Decided that some accountability was needed in order to rekindle that motivation that I once had.
Some background info:
Have struggled with being overweight most of my adult life. Was very active in high school - swim team, football, ice hockey, and karate all kept me looking and feeling great. Never paid much attention to the scale in those days, but looking at pictures from back then, I was probably anywhere from 85-90 kg's (190-200lbs). I'm 5'11, by the way).
Then I started my undergrad and that's when things got worse. I'd hit the weights once in awhile, but those workouts would be sporadic at best: I'd stick to it for 3 months, then just kind of lay off for a month or so. My eating habits were atrocious, stuffing my face with all sorts of nonsense, coupled with lots of beer.
When I finished school, I worked at a call centre in order to kill off my debt, which also kept me on my ass 8 hours a day, 5 / 6 days a week for well over a year. While I did maintain a strong commitment to the gym, all that hard work would go out the window as soon as I would come home or go out with friends.
After about 15 months at this call centre, I woke up one morning and looked at the scale, stunned: I was now 124 kg's (273 lbs). Holy fu*k, I thought to myself. My life needed a massive overhaul, asap. I was still in the same city, same group of friends, still lived at home. Obviously something wasn't right with me.
So I gave 2 weeks notice and found a teaching job in Korea. That was probably the first. smartest decision I had ever made for myself. Aside from the amazing experience I had, the travels that I had made and the friendships that had happened, I started listening to my body. I started NROL soon as I got there, and within 18 months, I had gone from 124 kg's to 92kg's. I had never felt or looked better. When I came back home, I was unrecognizable. What a good feeling.
Next year, I moved to Japan and continued to train hard. Six months in, I detached my subscap which sidelined me for a few months. But grinded the physic out and made a decent recovery. Lots of heavy lifting brought my weight was up to 105 kg's before I left, still feeling/looking pretty good. I had spent 1.5 years in total, living/teaching in Japan before deciding on grad school in Austria.
Started last September and was dismayed once I noticed there was no 'real' gym. Handful of baby weights, a lat pulldown machine, a recumbent bike and a couple yoga mats. So I google'd and found some decent bodyweight only exercises to do to at least maintain the strength I had gained over the past few years.
Today..
But being in grad school has begun to take its toll. I easily spend 6-8 hours a day in a seated position. And eating habits aren't ideal: we're forced to eat the 'school' food, where Austrian's have such an affinity for potatoes and all things starchy, it's kind of ridiculous (tasty, yes, but not good for a guy like me).
So I fear I am falling back into my undergrad days. My weight is now at 115kg's and I am so desperately not wanting to return to the 'dark days' of my life. By any means.
While there are loads of excuses I have outlined for my weight gain (sitting, food, etc.), ultimately, I'm the only one at fault.
So have decided to write here once a day, recording all that relates to my health, for all to see to ensure that I am held accountable for what I do.
The Plan:
Now: 115 kg's
September 15th, 2010: 105 kg's
December 15th: 95 kg's
How? Well, am thinking of trying out Martin Berkhan's approach to intermittent fasting (
http://www.leangains.com/), coupled with body-weight circuits (have looked at a bunch online, but haven't picked anything out yet. Any recommendations would be very much appreciated).
An ambitious endeavour? Without a doubt.
Am I setting myself up for disappointment? Perhaps.
But this is a challenge that I am willing to make. I
believe I am capable of doing it, and if clean up some aspects of my life (*ahem, food), I
believe I can pull it off. All a matter of mindset, and again, I think with this online journal, it will help me do just that.
Ok, sorry for the long-winded post. Any comments, please feel free to send me a message. I could use the support and/or criticism.
Thanks in advance guys..
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