fathom this. Most household scales max out at this number. I can't ever get an accurate reading from this point on without going to a doctor or using the industrial scale at work. I picture myself getting loaded onto the scale with a forklift. This simply will not do. I work midnights which contributes to a very sedintary lifestyle.

I have a history of heart disease in my family. I have an Uncle who died from a heart attack at the age of 47. That is only 5 years away. I can already feel how hard this weight is on my body. I am always exhausted even right after waking up. I feel like I could sleep all day and night. Every little turn of the body produces an involuntary grunt or snort as the fat wrestles with my internal organs for precious real estate. Every time I feel numbness in my arms I wonder if it is over exertion or blood-flow blockage.

Now I do have some good things going for me. I am relatively healthy with all things considered. EKG's in the past have always been good. I typically have very normal to low blood pressure. My cholesteral is not high, well perhaps just at the border but that is only very recent. I do not have disablilities to keep me from working out. I am in a good position to get myself back into shape and that is exactly what I intend to do.

I actually began this process last week but I need to document my progress and keep track of what I am doing so I can learn as I go along. I am not following any specific diet or workout routine, I am developing it as I go along. I don't think diets are effective for me. I tend to just make up for it later after I am tired of denying myself. I think the smarter method is to make permanent changes to my eating habits rather than short term sacrifices. My first step is to get rid of the pop. Until recently I was on a daily habit of 64 ounces of Slurpee, sometimes 2. I am trying other things. I moved to Arizona's Energy drink but I realize now that it is not much better for me. I am going to try to work water into my day as much as I can stand it. I am also experimenting with teas to see if I can find something healthy I can get hooked onto.

I signed up the whole family at our local athletic club in Romulus where they have a very nice pool. I can't jog very well. I have a terrible running gait. I look like someone who is constantly tripping and trying to catch themself. Swimming works well for me. It is low impact and I already know how to setup a workout routine from my high school years. The first day last week I could barely swim 5 laps total. I could not believe how out of shape I was. I stuck to it every day and now I am doing a routine of (2) 100's on the 2:00, followed by (1) 50 on the 1:30. I do this a total of 4 times for an overall 20 laps. I used to be able to swim 10 laps in 5:23, my best time, now it takes me about 40 minutes to do 20, and I can't even do it all at once anymore. My next big goal is to work my way up to 33 laps which is 1 mile. I will also be whittling my rest time down in between laps.

I spend about 30-45 minutes everyday in the weight room. I am working on upper body on Mondays and Thurdays, Legs on Tuesdays and Fridays, and core (back and abs) on Wednesday. I do mix in shoulders and abs everyday but not as intensly as on their specific day. I do 3 sets of 10 on each machine, moderate weight. I already over did it once on the curls and was in a lot of pain for 2 days. Now I want to make sure I stay on the low side to avoid injury.

I do not know if I will be updating every day, probably not. I will shoot for once or twice a week though. I also will weigh in once a week.

I am open to suggestions. I am not looking for quick weight loss as much as I am looking to change my overall lifestyle. I am sure the weight loss will come. I don't plan on getting down to 180 again. I don't think that would be a healthy weight for me now. I would like to see 250 again though, and from there maybe even 220. I don't want to get hung up on a number, I just want to be healthy.